Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-18
A Resolution in Regard to 1t to Be
Offered at Chicago.
SENATOR JONES GIVES Ills VIEWS
Abuse Has Grown Up and CIeve-
land the Greatest Offender.
THE WILL OF THE MAJORITY

The views expressed to The Star last
Monday by Chauncey F. Black of Penn
sylvania respecting the exercise of the
veto power by the President have attract
ed wide attention throughout the country.
Ihey are challenged in many quarters
and approved in many. Some of those
who approve them, however, are shy as
yet about committing themselves by name
for publication. The subject is an inter-
estlng one, aid an important announce
ment is that the Chicago convention. by
resolution, is to be asked 10 pass upon
It, Senator Jones of Arkansas is authority
for the statement. Mr.. Jones will attend
the convention, and believes that it will
declare for the free coinage of silver.
In conversation with representative of
The Star today Mr.. Jones, with charac-
teristic frankness, said:
senator Jones' Views.
"A good many people believe that of
late years the veto power vested in the
President has been abused, and that Mr..
cleveland is the most conspicuous of all
the offenders. l fully share in that opin-
ion. / think the time has come when the
question of what was intended by the veto
poNer-what ends were to be served by the
exercise of it-should be fully discussed
ard some expression formulated by the
democratic party. A resolution covering
the point will be introduced at Chicago,
and vote called for"
What are your own views about the
matter?"
Il hold that The veto should not be used
was not intended TO be usea-eXcept in
cases involving constitutional quest .ons or
for the purpose Of che, king hasty and i'm
pu!siVe legislation. ANY other construc-
uon OF the power-any construc-
2nfhgriZinp y.o zr3T. y,f. IL,
is IN nay judgment, mel ace to majority
rule. IL our government is anything il is
government by the majority in all things
pertaining to the pcople's everyday vel
fare Congress has its powers, and ths
President his powers. But to take
the ground that the President may veto,
and thus demand two-thirds vote on any
measure, which, had he been a member of
Congress, he would nat have supported. is
an affront to majority ruIe-sn affront 10
Congress. 1t makes of nim an everyday
ieslslator, and gives him more power than
the half of Congress. / feel entirely GER
tain that such was not the intention of
the fathers. The presider iiai Office is a
great office, but still desisl ed to be only an
executive Office. II was never intended to
be used to encroach upon the legislative
once. Let the departments OF the gs.vern-
nent remain distinct, the executive sliiunv-
ing on his side, the Iegisla tive on its side.
ara the judiciary on its siie. That was the
crlsinai intention, and to the extent that
we have departed from it We are the
losers" ~
Not Offensive to the Candidate.
1T is suggested. Senator, that such +,
deliverance as you mention would no of
fensire to the presidential candidate; that
no man would be willing TO go into the
White House with such a Limitation placed
on him"
why should he be offended? The CON-
Vention will not be asked to place a lim,ta-
tion on him, but only to remind him OF tho
limitation which fair and just reading Of
the Constitution places on him. No cantli-
date can object to that. The question at is
sue is majority rule, and that is the cor
her stone of the democratic faith. No cam
didate should seek the nomination of a
party with the principles of which, as ex-
pressed by the majority, he is not in SYM
pathy. He cannot afford 10 take office ex-
cept as his party's representative and with
the intention OF assisting in the execution
Of its policies The thing the candidate
should welc come-even insist upon-is so cx-
pIicit an expression of the party's views on
all matters with which he will have to DO
If elected President that no misunderstand-
ing car possibly arise; that by being able to
see plainly what the platform means. and
by knowing full well where the rlaioritv
stand, he may keep the faith and perform
what his election calls for. Otherwise he
will be liable to have to face a public in
dlctment the counts of which will stick.
The People the source of Power.
There are men who go about sneering
at Congress. They are afraid of Congress.
Their faith always is in the executive.
Such men ought to go abroad This is not
the kind of n government for them. This
is, or it ought to be, a popular government.
The people are the source Of all power in
this country. They are supreme, and when
the wishes of the majority have been ascer-
tanned through the deliberate deiverance
Of their representatives in Congress, up-
less a constitutional question is involved,
those wishes should be at once carried out.
We must get back to that