AGRICULTURAL RELIEF 193 gentlemen, to give the cooperatives perpetual life, you will have to give them the equalization fee, I think, or the “salvation fee,” 1 would call it. Mir. AsweLL. The President vetoed it before. Do you think he would sign it this time? Mr. Kenok. That is not a matter, it seems to me, that should present itself to a Congressman. Mr. AsweLL. It is a very practical consideration in my opinion if we really want farm legislation. Mr. Kenoe. When I was here as a Member of Congress I never looked to the President; I looked back to my people whom I repre- sented. I do not understand the attitude on that question—*‘ Let us strike it out because the President will veto it.” The people back home hear it said, “What is the use; the President will veto it.” Mr. Joxes. Do you not think that is true? Mr. Kenoe. Had the forefathers of this Government quit when they were driven from New York or when they were driven from Philadelphia because somebody said, “What is the use; the English are stronger and they are going to lick us’’—or when Washington prayed at Valley Forge, there would have been no government and if somebody had said, when the Civil War was on, after the battle of Bull Run, “What is the use?”” There would have been no Union. When the drive was being made on Paris, had the French sald, “What is the use?” there would have heen no democracy anywhere to-day. Mr. JoNEs. You are not comparing President Coolidge to King George? Mr. Kenoe. T am taking correct. Mr. Jones. I agree with you about that. Mr. Kenoe. The Congress of the United States is governed by the Constitution. The Constitution nowhere makes necessary the action of the President to put a law on the statute books. Mr. WrLLiams. You are wrong about that. Mr. KEHOE. Let us review the history and see about that and how the right of veto came about. In the draft of Benjamin Franklin filed with the Continental Congress July 21, 1775, was the first draft of a constitution submitted to the Continental Congress. In that he provided for various and sundry things, but not a veto. The next was when the Constitutional Convention met. It was proposed that there be three heads to the Government, functioning, with the Congress and the Senate, and veto power then vested in one. Alexander Hamilton, that brilliant financier and great partiot, but mistaken in his confidence in the people, proposed that the President should have the right of absolute veto, the same as the King of England, stating at the time, that there was no fear to arise out of 1t, because the King had not used it in a hundred years: and it was seconded by Williams. But it was defeated. _ Then it passed on two or three weeks, and was again brought up in the Constitutional Convention. Then they tried to vest it in the President and the Supreme Court but thai was defeated. That theory was defeated. Mr. RuTLEDGE, in that debate said that the power of the veto was given to the President for protecting himself. Whatever that was 86160—28—SER E. PT 3— 9 11.%