The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-03-29
WILL OUTGROW
CAR STAGE
SOMETIME, SAYS BISMARCK PAL
LADiuM, STATE AND NATION
WILL GET AWAY FROM
THE VETO.

Bismarck Palladium: The time is
rapidly approaching when the people
through their representatives or by
original legislation, will forever re-
move that antiquated relic Of bar
barism, the veto power. as 1t exists at
present in the hands of the president
of the United States and the various
governors,
1t seems inconceivable that the con-
crete judgment OF legislative bodies,
consisting, as they often do, of men,
bership running into the hundreds,
should be modified, thwarted and de-
stroyed by the arbitrary act of one In
divtdual. A bill which has received
the careful consideration of a com
mittee of both houses and has passed
through the ordeal of three readings
In the houses themselves, and which
has finally been adjudged to be good
by a majority OF the members, should
certainly not be subject to effacement
at the hands OF one man, whose men
tai, scholastic or judicial attachments
are in no measure superior to scores
of individual legislators who have pre-
viously given the measure their best
thought and judgment.
1t is true that, knowing the veto
power to exist legislatures have been
careless, especially in the amounts of
appropriations, and have authorized
expenditures which the probable rev.
enue Of a state might not be able to
meet; but this phase could we'll be met
by a percentage reduction all along
the line, sufficient to bring the aggre-
oaf "a tyffh fn
which would be just and which would
absolutely eliminate any possibility Of
favoritism. This power could be dele
gated to board and so limited as to
render 1t impossible for the work of
two legislative bodies to be rendered
abortive by the arbitrary stroke of a
partisan pen.
Had such a system been In force,
the advocates OF the Harvey expert
mental station and the faculty of the
agricultural college would not now find
their high hopes of agricultural and
experimental progress dashed to the
ground for reasons which appealed to
the political animosity of one man
only; the burden Of over appropria-
ton would then be borne equitably
by the whole state, and projects of ad-
vancement decided upon by the peo-
ple's representatives would go for
ward practically on the lines intended
and with but slight pro rata curtail-
ment of funds.
A story is related Of an old farmer
in Switzerland who was unable to give
the name of the president of the re-
public when asked by an fnquisitive
stranger; yet the farmer was a man
who took an active and intelligent in
terest in the affairs of his country
The reason OF his inability to name the
chief executive of the republic was
simply because the personality Of the
latter was never thrust into national
affairs, through arbitrary exercise or
assumption of authority, the people
themselves making and unmaking
their own statutes to a large extent.
The nearer this country approaches
this political condition the better will
IT be for the masses and for the en-
forcement of such laws as we now
have. The present system is a mis-
erabIe concession to monarchical GUS
tom, a worthless inheritance from the
days of British suzerainty and a silly
form of hero worship in that IL con-
fers upon the temporary occupant Of a
high position powers which should
only be possessed by a superior be-
ing, and which, in the hands of a poli-
tical accident, can hardly fail of in
furious results to the people at large.