VETO, in politics, the power which one branch of a legislature of a country may have to negative the resolutions of another branch. In the United Kingdom, the power of the crown in the act of legislation is confined to a veto—a right of rejecting, and not resolving. The crown cannot of itself make any alterations in the existing law, but may refuse to sanction alterations suggested and consented to by the two houses of par liament. The necessity for such refusal is generally obviated by an observance of the constitutional principle, that the will of the sovereign is that of the responsible ministers of the crown, who only continue in Office so long as they have the confidence of parlia ment. The royal veto is reserved for extreme emergencies; the last instance in which it was exercised was in 1707, when queen Anne refused her assent to a bill relating to the militia in Scotland. The house of lords will generally support the prerogative of the crown by rejecting a measure repugnant to the sovereign; and a knowledge of this may enable the ministry to defeat it in the house of commons—a result which the con stitutional influence of the crown and the house of lords in the lower house may assist in producing, so as to avoid a collision between the branches of the legislature. In bills of supply, the power of the house of lords amounts merely to a veto, as does that of the house of commons in bills affecting the peerage.
In the United States of America, the president has a qualified right to veto all laws passed by congress; but after that veto has been exercised, the bill which he has rejected may become law by being passed by two-thirds of each house of congress. For the Polish lgfrunt veto, see POLAND.
In the French constitution of 1791, it was resolved to have but a single house of leg islature, on the principle that it was inconsistent with the idea of a legislature represent ing the national will that one part of it should have a veto on another, and the same view was adopted by the convention of 1793. But the arbitrary and violent measures of that
latter body induced a strong general conviction that a division of the legislative power, and a veto in some form, was essential to give stability to the government, and modera tion to faction; and in the constitution of 1795, a council of ancients was introduced, with a power to veto the resolutions of the legislative body.
VETO (ante). By the U. S. constitution power is given the president to "veto" any act of congress by refusing to sign the bill after its passage. If he adopt this course the bill is returned to the house in which it originated with the president's objections to signing it. The house then may proceed to reconsider the act, and if the act pass both branches by a two-thirds majority, it becomes law. A similar power is exercised by the governors of the states under the state constitutions, The U. S. constitution also pro vides that " if any bill shall not be returned by the president within ten days (Sunday excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law in like man ner as if he had signed it, unless the congress by their adjournment prevent its return, In which case it shall not be a law." This power of the president to prevent the enact ment of a law presented to him within the ten days before the adjournment of congress, without sending in a refusal to sign or objections, is commonly known as the "pocket veto."