The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-24
The Presidents Veto


President Coolidge vetoed the NcNary- Haugen bill
And that's a mild manner of stating it. He casti-
gated the bill. He excoriated it. He everastngly lam
hasted it, He nightly close to swearing at it.
Indeed he gave such an exhibition of temper as has
not been seen since the day he is reputed to have
kicked the White House cat.
The "fallacious and dangerous aspect of the bill "
he said afforded ample ground for its emphatic re-
lection" And he made his rejection emphatic!
Listen to his language:
1.-THE very essence of price-hxing, no matter how
cumbersome and crudey camouhaged it may be-"
vicious temptations adherent in autocratic au-
thority"
This is bureaucracy gone mad"
This plague of petty oficialdom would set up an
intoleraoe tyranny"
"Swarms of inspectors, auditors, disbursers, &C
counants and regulatory officers would be let loose
throughout the land"
"a premium upon evasion and dishonesty"
"a bewildering snarl of entangled accounting
problems
Runs counter to an economic law as we'll settled
as the law of gravitation7
AN extraordinary process of economic reasoning
Dragging our farmers into such folly"
"Preposterous economic and commercial fallacy."
Futile sophistries of such system"
Thus he spoke and much more besides, it being a
veto message OF some length, before he concluded
with the calm statement 81 am therefore obliged
to return Senate bill 1856 . without my approval i"
And, feeling as he manifestly did, who will deny that
he really was obliged to return the bill without his
approval?
McNary- Haugen bill there is way of knowing how
many did so in the confident expectation that Cool
idge would do just what he has done.
1t is known, however that the number if large,
for many have frankly said their only purpose was
to put Coolidge in a hole that they wouldn't have
vovted for it if they had thought he would sign it.
These statesmen, if they may be called that, an
cipae great detection of Republican voters in the
farming States as a result of the Presidents action.
1t remains to be seen if their hopes are justified
Much that Coolidge says of the machinery pro-
posed in the McNary- Haugen bill is convincing. A
cumbersome and unwieldy machine it might have
proved, enc capable of running amuck through the
countrys economic structure.
The President may persuade the country that he is
correct as to this. But what then of his other OBJ
jections not relating merely to the method outlined
in the BILL but to the economic theory underlying it..
1.-THE real objective of the plan" he says, sis to
raise domestic prices to artifically high levels by
governmental rice-flxing and to dump the surplus
abroad"
Which is the precise objective Of the high pro-
tective tariff beloved of Coolidge, and precisely what
it does
On the whole this veto is likely to serve the coun-
try we'll It's almost certain result will be to roll up
demand by the farmers for reduction of the tariff
sufficient to put agriculture something approaching
an equality with other industries.
And Coolidge, in this memorable message, unin-
tentonaly has provided much argument with which
to support the demand.