Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-08-10
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
VETO OF THE RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.
To the House of Representatives:

To the House Of Representatives:
have received the bill enllled and acl
making appropriations for The repair, preser
Walton and completion Of certain public
works heretofore commenced under au,ho-
rily Of law. II reaches me in the expiring
hours Of the session, and time does not
allow full opportunity Of examining and
considering its provisions, or Of stating q,
length the reasons which forbid me TO give
it my signature. 1t belongs to tina. class Of
measures which are commonly known as
Internal Improvements by the General Gov
eminent, and which from a very early peri
cd have been deemed Of doubtful cons,iiu-
lonali,y and expedIencv. and have thus
filled to obtain the appreciation Of success
sive Chief Magistrates.
On such an examination Of the bill as it
has been in my power to make, Irecognize
in il certain provisions, national in their
character, and which if they stood alone, it
would be compatible with my convictions
Of public duty 10 assent to, but al the same
time i, embraces others which are merely
local, AID not in my judgment warranted by
any sofe or true construction of the Consti-
lu!ion. To make proper and sound dIscri-
mna,ion between these different provisions
would require deliberate discussion Of
generoi principler5 ~eH-...-rurofui-rru~
tiny Of datails, for The purpose of righ'fully
applying these principles to each separate
item of appropriation,
Public opinion with regard TO the value
and importance Of internal improvements in
The country is undivided. There is dis.
position on all hands to have them prosecu.-
ed with energy, and to see the benefits
sought to be attained by them fully realiz-
ed. The prominent point Of difference be-
tween those who have been regarded as the
friends of system of internal improve
ments by the General Government. and
those adverse to such a system, has been
one of constitutional power, though more
or less connected with questions Of expedi-
ency. My own judgment, it is we'll known,
has, on both grounds, been opposed to q
general system Of internal improvements
by the Federal Government. have enter
tanned the most serious doubts from the in
herent difficulties of lis application, as well
as from pas, unsatisfactory experience by
the General Government, as TO render lis
use advantageous to the country large, or
effectual for the accomplishment of The OBJ
jec. contemplated.
shall consider it incumbent upon me to
present to Congress al its next session q
matured view of the whole subject, and so
endeavor to define, approximately at least,
and according TO my own convictions, wha.
appropriations Of this nature by the Gene
raj Government the great interests of the
United States require, end the Constitution
will admit and sanction, in case no subsli-
tule should be devised capable of reconcil-
ing differences both of Conslilulionai,y and
expectancy.
10 the absence OF the requisite means and
lime for duly considering the whole subject
at the present, and discussing such possible
substitute, it becomes necessary 10 return
the bill 10 the House of Representatives in
which i. organized, and for the reason thus
briefly submitted TO the consideration OF
Congress to withhold from i, nv approval
FRANKLIN PIERCE.
Washington, ID. C. tug. A. 1854.