, 1858-01-22

auu eAP""oion uie oHoWu Dy decenniaI
statement of the number of post Offices amS
the length of post roads, commencing wi,S T.S
the year 1921 In that year there wa.. .
1000 post Offices; in 1887, lit: in 1Ss4
10, ,l46; and in 1851 they number 2s Sss'
In this year l,725 post Offices have Ssor
established and 704 discontinued leav;~S.
net increase of l,02l. The postmaster. ns
36S Offices are appointed by the President
The length of the post roads in 1897 va.
los, ,SlS miles in 1887, l4I, ,232 miles in
IS47, 1853, SlS miles and in the year 1887
there are 242,6 miles of the post roOS
including %, $50 miles of railroad, on WHICH
the mails are transported
The, expenditures of the department eor
the fl bcal year ending on the 3Oth June
1850 as adjusted by the Auditor, amouplcd
10 Al ,5O767O To defray these expsnd;
lures there was to the credit of the deport.
ment on the lst July, 1856, the sum Of
S7S9, 9,599; the gross revenue Of the wear
including the annual allowances for ,bs
transportation of free mail matter, produceJ
IS, ,O53, ,95l the balance was supplied bv
the appropriation Of 81, $50 900 granted by
the act of Congress, approved August IL
1886, and by the appropriation of $666.
sS3 made by the act of March g. lS57
leaving $252, 1863 to be carried to the cred
it of the department in the accounts Of the
present year. commend to your consid
GRAFTON the report of the department in re.
latiOn to the establishment OF the overland
mail route from the Mississippi river to San
Francisco, California. The route was So.
lected with my full concurrence, as the one
in my judgment, best calculated to attain
the important objects contemplated by Con-
gress.
The late disastrous money revulsions NAV
have one good effect, should it cause
both the government and the people to re-
turn to the practice of wise aud udicious
economy both in public and private expcn
diture.
An overnowing treasury has led to hab-
its Of prodigality aud extravaganza in our
legislation 1t has induced Congress to
make large appropriations to objects for
which they never would have provided had
it been necessary to raise the amount of rev.
enuc required to meet them by increased tax
alton or by loans. We are now compelled
to pause in our career, and 10 scrutiDiZe
our expenditures with the utmost vigilance;
and in performing this duty, pledge my
cooperation to the extent of my conStitu-
tional competency.
1t ought to be observed at the same time
that true public economy does not consist
in Withholding the means necessary to ac-
complish important national objects in
trusted to US by the constitution, and cs-
pecially such as may be necessary for the
common defence. In the present crisis Of
the country it is our duty to confne our
appropriations to objects of this character.
unless in cases where justice TO individuals
may demand different course. In all ca
ses care ought to be taken that the money
granted by Congress shall be faithfully and
economically applied.
Under the federal constitution, every
bill which shall have passed the House Of
Representatives and the Senate shall, be-
fore it becomes law" be approved and
signed by the President aud, il not ap-
proved, "he shall return it with his objec-
tions to that house in which it originated"
In order to perform this high aud respon-
sible duty, sufficient time must be allowed
the President to read and examine every
bill presented to him for approval. Unless
this be afforded, the constitution becomes
dead letter in this particular and even
worse, it becomes a means Of deception
Our constituents, seeing the Presidents ap-
proval and signature attached to each act
of Congress, are induced TO believe that be
has actually performed this duty, VIII n, in
truth, nothing is, in many cases, more un-
! founded.
From the practice Of Congress, such an
examination of each bill as the constitution
requires, has been rendered impossible
Tho important business Of each session IS
generally crowded into its last hours, and
the alternative presented TO the President
is either to violate the constitutional duty
which he owes to the people, and approve
bills which, for want OF time, it is impossi-
be he could have examined, or, by his re-
fusal to do this, subject the country and
individuals to great loss and Inconvenience.
Besides, practice has grown up Of late
years, to legislate in appropriation bills at
the last hours Of the session, on new and
important subjects. This practice con-
strains the President either to suffer meas
ures to become laws which he does not ap-
prove, or to incur the risk Of stopping the
wheels Of government by vetoeing an ap-
preparation bill. Formerly such bills were
confined to specific appropriations for car,
rying into effect existing laws, aud the well
established policy of the country, aud little
time was then required by the President
for their examination.
For my own part, / have deliberately
determined that l shall approve no bill
which have not examined, and il will be
case Of extreme and most urgent neces-
sity which shall ever induce me TO depart
from this rule. Therefore respectfully, but
earnestly, recommend that the two houses
would allow the President at least two days
previous to the adjournment Of each session,
within which no new bill shall be presented
I At. sotIn