Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-06-03
FIRTY-ROURTH CONGRESS-.
WASHINGTON, June 8.
SENATE.

SENATE.
Immediately after the morning pray.
er. the reading of yesterdays journal
having been dispensed with, mo-
ton to proceed to the considera.
ton of the Presidents veto OF
the river and harbor bill was made by
Mr.. Vest. This motion was antago'
nized by Mr.. Pettigrew, who desired to
proceed with the conference report on
the Indian appropriation bill.
Mr.. Vest said it was very obvlol
that action should be had on the riv'
and harbor bill as speedily as possible.
No other subject could be presented to
the Senate-outside of the national
honor-more important to the people
of the United States than the question
whether the great works OF Internal
Improvement were to be suspended and
large number of them destroyed, or
whether, in case the veto was sustain
ed. Congress would proceed to enact
another river and harbor bill at Il -
session.
MIR. Vests motion was agreed to,
yeas IS, nays 10, and thereupon the
The negative votes were given by
Senators Bate, Brown, Chiffon, Harris,
Morrill,, Palmer, Pettigrew, Pritchard,
Teller and Villas.
The Vice. President stated the ques.
ton to be on the passage of the bill,
the objections of the President to the
contrary Notwithstanding.
Mr.. Vest said that there were state
ments in the Presidents message as to
which, with all due respect to the
President and his high office, something
| should be said in defense of the two
houses of Congress. While unques-
i tionably the President of the United
States had the constitutional power to
exercise his veto prerogative, it was not
| the idea of the Constitution that that
veto power should be exercised as one
of the ordinary instrumentalities of ad-
ministering the government. The veto
power had been exercised only seven
times in the first 2S years of the govern
ment-tWice by Washington and five
times by Madison; never by John Ad-
ans or Thomas Jefferson. Mr.. Vest
proceeded to discuss the message in de-
tail, and pointed out various inaccura-
cies in it.
AS to the Presidents intimation that
the payment of the GO millions covered
by the bill was as binding as the bond
ed debt of the government, MIR. Vest
mildly suggested to the President, that
there was no interest on it. 1t did not
propose, to use another expression OF
the President, to mortgage posterity."
Mr.. Sherman said he did not think
that such an appropriation bill ought
ever to be vetoed under any circum-
stances. He could not conceive case
where such bill should be vetoed.
Congress, Mr.. Sherman declared,
ought to stand by its exclusive power
to appropriate money, leaving to the
President the expenditure of it only
when there is sufficient money in the
Treasury for the purpose. Instead OF
seven vetoes in the first IS years of the
government, vetoes came to one House
or the other now almost every day.
Congress ought to curb or check, if pos
sible, the exercise of the veto power.
Mr.. Smith differed with Senators
Vest and Sherman. on the subject of
Presidential vetoes and reminded them
that similar bills had been vetoed by
Presidents Jackson, Tyler, Polk, Pierce
and Grant.
Mr.. Villas said he could not bring
himself to face the conviction that, un.
der present circumstances, the large APP
preparations in it ought not to be super
added to the weight of obligations al
ready imposed on the distressed
shoulders of the people.
The bill was finally passed over the
Presidents veto by vote of 56 to 81
Messrs. Bate, Chiffon, Hill, Smith and
Villas.
Speaker Reeds request of yesterday
that "the practice of maintaining a
quorum begin at the hour of II o'clock, "
| failed to its desired effect to-day. When
the House was called to order at that
hour this morning under the new rule,
Mr.. KEN challenged the assumption of
the presence of quorum, and it was
not until Ills o'clock that the Speaker
was justified by count OF noses in
directing the clerk to read the journal
of yesterdays proceedings.
Mr.. Dingley gave notice that he
should be compelled to object to any
| further leaves of absence to members
except for illness.
The House agreed to the conference
report on the bill making appropriations
for Notifications and coast defences.
Mr.. Cannon presented the first con-
ference report on the general deficiency
bill.
Mr.. Sayers moved that the House
vote TO strike out of the appropriation
making payment to and on account of
the victims of the Ford's Theatre dis
aster, the names of certain claimants,
the total amount involved being about
$50, 1000, and referred to the committee
for further examination.
In support of the motion Mr.. Sayers
had read letter from Col. Ainsworth,
chief of the record and pension divis-
ion, War Department, asserting that
the persons named were either not in
jured in the disaster or that their deaths
had no connection with it.
Mr.. Updegraf, member of the COM
mission, stated it to be his opinion that
justice would not be done unless and
until the allowances made to the claim
ants were increased fifty per cent.
Mr.. Henderson appealed to the House
to agree to the amendment made by
the Senate. "The Ford's Theatre dis
aster," he said, chad shocked not only
the United States but the civilized