The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-06-25

When the Payne-Aldrich bill breaches
the White House on its way through
the machinery OF the Legislative mill
It win meet the biggest man physical
ly who ever approved or disapproved
tariff BILL and he will consider the
most bulky tariff act ever signed or
vetoed. 1t 10 believed that when 1t 10
completed It will contain more words
than any other tariff law ever enacted
---surpa ssinE In length even the VIII
SON German law itself. II Mr.. TAFT
signs Il, he will be following the pre-
cedent OF all but two Of his predeces-
sorS In the White House, those two be-
ing Tyler ana Cleveland Tyler vetoed
| two tariff bills. and Cleveland allowed
| q tArifr meaa sure to become 9 law with
| out his 9sfknature-a pocket veto.
| when william Mckinley signed the
| DiukEf eyAbifl ne kafSItlss Aaisiffng teach
| to the law WHEN was dSStfned TO raise
| more revenue than any other tsrin law
| ever enacted: He Was the Unfy Presf-
dent who gave 1afs name TO sone~tarin
| law and his signaturb OF approval to
another. although there have been
several instances where men who were
| afterward President had taken an i'm
portant part In the passage OF tartn
acts.
John Tyler was the first President
| to veto a tariff bill, and hts two vetoes
| In succession stirred Congress as II
has seldom been stirred. - When the
Harrison Tyler administrau ton came IN
to power the finances of the country
were In a very bad shape. The Clay
| compromise tariff had been in" force
/ for A number of years, with its proVis'
ions for an automatic reduction OF du'
| ties to a revenue basis-2O per cent
| Conservative historians agree that tins
| Clay compromise tariff was not re.
sponsible for the hard times OF aSSl
/ and after, though some of them assert
that a different measure might have
| prevented some OF the evils Of the pc
| ROD. Harrison having died within
few weeks after his inauguration, Ty'
Ter assumed the presidency. Congress
| was called into extra session to NEE
the growing seriousness OF treasury
conditions. It's lrst duty seemed to o.
to enact a bill which would preven
the anal and most important reduction
Of the Clay compromise act going int
effect. Instead Of doing 80, II mrs
passed the distribution act. which pro
! yided for distribution among the State
OF funds received from the sale OF pub
lie lands, q proviso being inserted, now
ever, to stop such distribution in th'
event that the moneys were needed 10
4 49,
Clay compromise had to be increased
There was q large treasury def1ci
from month to month, but the Wing
were opposed to keeping, to meet cur
rent expenses the money received from
the sale Of public land. They wAnte'
IL distributed among the States NJ
matter how much money the genera
government had to borrow TO meet ~
obligations. They therefore repealed
the proviso of the distribution &C
which restricted the distribution t
times when the finances of the govern
ment warranted it. The result wa
that Tyler vetoed the whole bill rattle
than permit the public land fund to b.
distributed when It was so much need
ed by the treasury.
The Wings were very angry whei
Tyler's veto came in and they set l.
work to frame q complete tarln a
soon as they found they could no
muster the votes required to pass tn
bill over the presidential veto. Agail
they inserted q clause repeating tn
proViso that the moneys received iron
the sale of public lands should not b.
distributed except when warranted b,
treasury conditions. And again tn
| presidential foot went down on tn
whole bill. rather than to allow tina
provision to become q, law. Congress
very we'll knew that Tyler would re
fuse to sign q law repeating the pro
vIso, as an independent measure, $
they sought to couple 1T with the tar
ID and make him do what otherwis
he would not do. or refrain from doinl
that which otherwise he would do. !
furnishes the best example Of attempt
I'D coercion Of the executive that Amer
lean legislative history affords.
II eonKresA onal anger seethed whe
the nrst bill came back vetoed.
boiled over when the second vet
came back. The veto message was re
ferred to a special committee of whic
; John Quincy Adams former Prest
dent. was chairman. This committe
proceeded TO arraign Tyler in languag
that bordersd on violence. 1t did no
score him for his vetoes alone, bu
! warmed up to its work and took hir
: to task for . hundred alleged sins an
shortcomings. 1t went 80 far as
. offer an amendment to the constitutio
. giving Congress the power Of passin
over a veto by a majority vote. TIL
, committee charged him with mig
; crimes and misaemeanors worthy {
: impeachment" and Congress adopte
! the report. Tyler sent in a protest BIT
j this was ignored. II II to be said fe
TyIef that during these strenuor
J times he never forgot the courtesy du
the legislative branch Of the govern