The Presidential Veto: 1929 to 1933
Herbert Hoover won the Presidency in a landslide. Among his many accomplishments, Hoover was recognized as a humanitarian for his efforts to feed the children during World War I. Within nine months of his election, the stock market crashed starting the Great Depression.
As the nation entered the Great Depression, President Hoover exercised the veto on several issues.
Herbert Hoover
Commemorative Coins
One of the favorite activities of Congress during the first half of the 20th century was creating commemorative silver coins for a variety of events, some obscure. For example, in 1924 Congress authorized the ‘Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Half Dollar.’ It commemorates the 300th anniversary of the 1624 settling of New Netherland (New York) by Walloons, French and Belgian Huguenots, under the Dutch West India Company.
Or don’t forget the Fort Vancouver Centennial Half Dollar, released in 1925, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Fort Vancouver by the Hudson’s Bay Company, State of Washington. (If you must know, Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy explored the Pacific Northwest in the 1790s. This fort was built in 1825 on the Columbia river)
Congress created over 50 of these coins. For those of you curious to see the list, click here:
Hoover put a stop to these commemorative coins for the rest of his Presidency when he vetoed a coinage bill to commemorate the Gadsden Purchase (extra credit to those who know what that is.) Commenting on the large number of commemorative coins, Hoover stated, “The monetary system of the country is created and exists for certain well-defined and essential purposes. Sound practice demands that it should not be diverted to other uses, if we are best to serve the needs of trade and commerce, satisfy the convenience of the people and protect the integrity of our coins.” He wondered whether there would be any limits on events to be memorialized: “…[it] would seem to be clear from the very number of events to be commemorated, and past experience indicates how difficult it is to draw the line and how such a practice, once it is recognized, tends constantly to grow. If this bill is to become law, it is not apparent on what grounds similar measures, no matter how numerous, may be rejected.”
Spanish American War Veteran Benefits
Both of Hoover’s predecessors, Harding and Coolidge, vetoed bills related to veteran pension benefits. In 1930, Congress passed a bill expanding benefits to veterans of the 1898 Spanish-American War. Hoover vetoed it pointing out that the bill extended disability benefits to veterans whose disability was unrelated to their wartime service: “This bill…opens the door for claims of disability incurred at any time in the life of the pensioner arising from venereal diseases, alcoholism, drug habits, etc. Certainly, such claims for public help cannot be fairly based upon sacrifice to the nation in war…” Hoover also believed the Veterans should be in need of financial assistance (‘means tested’): “It seems to me that in the interest of justice to the taxpayer and to maintain the fine body of citizens comprised in our war veterans free from the stigma of encroachment upon the public treasury, there should be a requirement of "need" as well as disability as a basis for these pensions.”
Congress overrode this veto.
World War I Veteran Benefits
Congress attempted to increase veteran’s disability benefits by a 1930 law. Although the war ended in 1918, this bill extended war disability benefits to any veteran who became disabled after 1925. The law established a ‘presumption’ that any disability originated from their prior service. Hoover stated in his veto message: “…this presumption constitutes a wholly false and fictitious basis for legislation in veterans' aid. This is confirmed by a recent resolution of so eminent a body as the American Medical Association…The spectacle of the Government practicing subterfuge in order to say that what did not happen in the war did happen in the war, impairs the integrity of government, reduces the respect for government, and undermines the morale of all the people.”
Congress failed to override this veto, providing another example of the President serving the overall interest of the country by vetoing legislation intending to benefit a small group.
Philippine Independence
The United States took control of the Philippines during the 1898 Spanish-American War. While the Philippine people desired immediate independence, the United States decided that time was need to prepare the islands for independence. In the interim, the U.S. would govern the islands. In early 1933, under increasing pressure to provide a path to independence, Congress passed a bill to provide independence within 10 years. Hoover vetoed the bill stating that the islands were still politically unstable and economically weak. Congress overrode the veto and the Philippines started the process of becoming independent. The Japanese conquest of the Philippines delayed their independence until the end of the World War II in 1945. The Philippines became independent on July 4, 1946.
Next article in this series will introduce the President at the top of the Veto leaderboard: FDR