Evening star., 1933-01-08
Only Forty-six overridden in History.

Only Forty-six Overridden in History.
This makes a total of SAB measures
vetoed and 46 vetoes overridden from
three months Of the Hoover admins
tration.
In the whole course of Americas his
tory only eight President refrained
from sending veto messages to the Con-
gress These were John Adams,
Thomas Jefferson John Quincy Adams,
Martin Van Buren, william Henry Har-
rison, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fill
more and James A. Garfield. As he
died Just before the first session OF the
Forty-seventh Congress met, there was
no opportunity for Garfield to exercise
the veto power. incidentally, he was
the only President who sent no veto
message after the Civil War. Since
then, beginning with Lincoln's three
vetoes, every President has exercised
this prerogative, Grover Cleveland set
ting the record with Sol, but there Is
reason for that. Those 301 bills vetoed
in the first Cleveland administration
were the result of an avalanche OF bills
descending upon the White House for
the purpose of scattering pensions pro-
miscuously to veterans Of the Civil
War. Indeed, so many fake cases were
found among them pensions to oeSerC-
ers and pensions even to men who had
not served in the Army that Cleveland
welded his veto power ruthlessly.
1t is expected that President Hoover
will follow the precedent laid down by
so many of his distinguished preoe-
cessors, that he will veto at least three
or four bills which will be sent him
between now and noon Of March 4, and
Iaak = xTyfU avorHica fho hT1Arkaf Wnf0"
for certain other measures which are
not entirely to his satisfaction. In
this action he will be reviving an
American custom that began in the ad-
ministration of President Andrew JACK
son, who, ipso facto, is the father OF
the pocket veto"
Pocket Veto" Began 100 Years Ago.
The first pocket veto of bill passed
by the two houses of Congress took
place almost 100 years ago. Then, at
the close of the short session Of the
Twenty-second Congress, it was found
that President jackson had delayed
sending veto message to the Capitol.
That Congress expired at noon on
March 4, 1888. The bill that Jackson's
pocket veto was directed against, had
to do with Federal revenues raised from
the sale of public lands, these funds
directed to be distributed among the
States.
Up to the Civil War, the Presidents
of the United States usually gave some
sort of explanation for their use of the
pocket veto" but later even that OBJ
servation died out. One of the out
standing exceptions to this current
practice was the explanation made by
President Hoover for refusing to sign
the Wagner employment exchange bill
at the close of the last Congress. Three
days later, March 7, 1881, President
Hoover gave out statement contain
ing his reasons for Withholding his
signature from the bill
Only once has the Presidents power
to pocket a bill sent to him within 10
days of Congress adjournment been
questioned, and this was during the
Coolidge administration. 1t was a
technical question advanced by Sena-
tor Norris, asking If the President en-
joyed this power at the end of the first
regular session of Congress Usually,
the power is applied as in the current
case, when the presidential term ex-
pires with the short Congress. The
United States Supreme Court in the
pocket veto case decided May 81, 1929,
In support of the presidential preroga-
tive in the case Of the pocket veto. 1t
will undoubtedly continue on down
the ages.