Evening star., 1938-01-06
ITEM VETO" BILL
GAINS MOMENTUM
Date Soon to Be Set for
Public Hearing Before
Senate Group.
BY J. A. O'LEARY,

Legislation under which individual
items in an appropriation bill could
be vetoed without disappearing the bill
as whole began to gain momentum
at the Capitol today, after President
Roosevelt had recommended it in his
budget message yesterday. There was
some opposition. however.
Senator Dieterich, Democrat, Of Illi-
nois. chairman of special Judiciary
Subcommittee on the subject. an
nounced he will fix a date soon for
public hearings on the question.
At the same time Chairman Glass
Of the Senate Appropriations Commit
tee made known he is definitely In
favor OF permitting the Item veto"
system.
One Of the first questions likely to
arise In connection with the proposal
Is whether 1t requires a constitutional
amendment or could be done by direct
action Of Congress.
Vandenberg Is Author.
Senator Vandenberg. Republican, OF
Michigan brought the question to the
attention of the present Congress
year ago when he introduced joint
resolution proposing an amendment
to the Constitution to apply the Item
veto" plan to supply bills.
Within the past few days it devel-
oped that the Michigan Senator and
Majority Leader Barkley exchanged a
series of letters with President Roose-
welt on the subject during the summer
and fall The Vandenberg resolution
Is before the Dieterich subcommittee
and will form the basis for discussion
at the forthcoming hearings.
The President said in his budget
message that respectable difference
Of opinion exists as to whether the
Item veto" could be authorized by
legislation or would necessitate
change In the Constitution. He strong
ly recommended whichever course
Congress decides is the correct one.
While the Vandenberg resolution re-
fers only to appropriation bills. the
correspondence with the President
made public yesterday contains ref
erences to riders on tax bills as we'll
as supply measures.
Deplores Congress Action.
When the President signed the Dis
trict tax bill last August he deplored
the action Of Congress in attaching
piece OF national legislation as rider
to that measure. The rider in that
case was a bill to strengthen State
laws that permit minimum resale price
maintenance contracts.
Late in August Senator Vanden-
berg wrote to the President, agreeing
with his criticism Of legislative riders
on tax and appropriation bills. de-
claring that. regardless OF the merits
or dement's OF such riders. he felt that
they deprive the Executive Of an "es-
sential freedom Of action In dealing
with legislation"
Senator Vandenberg pointed out
that the Item Veto has been dis
cussed in Congress of and on for
so years, and he invited the Presi-
dents reaction to writing 1t into the
Constitution.
The President wrote back stating
Mr.. Vandenberg's letter interested him
greatly.
1T is true" the President con-
tinued, that the item veto would
spare the Executive the occasional
embarrassment OF signing a general
appropriation or tax bill containing
undesirable features in order to have
necessary legislation. ="
Out Of Partisan Politics.
In a later communication to the
President, Senator Vandenberg ex-
pressed the belief that "our agreement
on the general principle would lift the
proposition out Of partisan politics.
and that Is where it belongs"
The President then consulted Ma
jority Leader Barley, who advised
the Executive in October that Il
agree with you in the suggestion that
riders that are foreign to the objec-
tives Of the appropriation bills or
other legislation constitute . very bad
practice and the President should have
the authority to veto such items or
riders without having to veto the
whole measure"
The other members with Chairman
Dieterich on the subcommittee IN
charge Of the question are Senator's
McGill, Democrat, Of Kansas; Hughes,
Democrat, Of Delaware; Austin, Re-
publican, Of Vermont, and etAiWer.
Republican, Of Oregon.