The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-03-30
DEMOCRATIC IEGIsE4ATT9E --
LITTLE BETTER THAN sN,B'
VETO As REMEDY

The people OF North Caro-
lima have . right 20 AK, 10 In
xist. that their legislatures shall
hereafter transact business upon
q better basis. To dawdls away
most OF the session with local
trtvialitles which county and
city authorities could manage
mare wisely themselves IL given
permission and then TO let neces-
gary and important legislation
receive gcant attention or fall
This has been the common fault
for a good many years. The
public il becoming very tired OF
this biennial performance. There
Is always a growing belief that
to give the Governor veto power
and North Carolina alone
among our commemorative
withholds the veto from its Gov
ernor-would greatly lessen the
evil by concentrating partial res
possibility for things done or
omitted. At present North
Carolina Legislature Is little
better than a mob"
This is a pretty frank statement
from a Democratic paper about
Democratic Legislature.
1t is greatly to the credit of the
good people of the State that they
are. as the Observer says, "becom-
ing very tired of this biennial per-
fnrmance. which is little better
than a mob" Upon reflection, how
ever, it appears that the Charlotte
Observer is very kind and lenient to-
ward the last Legislature in saying
so little in condemnation Of what 1t
did and did not do.
The suggestion made by the Char
lotte Observer that the Governor OF
the State should be given the veto
power as one of the remedies for the
evils of such a Legislature, does not,
however, impress us favorably or as
a real remedy. II the Governor had
the veto power, he could veto a num-
Der of small, useless, and bad bills
passed by the last Legislature; but
how would that power enable him,
even if he desired to do so, to in
duce the Legislature to pass an hon.
! est antitrust law, to pass a law Tor
free textbooks, for local self-govern-
ment, or any other reforms demand
ed in the interests of the people and
} good government.
} Besides, in our opinion, the veto
power, as given by the Federal Con-
| stitution and in most Of the States
is greater than should be placed in
the hands of any one man, whether
he is the Governor of State or the
President of the Nation. The vett
? power which the President of th4
: United States has, and which thu
t governors of most States have, enable
them to kill any act of Legislation
Q unless the same shall be passed b,
{ a two-thirds or three-fourths major
e ity over such veto.
q Former Senator Butler, Of thi
r State, introduced in the United State
r Senate a resolution providing for
: constitutional amendment as to tn
|, veto power, which provided tina
= whenever, the President disapproye
y any act of Congress, that he shout
|. return the same as now required b
the constitution, to Congress, wit
his reasons as to why it should nc
become a law, and that then Congress
might make it law in spite of tn
Presidential objection by simpl
passing the measure again by m,
jority vote of both houses. The vet
power limited to this form is NJ
only not Objectionable, but seems
us to be a proper safeguard. Jul
as it is the duty Of the President
the United States or the Governor
:. State to send messages to the legi
lative bodies, urging legislation,
- should be their privilege and duty
protest against legislation which b;
been enacted and give reasons WI
il should. not be enacted, if su,
reasons exist.
When the executive has perfori
ed this duty his power should cea
in respect to this legislation, if t
chosen representatives of the peopl
after having their attention tn
called by the executive to the re
: sons why such legislation should n
be enacted, should still see fit
make III the law