Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-08-08
VETO RIGHTS.

VETO RIGHTS.
Senator Kenyon is of the opinion that
public interests would be conserved by
a law permitting the president of the
United States to veto any single item in
an, appropriation bill that he deemed
advisable, without affecting the bill as
q whole. The idea seems to he a good
one and ought to receive serious con-
IsideratiOn.
g Many items of moment get into APP
lpropriatiOn hills because some member
in by threats to refuse to support the
measure. This practice has come to be
known as lOgtrOlling. Congressman
Windbags Of Sleepy Hollow wants to
make himself solid with his constitu-
cnts and concludes the surest way TO
90 it is to get an appropriation for dig
ging out Slippery Elm creek and for
having a government building erected
lir the village of Eastwood, where Il
! few of the leading politicians of his dis
| trict reside. There are many Congress
men Windbags in congress when it
comes to such a proposition and they
hang together for the appropriations
lthey want. Each one knows that what
| the others want is Of no real public
benefit, but they support them in order
to get what they want in their own dis
tricts. This plan has been worked ever
since congress has functiOned and it
will be continued until the president Is
given authority to veto any portion OF
an appropriation bill that he may see
fit. Now he must endorse the entire
bill as it comes to him or be held re-
sponsible for defeating the many ap-
preparations of merit that are absolute
ly necessary.
Senator Kenyon has proposed a con-
stitutional amendment to permit such
vetOes and if it gets through congress
there can be no doubt but that the ne
ccssary number of state legislatures
will ratify it to put it in the constitu-
ton.
In discussing this matter, the Sioux
City Journal well says:
",rlte veto privilege of the president
| is really more a restriction than priv
| lie &c as matters now stand. The presi-
dent, convinced that an item of expen-
diture is not justified, has no choice
other than to kill the entire bill in order
to prevent that which is palpably
wrong. II he is convinced that the good
cutweighs the bad, and cannot elm
mate the evil as he sees it, he must let
everything pass III order to provide that
which may be demanded. Allowing the
president to veto single items in any
humber would give him the opportunity
| to weed out what is undesirable and,
likewise, to protect that which is want
ed. The present law is much like the
lule of the old school teacher who whip
Led his entire school to get one that was
bound TO be guilty.
politics plays it's hand strongly
sometimes in appropriation measures.
Items that are Unnecessary and I'M
sound frequently are found in the bills
that are at last sent to the white house.
When the president must take the
measure as it is or leave it altogether.
! he is without latitude in which to"ex-
e-cise his best Judgments robbed OF
his right to criticize. 1t is the belief
that. such power Of vetoing items IN APP
(propriatiOn bills would curb congress in
Il way that would make for economy Mt
Gnce by preventing political party in
I.ower from digging too, deep into the
pork barrels" l~