Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1842-08-30
VETO MESSAGE.
To he House Of RepresentGtiUes of the
United States.

| OHHed states.
1t is with unfeigned regret that fnc
myself under the necessity Of returning
TO the House Of Representatives, will
my objections, bill entitled "An act Il
provide revenue from imports, and tc
change and modify existing laws imposing
duties on imports, and for other purpos
es," Nothing can be more painful TO an,
individual called upon TO perform the
chief Executive duties under our limited
Constitution, than to be constrained tC
withhold his assent from an important
measure adopted by the Legislature; YET
he would neither fulh the high purpose s
of his station, nor consult the true inter-
esis, or the solemn will of the people, the
common constituents of both branches OF
the Government by yielding his well>con-
sidered, most deeply fixed, and repeatedly
declared opinions on matters Of great pub
lie concernment to those of coordinate
Department, without requesting that de.
partment seriously 10 re.examine the SUBJ
ject Of their difference. The exercise of
some independence ofjudgment in regard
TO all acts of Legislation, is plainly implied
in the responsibility of approving them
At all times a duty-it becomes pecu-
Iiarly solemn and imperative one. whom
the subjects passed upon by Congress,
happen TO involve, as IN tho present in
stance, the most momentous issues, TO af-
feet variousIy the various parts ofa great
county, and TO have given rise in all quar-
ters TO such a conflict of opinion, as to
render it impossible to conjecture, with
any certainty, on which side the majority
really is. Surely, if the pause for rehec-
ton, intended by the wise authors Of the
Constitution, by referring the subject back
to Congress for reconsideration, be ever
expedient and necessary, it is precisely
such case as the present.
On the subject of distributing the pro
ceeds of the sales of the public lands, in
the existing state of the finances, it has
been my duty to make known my settled
convictions on various occasions during
the present session of Congress. AT the
opening of the extra session, upwards of
twelve months ago, sharing fully in the
general hope of returning prosperity and
credit, | recommended such a distribu-
tion; but that recommendation was elen
then expressly coupled with the condition
that the duties on imports should not exN
ceed the rate of20 per cent. provided by
the Compromise act of 1893. These
hopes we're not little encouraged and
these views strengthened by the report Of
Mr.. Ewing, then Secretary Of the Trea-
sury, which was shortly thereafter laid
before Congress, in which he recommend
ed the imposition of ddties at the rate Of
20 per cent ad Valorem on all free arti'.
cles, with specified exceptions, and stated,
''if this measure be adopted, there will
be received in the Treasury from customs,
in the last quarter of the present year,
QS4l,) S., 800, 900: in all OF the year
ls42, about $22 100000; and in the
year IS43, after the final reduction un-
der the act of March 2, 1888, about $780,
S00,00O;'' and adds, sit is believed that
after the heavy expenditures required by
the public service in the present year
shall have been provided for, the revenue
which will accrue from that or nearly
proximate rate of duty, will be sufficient
10 defray the expenses of gOvernment,and
leave a surplus 10 be annually applied to
the gradual payment of the national debt,
leaving the proceeds of the public lands
TO be disposed Of as Congress shall see
fit" Twas most happy that Congress, at
the time, seemed entirely TO concur in
the recommendations of the Executive,
and, anticipating the correctness of the
Secretary's conclusions, and in view of
the actual surplus, passed the Distribution
act of the 4th September last, wisely lin
iting its operation by Two conditions, hav>
ing reference, both Of them, 20 possible
state of the Treasury different from that
which had been anticipated by the Sec
retary of the Treasury, and to the para
mount necessities Of the public service
1t ordained that, "if at any time during
the existence Of that act, there should be
an imposition Of duties on imports neon.
sistent with the provision of the act of
the ID March, 1888, and beyond the rate
of duties fixed by that act, to wit, 20 per
cent on the value Of such imports or any
of them, then the. distribution should be
suspended aud should continue so sus-
pended, until the cause should be remoV-
ed" BY previous clause it had, in
like spirit of wise and cautious patriotism,
provided for another case in which all are
even now agreed that the proceeds of the
sales Of the public lands should be used
for the defence Of the county. II was
enacted that the act should continue and
be in force until otherwise provided b!
Ilaw, unless the United States should be-
come involved in war with any foreign
power, in which event, from the com
mencement OF hostiliies, the act shoult
be suspended until the cessation of hostil
tiles.
| Not long after the opening oftbe pre-