The age-herald., 1902-03-29
Presidents Veto of Deserter's s
 Bill Caused Discussion
TALBERT ENDORSED ACTION
South CaroIlnIan Said He Was Glad to Have the Presidents Assistance In Preventing Honor Roll
 From Being Besmirched.

Washington March 2S-The House spent today passing private pension bills. In all 215 were passed. With one exception this is the record for the number of such bills passed in a single session. The Presidents s policy with regard to the veto of bills to remove the charge of assertion from the records of soldiers came in for considerable discussion during the day. Early in the session a n2mber of minor bills were passed The sundry civil ap- propriation bill was reported and MT. Cannon gave notice that he would call it up on Monday.
 Information Wanted.
 A resolution was adopted which called upon the Secretary of War for certain information relative to the condition of the Missouri river improvements below St. Joseph, Mo. MT. Littlefle1d of Maine asked unanimous consent for the consid- eration of a bill to confer jurisdiction upon the Court of Claims to adtudicate the claims for duties collected on goods going into the island of Porto Rico be- tween April, 1899, to May l, 1900. The bill provided that the claims found one would bear interest at per cent.
 MT Payne of New York 'plained that the refund of these duties was made nec- essary by the decision of the Supreme Court. The claims of Winters he thought was just Brigadier General Davis of Porto Rico subsequently, wen, to the Phil ippines and service could not be obtained upon him.
 Bills were also passed to transfer the title to the military reservation at Baton Rouge La, to the Louisville State Agri- cultural College; to allow the commuta- tion of homestead entries in certain eases upon the ceded portion of the Sioux ln- dian reservation in South Dakota; to grant a right of way through the San Francisco mountain reserve to the Cen tral Railroad of Arizona and to authorize the loan of revolutionary trophies to the Morgan Association of Winchester, Va
 Discuss Presidents Veto.
 The Presidents veto of the bill to re- move the charge of desertfon against Emanuel Klauser was laid before the House and referred to the corrsttee on military affairs. The House then pro- ceeded to the consideration of pension bills. The first bill on the calander was to correct the military record of Calvin A. Rice, and MT. Talbert of South Caro- lima made it text of a speech against this class of bills. He referred to the veto of the President just read and his other vetoes of like bills. 'I am glad" said he. ito see that the chief executive has come to my assistance to keep the rOOl of honor rom DelnB DeSnlrcneu py deserters."
 He moved to lay aside the bill with an unfavorable report.
 Mir Mondell declared that the bill did not seek to remove the charge of deser- ton. Rice he said was an officer and had been unjustly dismissed for being absent without leave.
 Mir. Mann Explains.
 MT. Mann, Illinois, declared that the President had simply objected to the form of some of these bills, which instead of permitting the secretary of war to change the military record required him te make the change.
 MT. Robinson of Indiana interrupted to say that if the President did not approve an act of Congress the responsibility would not rest with him. MT. Mann thought the bills had been placed in such a form that they would command the Presidents approval He did not know what the President would do, he said, but if he was consistent he would veto every bill which was directory in form.
 MT. Bay of Virginia contended that if special bills were only to be permissive. not directory. then Congress had as well pass general law giving the secretary of war permission to change military re- cords of any soldier.
 The bill as laid aside with the favora- ble recommendation. GA to g.