New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-18
Military Arm Far Too Vital to
the Country To Be Made Vic
tim of HaSty Theories of
Legislation, He Says.
PROTESTS AGAINST RIDERS
Clear Attempt to Deprive Ex-
ecutive of Constitutional Pow
ers as to Legislation, AS
serts the President
Mr.. Hay Replies.
rBy Telegraph to The Tribune. !

to-day vetoed the army appropriation
hill giving as his basic reason that the
army of the United States is far too
vital an institution to the people of this
country 70 be made the victim of hasty
or imperfect theories Of legislation" The
hill sought to remove General Leonard
Wood as chief Of staff.
While the Wood -Ainsworth-H Hay con
troversy has been injected into the op,
position to the measure the President
points out that his veto is a matter Of
principle setting forth at the outset Of
his message that the provision limiting
the eligibility Of officers TO be chief Of
staff narrows the choice of the President
In selecting incumbents for the most i'm
portant position Of the army" and is
Clearly objectionable"
Emphatic protest is made against the
practice Of attaching substantive legisls
tion to appropriation bills, something
that the Democratic members of Con
gress have been doing with considerable
regularity The President declares that
& is a dangerous practice and because OF
this belief there is a strong probability
that he will disaprove the legislative,
executive and judicial bill.
Admittedly, the army appropriation
bill changes the military policy of the
nation. The objectionable provisions in
the measure were inserted over the Wig
orous protest and against the recon-
mendations of the President. the Secre-
tary Of War and the General staff OF the
army. In no uncertain terms President
Taft informs the legislators that it would
be hard to find clearer instance Of an
attempt TO deprive the Chief Executive
of his constitutional power
The Presidents Objections.
The principal objections noted by the
President are:
The limitation as to the eligibility Of
officers to be chief of the staff, a
striction which he states would put
premium on mere routine service.
The disintesratlon OF important bu-
reaus Of the War Department
The Ienethenng OF the term OF enlist
mont from three to four years.
The reduetionEof the number OF rem
bers Of the General STAFF and the work
of the War College, doing harm that
would be "Wellnioh Incalculable.
The "aIleged economy" claimed by the
legislators, the assertion being made that
the claims of economy are unfounded.
While President Taft did not mention
Major General Wood by name, he made
It plain that one Of his principal reasons
for the veto was the provision 10 legis-
late that officer from his position. The
President pointed out that the limita-
tions imposed upon the incumbent Of
that Office by the terms Of the bill would
have disqualified many Of the armys
most brilliant officers. The President
also objected TO the provisions which
would have removed officers of the Phil
ippine constabulary, the Panama Canal
work and the Bureau Of Insular Affairs.
Deprives Legislation Of Scrutiny.
The fact that a single provision Of the
bill can cause such serious conse-
Quences" said the President, offers fur
ther evidence of the unwisdom Of
method which deprives legislation of its
usual safeguards Of scrutiny and discus
sion"
The President condemned the bills
provisions changing the enlistment term
from three 10 four years, calling them
contrary to military policy and declaring
they would make impossible the estab-
lishment of proper reserve. The pro-
posed commission TO report on the policy
Of army posts was criticised by Mr.. Tai:
as obstructing rather than furtherng
the solution Of a difficult problem.
There would be deficiency under the
bill in the pay of the army alone Of
more than S2,OOO,OOO. The economy
claimed for the bill, the President said
was arrived at merely by failure to ap-
proprlate more than &OO0OOO which
will be needed before the end of the com
Ing year
Describing the attempt ito deprive the
President of his constitutional power as
10 legislation" Mr.. Taft said
Taken as a whole. it would be hard to
conceive Of a clearer instance to force
upon the Executive legislation well
known To be disapproved by him, and
by attaching such legislation TO one Of
the great supply ILLS of the government
TO deprive the President of his constitu
tonal power as TO legislation. There
can be no constitutional defence 10 such
practice; on the contrary, 'such at
tempts have been firmly resisted by my
predecessors. In 1879 President Hayes
vetoed army appropriation bill be-
cause there had been added 10 IL by Con-
gress similar provisions Of substantive
law.
Chairman Hav Of the House Military
Affairs Committee. who had been one Of
the leading sponsors for the special feat
ures OF the bill. retorted with public
statement in which he charged the Presi-
dent with misstating the facts in connec-
tion with the bill in his veto message
and alleged that the President had
vetoed the army bill TO pave the way for
veto Of the legislative, executive and
judicial appropriation bill, which carries
provision to abolish the commerce
Court. President. Taft has told his
friends he will veto that bill also.
There is little chance Of the bill being
passed over the Presidents veto, even
the advocates Of the measure believing
that the most the legislators can do Is
TO embarrass the administration by de-
laying the appropriations.
Now that the bill rests In committee
the arny's appropriation for the coming
year will be unproyided for until II IS
repassed without the features to which
President Taft objected or until a reso-
htion avtendiooy tba concentration of the