New-York tribune., 1920-06-11
Wilson Gets
Added Time
To Sign Bills
Palmer Rules pocket Veto
Is Not Effective Until
10 Days After Acts Are
Sent to Him for Action
Affects Eleven Measures
War Legislation Repeal
and Water Power Bill
Can Yet Be Approved

From, The Tribmne's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, June 10.-Attorney
General A. Mitchell Palmer has in
formed President Wilson that measures
passed by Congress and sent to the
White House just before adjournment
will become effective if signed by the
President within ten days after the
final session.
In an informal ruling made public
to-day the Attorney General held that
bills not signed when Congress ad-
journed sine die last Saturday were
not necessarily killed by what has
been known as the pocket Veto"
The Constitution of the United
States provides that eff any bill shah
not be returned by the President
within ten days after it shall have
been presented to him the same shall
be law in like manner as if he had
signed it, unless the Congress by
their adjournment prevent it's return.
In winch case 1T shall not be q law"
Ruling Upsets Procedure
For the past hundred years this
provision has been taken to mean that
bills unsigned when Congress adjourned
were dead. The Attorney Generals
ruling upsets time-honored procedure
and gives the President a week more
to act on several of the measures
handed to him in the closing hours of
the session.
last week, when Congress adjourned
The President explained that they had
been sent to him so late in the ses-
sion that he had not had time to CON
slider them.
The ruling made by Mr.. Palmer
brings back to life all eleven of the
measures which were considered as
Killed by the pocket veto" The At
torney General held that the President
had ten days to consider each meas
ure, dating from the time it was pre-
sented to him.
Under the ruling, the President has
until midnight tomorrow to sign the
water power bill, which provides for
system of leases for power sites. and
ne has until June II to sign the reso-
luton repeating the bulk of the war
emergency laws, and the Underwood
resolution, providing for the appoint
ment of committee to confer with
the Canadian government in regard
10 restrictions on pulp wood coming
into the United States.
Another resolution which the Presi-
dent, still has several days to consider
is that authorizing the detailing of
United States naval officers as instruc-
tors IN the navies of South American
republics.
Water Bill Led to Ruling
1t was understood to-day that the
agltatlon over the Presidents failure
to sign the water power bill was re-
sponsIble for the ruling by the Attor-
ney General. Many of the supporters
OF the measure had made strenuous
efforts in the closing days of the ses-
sion to get the measure through Con-
gress and were unwilling to let it die
IN the Presidents hands if there was
any means of getting around the
pocket veto" custom. At the White
House the belief was expressed that
Mr.. Wilson would take advantage of
the new opportunity given him to act
on the water power measure and per-
haps on other bills before him.
The TACT that the bill to repeal war
time legislation was supported bv
Democrats as we'll as by Republicans
IN Congress, brought the suggestion to-
day that the President might wish to
sign the bill IN order to forestall a
possible Republican charge that he is
dictator who desires to retain in
peace time the extraordinary powers
granted the chief executive in time Of
war
Mr.. Palmer did not explain the logic
by which he reached his conclusion in
the ruling. 1t was explained, however,
that within a few days the Attorney
General would issue a formal state
ment, outing his Interpretation of the
law.