New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-05-27
The Presidents vetoes.

& ! i ga
During the session of the Senate on the 10th inst,
two messages were received from the President Of
the United States vetoing improvement bills which
originated in the Senate. They are as as follows:
WASHINGTON May 19, 1856. =
To the Senate of the United States:
return herewith to the Senate in which it origi-
nated the bill entitled "An act to remove Instructions
to navigation in the mouth of the Mississippi river at
the Southern pass, and Pass rOutre,' which pro-
poses to appropriate sum of money, to be expended
under the Superintendent of the Secretary Of War
for the opening and keeping open ship channels of
sufficient capacity to accommodate the wants Of com
merce through the Southwest Pass and Pass Outre
leading from the Mississippi river to the Gulf Of
Mexico" ii e ' - -. "|E e 4
In a Communication addressed by me to the two
Houses of Congress on the S0th of December, 1864,
my views were exhibited in full on the subject of the
relation of the General Government to internal i'm
provements. set forth on that occasion the const
tutional mpediments which, in my mind, are insuper
able to the prosecution of system of internal i'm
provements by means of appropriations from the
Treasury of the United States more especially the
consideration that the constitution does not confer on
the General Government any express power to make
such appropriations that they are not a necessary
and proper incident of any Of the express powers ;
and that the assumption Of authority on the part Of
the Federal Government to commence and carry on
general system of international Improvements, while
exceptionable for the want of constitutional power
in other respects pejudical to the several interests
and inconsistent with the true relation to one another
of the Union and of the individual States.
These objections apply to the whole system of in
ternal Improvements, whether such improvements
consists Of works on land or in navigable waters,
rivers. m -s'rTE .l@' Il 4E@iA ff&&& $4#&}%
have not been able, after the most careful re1ec-
ton, to regard the bill before me in any other light
than as part Of general system Of internal improve
ments, and therefore feel constrained to submit it
with these objections to the reconsideration of Con
gress. 81 FEz4N {aF5
'se =@@F3aa& 3,h FRANKLIN PIERCE.
WASHINGTON, May 10, 1856.
To the Senate of the United States: :.
return herewith to the Senate, in which it origin
ated, a bill entitled :" An act making pppropria:
tion for deepening the channel the st. Clair fats
in the State of Michigan" and submit it for reconsd
eration because it is in myjudgment liable to many
obectionsto the prosecution Of internal improvements
by the General Government which have already been
presented by me in previous communications to Con
| gTess. sn= ii < .s5,.z.6t
In considering this BILL under the restriction that
power Of Congress to construct work of internal
improvement is limited to cases in which the work is
manifestly needul and proper for the extension Of
some one or more of the powers expressly delegated
to the General Government, have not been able TO
find for the proposed expenditure any such relation
unless it be to the power to provide for the common
defence, and to maintain an army and navy. But a
careful examination Of the subject, with the aid oi
information officially received since my last annual
message was communicated to Congress, has con.
vinced me that the expenditure of the sum proposed
would serve valuable purpose as contributing to
the common defence because all that could be effected
by it would he to afford q channel of twelve feet
DEPTH and of SO temporarya character that unless
the work done Immediately, before the necessity
for its use should arise it could not be relied fol
the vessels Of even the small draught the passage
which it would promote.
Under existing circumstances, therefore, it can no
be considered as necessary means for the common
defence and is subject to those objections which up
kn
and contribute to convenience of local prosperity
those more Immediately concerned-an object not t.
be justly and constitutonaly attained by the taxa
tion Of the whole country. FEANKL1N PIERCE.