The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-24
hi USE or THE VETO.
To THE EDITOR OF The SUN-Sh:
find the following passage in the CoHgrcs
siondl Record for April is;

Veh6mence, ehd mat unless you give 70 me mr
four batleshlDs l will veto your public building,
bin
Now, there Is the dlfneulty, a. ! uy, underlying
the surface here. The man who sits In the White
House, who has the veto power, has used ths
threAt-which Il nothing more nor less than ss
nlncant In the face Of the conditions which con
front us-to impose a burden and take away from
the people Of this nation a great beneht unless hi,
will Is accomplished. Now, | say that | feel per
feetiy free to offer this criticism
Mr.. HobBoD-Wlll the gentleman just yield ior
a short question:
Mr.. W~nlett-CertAlnly.
Mr.. Hobson- out Of reconsideration for the Presldeu,
| desire 10 say that | happened 70 see him a momeu0
after he first said that, and he said he said Il BE-
cause q member had Just told him that while he W.,
In favor Of four bAttleships he had been practically
forced to give them up because he had been told
that unless the two battleshlps were cut on the}
would not he allowed to bring In a public building,
bill. That Is the reason why the President said a..
and he said II under provocatlon, The opposItlol
has used tactics In this House that ought not to b,
adopted.
II the proof we're not so conclusive few
persons could believe that the President
threatened 10 veto an unenaoted bill which
had not been duly presented 10 him Tor
his signature. and threatened his veto not
because Of anything in the bill but because
Congress had not enacted another bill or
another subject.
Were 1t not for the evidence in the fore.
going case IL would be difficult TO convinc
the people that the President had, as in thu
case Of his project to amend the Sherman
law, held out to the legislative branch tn
menace Of a veto In case his measure. not
formally recommended by him 10 Congres.
for its consideration. shall be in any manner
modified.
And yet 10 It quite certain that a majority
Of the voters disapprove, repel and are made
unhappy by such threats3 Does the pres.
ent House OF Representatives resent them.
Did not the committee OF the House when
menaced by 'the big stick OF the Pres.
dent take It lying DOWN.
What can be the explanation Perhaps
the House Of Representatives thinks that it
is sticking In the bark Of the Constitution
10 insist that the President should not
threaten to veto certainly he cannot before
receiving 1t return a bill with his objections
a measure before II has been presented
10 him In the form OF a bill. II may be-
bad form to do so. the House may say, but
not bad law.
The apparently increasing popular ten
dency to sympathize with a Governor
against a Legislature and with a Presidenr
against the House Of Representatives is
worth thinking Of. However 1t may have
been in the beginning, II is plain enough
now that the people, neither In the State nor
In the nation. resent an Executive veto. IT.
New York, for example. the Governor eau
veto after the Legislature has adjourned and
then no tWo-thirds vote can overcome the
veto.
The veto power seems to have been
originally given TO the President by the
States In order 10 enable him 10 protect his
constitutional prerogatives from invasion
by Congress, but in u times the people
appear TO be willing that he should use it
and threaten lie use in order to terrify and
dominate legislators.
Although members Of the House are the
only Federal officers for whom the voters
directly vote, yet the foSmer are selected
by distriots and portions Of a State. A
member from a Manhattan district OF New
York does not represent a district 'up the
State any more than one in Texas. Has
not the modern habit OF a member Of the
House to think only Of his district and labor
chiefly for II given the President his
innings a. the only organ and representa-
tive Of the whole people? He is now first,
the Senate second and the House last,
which is quite the reverse Of what the fran.
ers Of the Constitution fancied would come
to pass.
II Taft shall win the Republican nomi.
nation and Bryan prevail at Denver, the
present popular tendency is 10 look on the
successful one as demonstrating bis super
oity over nominating delegates. conven-
tons and voters. His will Is to be hence
forth the rulei Congressman are mot in
it'l Hence II has come to pass that the
platform IL inferior. In order OF control, t.
the candidates letter Of acceptance, and
In actual administration the President is
hrst, because nearest 10 all the people,
and Congress Il sNcond,
II 10 edfying In looking back during a
century and more 10 compare the evolution
Of the peoples will In America and in Eng
land, where the character Of the King ia
the accident Of birth and education. There
the veto has not bean used, certainly not
since l7O2, whereas here itS use has increased
since jackson entered the White House.
There the e~nfranchised masses use the
House Of Commons as their instrument Of
power, but here the President.
Roosevelt saw the tendency in the great
West and has worked II as President with
exceptional shrewdness and success. lie
has e~ndeavored 10 execute popular wisdom
and popular FOLLY, Constitution or no Con
sttuton. Congress has no control over
his policies, excepting by party discipline,
which has not been applied. Democrats
in Congress have been ~hypnotized in the
departments by favors for the districts
Even o conspicuous Democrats say they
do not zee how Bryan can refuse 10 support
Roosevelt II nominated at Chicago, Party
discipline has vanished. The President,
holding the cold end Of the poker, presents
the hot end 10 Congress, which may au-
thoise him 10 expend twenty millions for
public buildings but cannot constrain him
to do 1t. He need not pay out a dollar.
Dsbursing ofhcers must obey him.
The only thing the people can do ia b.
exercise unceasing vigilance over the Pres.
dental ballots put into ballot boxes next
November. VETO.
New YORK, April %,
To Save the Home Of Patrick Henry.
To rHE EDITOR or THE SUS-ysr, In to DAY,
CuE aaN an aEtlpls m tka rano..4 a..trtrtt,r