Despite The Veto

HOUSE PROCEBDIN03. Washington, Feb. 21. - In the House Baturday Mr. Matson (Ind.), f rom the Committoe on Invalid Pensions, reported back the Dependent Pension bill with the President's veto message thereon. He asked tnat the report be printed in the Record, and gave notice tb at he would cali the bill up for action on Thursday next. The report states that two facts will arrest the attention of any one who reads the President's message. The flrst is that no objection is made to the bill on any ground of its constitutionality, or the right of Congress to enact the law is not questioned. The other is that the flrst section of the bill is not fouched upon by the message and no intimation Is given by the President as to whether that seotion of itself, embodying, as it does, an independent proposition, and in the precise form speciflcally urged by the Secretary of the Interior in his last annual report, meets with hls approval or disapproval. The committee then analyzes the objection of the President that the bill is vague in its provisions in that it might apply to various grades of disability or dependenoy, and submits to the judgment of the House and country that those who framed the bill after months of careful conSideration have made no mistake and have oonflned the bill to one clase, and that class can be well defined as oonsisting of those totally disabled or dependent on their daily labor for support. "We regard," says the committee, "the strained interpretation put on the biU ín the message as an excuse rather than a reason for returning it to the House, aod believe we do no injustice to the Executive, when considering the whole message, to say that if its provisions had been plainer and no question could have been raised as to whether it inoluded only those unable to labor h would have interpoeed his objection. " It passes the comprehension of this oommittee to understand how the President could have overlooked in another bill (the Mezican PenBion bill) what are alleged as faults in this bill. Such distinction made by the acts of the President the committee can not believe wiH be indorsed any where by the patriotic sentiment of this country." Kef erring to the expenditures of money whieh the enactment of this bill into law would necessitate, the committee contends that the estímate of the President is extravagant, but says that no consideraron of possiblo oost shall be allowed to come between dependent soldiere and relief they are entitled to receive from the country which they helped to save. Reducing the whole question to one of money expediency, it seemed to the committee that the surplus in the treasury can be restored to the people in the manner proposed in the bill. No bonded interest or huge monopoly could claim the money for its own. It would go to the people in small amounts and would circuíate among them. The bill has been asked for on every hand. Protests against it had only come from money centers where all the money that did not turn their mili was oonsidered as worse than wasted. In conclusión the committee says that It Ís loth to believe that the people of the country object to relieving the wants of the men who defended the Nation, and that an error on the gide of mercy is preferable to a too rigid economy. The committee ends its report byrecommending the passage of the bill over the President's veto. Unless a number of Congressmen can be won over befora Thursday, there is no chanoe of passing the Dependent Pension bill over the President' veto.