VETIVER, VITIVERT (from East Indian vitivayr), or Cuscus. The dried roots of an East Indian grass (Andropogon squarrosus) which has an agreeable and persistent odor, re sembling sandalwood, due to an essential oil which is distilled from it. It is much prized in India and elsewhere for perfuming linen, etc., making baskets. fans, and mats. It grows in low. moist, rieh soils, and upon such it has been introduced in the West Indies, Brazil, and Louis iana. where it has spread to some extent. It has been successfully grown in Tennessee, but the plants do not bloom.
VETO (Lat., I forbid). In its most general application, the power of the chief executive of a government to negative the acts and resolutions of the legislature. There are several forms and degrees of veto power, namely, the suspensive, qualified, and absolute vetoes, and the so-called 'pocket' veto. The suspensive veto is the form employed in France, where the President is em powered to suspend the operation of any law passed by the legislature and demand its recon sideration by that body. If. however. the bill is repassed by the ordinary majority it becomes a valid law, notwithstanding the disapproval of the President. The qualified veto is the form most employed in constitutional States. It allows the executive a negative on all bills passed by the legislature, subject to the power of the legislature to override the effect of the veto by an extraordinary majority. The absolute veto is one which cannot he overridden by the legislature either by the usual or extraordinary majority. The 'pocket' veto will be defined later in the article.
The veto is the remnant of the more extensive legislative power formerly possessed by the Crown. This pourer was gradually cut down until only the veto pourer remained. Tri Great Britain the right of veto was unquestioned from the time of the Tudors until the Revolution of 1688. From then it was used more sparingly until 1708, when the refusal of Queen Anne to give her assent to a militia bill was the last in stance of its exercise by an English sovereign.
In the American colonies the royal governors. were given the authority to veto any measure passed by the colonial legislatures, while in all the colonies except Rhode Island and Connecti cut and possibly :Maryland the King or the pro prietaries had an absolute veto on all measures, even though approved by the Governor. In the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 Gerry intro duced the principle of the Massachusetts veto and after much discussion it was ultimately adopted. The clause provides that every bill which shall have passed the two Houses shall he presented to the President for his signature: if he approve it he shall sign it, but if not he shall re turn it with his objections to the House in which it originated. The two Houses are then required to enter the objections upon their respective journals and proceed to reconsider it. If after stub reconsideration two-thirds of each 11 ouse shall approve the measure it shall become law, notwithstanding the executive veto. If any bill is not returned by the President within ten days ( Sundays not included ) after presentation to him it shall become law without, his signature unless Congress by adjournment prevent its return. This is the so-called 'pocket' veto. The most notable instances of the exercise of the veto power hy the chief executive of the United States were the vetoes of the bills for the recharter of t he United States Bank by Presidents Jackson and Tyler; the veto of the Civil Rights. Freed men's Bureau, and Reconstruction hills by Presi dent Johnson: and the veto of the eurrenev-in flation hill by President Grant. The veto power ices used, rat her sparingly by the first six President s. President Cleveland during his first term vetoed 301 hills, or nearly twice as Ina try as had all his predecessors combined. The majority of President Cleveland's vetoes were private pension hills which had passed with little or no opposition, and only two of these were passed over his veto. The principle of the veto has been incorporated in all the State Constitutions except those of Delaware, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island, in which the legislative authority is vested in the Legislature alone. Consult Mason, The Veto Power (Boston, 1891).