Show VETERANS PREPERiDXCE LVV I In 1895 the legislature of Massachusetts Massa-chusetts passed what is known as the veterans preference law When presented pre-sented to him the late Governor Green halge vetoed the measure but the Republican Re-publican legislature passed it over his veto and patted itself on the back for so doing This law provided in substance thwt veterans of < the war should have the preference in appointments to office This was without regard to their fitness fit-ness for office and they were to have the preference over those who had submitted to the civil service examination examina-tion and had passed that ordeal ThiSi was in reality to make of the veterans veter-ans a privileged class done not for their benefit but because it was thought to be good politics The Massachusetts supreme court has just decided that the law is unconstitutional uncon-stitutional Public offices it declares are not created for the profit honor or private interest of any one man family or class of men and it is inconsistent with the nature of our government < that the appointing power should be compelled by legislation to appoint to certain public offices persons per-sons of a certain class in preference to all others The court says that pensions may be voted to veteran soldiers and sailors on account of the services they have rendered to the state but that the legislature has no constitutional power to give to veterans particular and exclusive privileges privi-leges distinct from those of the community com-munity in obtaining public office Of course the decision is not meeting with the approval of intense partisans but few first class decisions by the highest courts of the land which knock politics silly do It was a righteous and proper decision The country honors its veteran soldiers and sailors and provides them with generous pensions pen-sions All that they are entitled to but they are not entitled to be made a specially privileged class for the purpose pur-pose of holding office o 1 |