The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-05-05
LATEST MAIL NEWS.
VETO MEssAGE

sane persons.
After an expression of his deep sympathy with
tie purpose the is designed to subserve he pro
G ,ais to q review of its details as follows He
Gays:
The bill provides in substance:
riya That ten millions of acres Of land be grant
cd 10 the several States, to be spportoned among
them ia the compound ratio OF tho geographical
area aud representation of said States in the House
OF Representatives.
SCaoad That wherever there are public lands in
state subject to sale at the regular price of pri-
vsle entry the proportion of said ten millions of
acres falling to such State shall be selected from
such lands within IT, aud that to the States in which
,herc are public lands, land scrip shall be issued
10 the amount oftheir distributive shares, respec
lively: said scrip not 10 be entered by said States
hut to be sold by them and subject TO entry by their
assisnees, provided that none OF it shall be sold at
less than one dollar per acre, under penalty OF Tor
tririre of the same to the United States.
Third. That the expenses otthe management and
supcrintendence of said lands, and OF the moneys
received therefrom, shall he paid by the States to
which they may belong, out OF the treasury OF said
States.
Fourth That the gross proceeds of the sales of
such lands or landscrip granted, shall be invest
oil by the several States in safe stocks TO constitute
Rperpe,uai fund, the principal OF which shall re
main forever uGdiminished and the interest TO be
appropriated; 10 tie maintenance OF the INDECENT
nssne within Tie several States.
IInk That annual returns OF lands or scrip sold
Interior and the whole grant be subject to certain
conditions and limitations prescribed in the bill,
10 be assented to by legislative acts of said States.
This bill. therefore, proposes that the Federal
Government shall make provision TO the amount OF
the value oil ten millions oil acres OF land, for
eleenosynsry object within the several States to be
administered by the political authority ofthe same;
aud il presents, at the threshold, the question, whe
tkcr any such act. on the part of the Federal Gov
eminent is warranted and sRnctionedhy the Con-
stituuon the provisions and principles OF which
10 be projected and sustained first aud para
noun. duty
1t cannot he questioned that if Congress have
power 10 make provisions fer the INDECENT insane
without the limits of this District, il has the same
power to provide for the INDECENT who are not in
sane; and thus to transfer to the Federal Govern
ment the charge OF all the poor in all the States
IL has the same power TO provide hospitals and
other local establ shmens for the care and cure of
every species Of human inirmity, and thus to as
all that duty of either public philanthropy or
public ssiy, to the dependent the orphan, the
SICK or the needy, which is now discharged by the
States themselves, or by corporate institutions or
private endowments existing under the legislation
Of the States. The whole field of public beneE.
is thrown open to the care and culture of the
Federal Government. Generous impulses no Ion
sar encounter the limitations and control of our
jmperious fundamental law. For however worthy
may be the present hject in ITSELF it is ONLY one OF
class, 1t is not exclusively worthy OF benevolent
regard.
Whatever considerations dictate sympathy for
this particular object, apply, in like manner ii not
Ia the same degree, to idiotcy, to physical disease
TO extreme destitution. II Congress may and ought
10 provide for any one OF these objects it may and
ought 10 provide for them all. And If be done in
this case, what answer shall be given when Congress
shall be called upon, it doubtless will be- to pur-
similar of legislation in the othersi Ii
will, obviously, be vain to reply that the object is
worthy, but that the application has taken wrong
direction.
The power will have been DELIBERATELY assum.
ed, the general obligation will, by this act have
been acknowledged. and the question of means
and expediency will alone be left for considera.
ton. The decision upon the principle, in any one
case, determines ii for the whole class The ques-
ton presented therefore, clearly is upon the con
stitutionsEty and fropriety of the Federal Gov
ernmept assuring TO enter into novel and vast
held CT legislation, namely, that of providing for
the care and support OF all those, among the PEG;
pie OF the United States, who by any form OF
calamity, become fit objects of public philanthro-
py.
Ireadily. and, trust feelingly, acknowledge the
duty Incumbent on us all, men and citizens and
as among the highest and hottest OF our duties to
provide for those who, in the mysterious order OF
Providence, are subject to want and to disease OF
body or mind but cannot find any authority in the
constitution Tor making the Federal Government
the great almoner OF public charity throughout the
United States. To do would, in my judgment
be contrary to the letter and spirit of the Consttu
u0n, ana subverslye of the whole theory upon
which the Union OF these States is founded And
this power, for any object whatever, | cannot
AVOID the belief that would, in the end, be pre-
judicial rather than beneficial to the noble offices
OF charity to have the charge of them transferred
rom the States TO the Federal Government. Are
we not too prone to forget that the Federal Union
s the or allure OF the States not they OF the Fede-
ia UnioDl
The President then proceeds to general review
OF the formation and early history of the Republic
us delegated and prohibited powers rs constitution
ftsl aEn. i. IL.
construction of that purpose, and the general rea
tion of tie States to the Federal Union, as enter
tanned and expressed by Presidents Madison effer-
son and Jackson. In the course of this portion OF
his remarks, he has the following expressive pa
rsgraph
cannot but repeat what have before expressed,
that If the several States, many of which have al
ready laid the foundation of muoifcent establish
ments OF local benefcence, and nearly all of which
are proceeding TO establish them, shall be led sup
pose, as they viii be should this bill become law,
that Congress is TO make provision for such objects,
the fountains of charity will be dried up at home,
and the several States instead of bestowing their
own means on the social wants of their p .ope,
may themselves, through the strong temptation
which appeals TO States to individuals become
humble suppliants for the bounty of the Federal
Government, reversing their true relation TO this
Union.
series of extracts from the Constitution are made
with the view of illustrating the objects for which
the public lands may be appropriated, and the mode
OF dlsposng OF them. He then proceeds:
have been unable TO discover any distinction on
constitutional grounds grounds of eXpediency be-
tween appropriation of fen millions of dollars di
rectly from the money in the Treasury for the OBJ
lect contemplated, and the appropriation of lands
presented for my sanction And yet cannot doubt,
that Il the bill proposed ten millions of dollars from
the Treasury of the United States for the support OF
ndigsnt insane In the several States. that the
stitutionai question involved in the act would have
attracted foreibiy the attention of Congress.
respectfully submit, that in a constitutional point
of view, it wholly immaterial whether the appro.
priation be in money or in land.
The public domain is the common property of the
Union, just much the surplus proceeds of that,
aud OF duties on imports remaining unexpended in
the Treasury. As such it hes been pledged, is now
pledged and may need to be pledged again for pub
hc Indebtedness.
Asproperty, it is distinguished from actual money,
chiefly in this respects chat its profitable manager
ment sometimes requires IA st portions of 1t be
proprated to local objects in the States wherein il
may happen 70 lie would be done by any prudent
proprietor to enhance the saie-value of his private
domain. All snch grants of land in fact dspo-
sal of it for value received but they afford prece-
dent or constitutional asln, for giving away the
public lands Still less do they give sanction to ap-
pFopriatioss for objects which have not been en-
"a