Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-03-26
TIE VETO.

10 has Teen observed btcAuhe Hulf'
Observable that Governor Wells Il
toIerAbly handy with the veto. He has
swung this prerogativo Of the e1ecu-
tive rover oitenes within the samu
length Of time than many other chief
magistrates have had occasion TO do
The greater portion Of his work IN THE
line has been directed TO imperfect
measures, the faults In which have
been recognized when pointed out by
the Governor; but some Of tho voloea
have gone to the vital parts Of tho
proposed legislation. The thing most
10 DO thought Of In this connie
ton, perhaps, IL the unusual cit.
cumsiance that all Of the Governors
vvloes yet acted upon have been sue.
tanned not only by the Legislature, but
by public opinion AS well, aud this IL
doubtless u source Of great satisiaolion
10 him.
In the earlier days Of the Republic
the veto was not often brought into
Ttqulsitlon. Having but recently sew
srod our relations with Great Britain
and set up In business for ourselves, the
desire aud design wa. TO dispense not
only with royalty but with every.
thing partaking or sAyoring thereof
For n single individual to oppose his
will 10 that Of n large number duly
constituted TO represent the sovereign
people was probably looked upon A.
leaning somewhat In the direction Of
the forms Of royalty from which we
had taken y fond aud hnSl adieu; sIlll,
the power to do 10 was left 10 the Con.
Iiitution, ana tho wisdom Of the
trainers OF that sacred instrument
ia no place appears wiser than
In this. Large bodies Of men
are oitsner ss,ray than small
ones, and small ones oilenor than
capable, honest individual; the united
wisdom no lsss than the representative
capacity OF lawmakers Ia necessary,
OF course, but that their work when
completed Ia faulty, Is amply evidenced
by the growing frequency with which
the executive inlerpOsiIlon has been
exercised IN tie later yearh.
Tho fint great "vetoer" was Andrew
Jackson, aud the language Of some Of
his messages breaking through
the work Of Congress would
sesn to show that no was dealing
with pretty hard lot, The fame he
acquired by his veto OF the banking
bill was almost equal TO that which
surrounded him by reason Of the vic
tory at New Orleans. He was a very
oombAtive man, disposed to be rash Mt
timee; and II we conclude that Con.
gtsss was Maynard ami stubborn, We
might N well take into consideration
that II had q President TO deal with
who was fully equal 20 It In
those and some other respects,
and that each was necessary IN order 10
not ~ a o5unterpolse against the other.
The next liberal hand with tho veto
was Andrew johnson, but the results
In his case were exactly the opposite
Of Governor Wells, Tor all Of them were
overfiduen. Indeed, II used TO he said
by the humorists when new bill was
passed by both houses Of Congress that
II then only "awhitgi tho "rsaiJcaga
veto to become law" Els ystoiug pro.
ponsity was a natural result OF the
ground he took In relation 20 the
reconstruction Of the Sout being
diameirlcally opposite t. that OF Con.
gtesF. THIS led mp to but was not the
Immediate cause Of his impeachment
In 1861 President Grant used the veto
several times, hut President Cleveland
hesds the llst In lhls respect.
AZ long af the law.builIefs perform
Imperfect work, its good thing that
the veto power exists and 10 In the
hands OF man who knows how and
when to use It. Let not the fre-
queney Of the occurrence dc.
ter the executive from making II
as much more frequent ne the coca.
sion may require. In bad hands the