The Veto Power

The Veto Power By Dr. Joseph M. Tanner

In our government, state and national, the governor and president have been given the right of veto, the right to say "No" when a legislature or congress passes an act. This -right or power has been the subject in the past of great abuse, because men elected to executive office have not understood the proper use of this remarkable power. It is sometimes said that our national Constitution has created a government of checks and balances, that is: checks were put on the legislative power by the right of the president to veto, and upon the executive by the right of the legislative power to impeach. It was never intended in the beginning that the governor, by his veto, should have a third as much power as the legislature. His right to veto is not to be exercised as a legislative act. The president may very well say, "If I had been a member of Congress when this bill was under discussion, I should not have voted for it." To say that in his judgment, he would not have voted for the bill and to say he -will veto it, are two very different things. In voting, he is exercising his best judgment, is doing that which he thinks is wisest to do. When, however, he vetoes a bill, it must be or should be because it is so manifestly wrong that no two men could honestly differ about it. In other words: he vetoes because of an absolute necessity. It is not a question of the preponderance of right or the preponder- — ance of good that is a legislative function. He vetoes to save the public from ill-considered and what is really vicious legislation. Our governors mix legislative and executive functions. They have no right to do this. It is conceivable that if a man were in a legislature, he would vote against a bill, and if he were governor, he would sign it. The practice of governors in vetoing the act of the legislature often leads to great antagonism between these two branches of our government. Furthermore, they lead to arbitrary powers, by which executives assume more power than the people intended they should have. Such powers, when arbitrarily exercised, lead to political machines, by which executive officers have been enabled not only to control legislation, but to control the nomination to offices as well as the votes of the people. The improper exercise of the veto power has been a contributing factor in the control of legislatures by the executive departments. The improper use of the veto is not a helpful sign

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of the times. It is in one way or another, destructive of our liberty, but it is a power that at present is under no public censure and not subject to judicial review. Men of high patriotic standards ought to set an example that would reform the present usurpation of governors and presidents. The right to veto has become so lightly treated that in many instances it is an improper assumption that does not belong to the executive department of our government.

Opportunities for Boys

By G. C. Bernards

There is no big position occupied by a man today that is beyond the reach of the boy. All depends upon the boy. Every man of note in the business world, was a boy not very many years ago; and what one boy has accomplished under difficulties any other can accomplish with ease, if he devotes his time and attention to the task. It all depends upon the boy. The door of opportunity is always open for the boy. It is only a question of embracing the opportunity and then plodding onward and upward to the desired goal. But all boys are not willing to satisfy the demand made upon them for promptness, punctuality, or attention. Thousands fall by the wayside when put to the test. Rebukes, rebuffs, dismissals, and failures, could all be avoided, if the boy had will power and determination to make good in the early stages of his career. One petty fault of the boy is the eternal watching of the clock. This becomes very irritating to the busy employer, who concludes that the clock watcher should have every chance to sit in the city hall park and watch the hands go 'round. When the spirit of time-serving is uppermost in evidence, it is perfectly clear that the welfare of the business is a secondary consideration. Again, it is all up to the boy. But time-servers are not the only class of boys not now in demand. The inattentive boy, girl, man, or woman, too, for that matter, does not last long under the eye of the busy executive. Little attentions from the boy, given amid the hustle of every day business, may mean much to the high pressure manager, and never fail of recognition. The boy who sees something to do, and does it without question, is the boy who gets ahead and stays ahead. A ready cheerfulness to go anywhere and to do anything at a minute's notice, and without question, is another mark of the boy who will eventually win. To such a boy the interest of the concern is stronger than his personal wishes, and recognition invariably follows. It depends upon the boy.