WSP11554

• File Number: 8200.300.40.A
• Description: Colorado River Compact
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 1/1/1908
• Author: Various
• Title: Publications and Articles pertaining to Interstate Compacts
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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ropl'csentntlves perhaps are entitled to more consideration than
the repl'eHenllltlves of some of the larger States.
'1'lle Pres!t:leot of the Unite<1 StateR l1as fl right to veto ally
bill that we may pass. 'I'he otller day n member ot this body
receIved n letter fl'PID the Pre~idcnt of the Unit-cd Stnt.ef:l,
saying that under eel'taln conditions be would veto n bilI, aud
luyIng down what he claimed to be the theo!".r UPOll which we
shol1ld legislato III that respect. It did not seem to mnke much
Impression In tbis hody.
'1'Lw KIng of llJlIglnud would not have dared. and at no time
for two hundred veal's would he bave dareel. to srmd that Idnd
of n letter to n nicmber of Parliament. What would I1nve heen
the result if he had? I can tell ;you wbnt did happen when
King George III, thl'ol1gb one of his ministers, said to a member
of Parliament, "If yOll vote for n certain bill Introdllced iuto
tl1e PflrllalUent the King will consider it an offense llgainst him
and IlIl unfriendly [l<,t," WIthin .four dAYS afl:crwnrcls Parlia-
ment, by n vote of 153 to .SO. dcclul'e(l it was a crime fiud a
mif:/d0.mennol' on the part of the King; and since that time no
king- !.lfiS evf'l' 'hued to do it; find he was the most popular
Killg thnt Enghlnd had Imd for two hundred yelll'~, 'l'he Parlt-
JJ1cnt asserted their ri~ht8 us the law-p;[ving power to be freE'
fl'OIll dlctntion 1111(1 from the KIng" hhm;l;'lf. popular us he was,
To g-ive the detntls, in 17R3. Fox bl'Oll/-("l1t in his famous hill
for tlle organization of th~ gO'lerllJJ1p.llt of India. 'rile King,
George III, requested Lord Temple to h~t the memhers of the
Honse of Lords kuow that any peel' who !';uonlrl vote iu faY61'
of 1'11c hlIl woultl be regarded as all enemy of t.he King, Foul'
dllJ'S later the HOllse of Commons, I>;r a vote of 153 to 80, re-
!:!olvcd that: "To l'eIlol't any 011inioll, or pl'ctr.uded opinion, ot
his IVfnjesty upon allY bill or other proc('e(lIllg (lending in eIther
House of Pnrlinment, witll n view to IllfhlellCillg tho votes of
the mClllbeno\, is n hip,-Jl crime and misdellleElIlOr, derogatory to
the honor of the Crowil, a IJrf'llciJ of the fundamental principles
of Plll'ltnment nud ~ub\'cl'sl"e to the Constitutiou of this
country."
If that wns the rnle In GI"eut Britnin. it is el]unllJ' the rule
here to-day, 01', at least. it ought to I>e. und heretofore I be-
lleve It has practically beeu tile rule tiJnt the Executiye shall
not interfere, except uS tbe Constitution provides he may, I>y
advice t.o US in propel' form.
I omitted to say some things I wnuted to say about the
Presillent asking' tor power to dismiss nn officer, and I will
simply cull nt1entioll La the President's message or Decclllber 5,
10 wl1icl1 he suys:
I !In! convinced that the l'l'esldent should linve the fiutllOrlty. npon
his (lwn Inlthlt.1ve nnd responsIbility, to dl:;mls8 aD.r omeer whom he
t111ul(1l unWlll'th.y to I'elnllin In the r<et'vlce. r think tllel'e IS no
dll.ng-('l' tllll.t this Jlowcr \Vould be abused, and, it !'inch danger exlstil
nt nil, It Is so slight llR to be nltogethel' outwclg.h('c] by the cOllsldel'a-
t10119 of pUblic' polley whIch L'equ!l'e this nuthOl'ity .t!) be vestetl ill
the constltutlonnl COUlmnndel' In Chief of the Nn"Y, I thet'efvl'e
strongly l'ecommend that Ill'tlcle 36, fiS hereinbefore given, be amended
by omlLIJng nIl of It nftet. the '\Yords .. gene..nl court-martiR.l" wbel'e
theBe wOJ'ds first occur therein, nnd t1mt article 37 j.le rcpeale(!.
1'HflOnOREI ROOS!tVEL1.'.
'l'HE WHITE HOUSE, Dc(.tmbc-r 5, 1906.
I wnut to Slly n few won]H al>out the conveutJon 01' 1787. I
do not know that It will" enl1glHcn anybody, I>ut r have been
Iilolllewhat IIllnoyed lJy nad somewbnt restive under tile cl'iti-
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