Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1858-01-22

! taken INTO account by the Executive
hut certainly no substantial objection
whether of policy or Of principle, car
be waived by him in view of his Oatl
to support the Institution. Ten
days Sundays exeIudcd) are allowed
the Executive to consider bill, and
to approve or veto it, after which ii
will become 4 law without his sigma
ture, if not previously returned. The
practice of my predecessors has been
occasionally to permit bills to become
laws by this limitation Of time. They
have taken effect IN the entire absence
of Executive sanction. But l believe
this has only occurred where the Elk.
ecutivc has found it impossible to form
positive opinion upon the measure
where, though not unobjcctiOnable, it
was triviaI-or, where it was manifest
that Il veto would not cause its defeat.
This Executive practice ought not to
be extended, and the practice itself is
open to question. For if the provis-
ion that bills neither signed nor return
cd within ten days, shall become laws,
was intended us guard against En-
ecutivc abuse, in holding them an un-
due period, and not as mode by which
the Executive might cause them to
take effect, without the responsibility
of acting upon them, it would seem
clear that the practice Of holding them
over for such purpose cannot be defcn-
dcd But the Legislature by its ad-
journmcnt within ten days after the
passage of a bill, may deprive the Ex-
ccutivc of due time for considering it,
and hence it is provided that in such
case it shall become a law unless sent
back within three days after the next
meeting. In modern practice a large
number of bills are usually sent to the
Governor within few days of the ad-
iournment of the Legislature, which
it is impossible for him to consider du-
ly before the adjournment takes place.
In fact many are sent to him in the
very closing hours of the session. But
it would seem plain that the Execu-
tive could reasonably ask in such case
only the full constitutional period of
ten dnys for forming his opinion, and
that all bills he believes it his duty to
approve shall be actually signed with
in that period. BY the exercise of
reasonable industry this can IN all
cases be accomplished. Then such
bills as he disapproves will be held
over to be returned to the proper
branch of the General Assembly with
in three days :r<>cr the next Meeting,
according to the constitutional provis-
ion. This will properly dispose of all
bills in his hands at the adjournment,
unless indeed it be allowable to hold
over bills and permit them to become
laws without his action.
The propriety of signing bills by
the Governor between the sessions Of
the Legislature has been questioned.
1t does not accord with the old prac-
tice, and IS certainly liable to abuse.
During my term it will be strictly
confined to the first ten days after ad-
journment, and all bills not then ap-
proved may be considered rs awaiting
the next meeting of the General AS
sembly, to be returned with the Exec
~ti-o disappIv.ai. Tic EAcUutiNc
should not bo subjected for long Pc
riods of time to the solicitations of
those interested in bills, nor should he
be subject to the imputations of inde-
cision, or favoritism almost unavoida-
Bile in such cases. Nor is it right that
he should have in his hands the means
of influence which the holding open
of his decision upon bills during a re-
cess would confer. Besides great
wrong may be done to those interest
ed in legislation, by continuing them
for an undue period in uncertainty as
to the fate of bills in which their
rights, their property, or their busi-
ness may be involved. These are
evils which an Executive may obviate,
by settling his policy firmly in the out
set of his administration. 1t would
be well, also, for the Legislature to SO
shape its action as to avoid the neces
sity of sending many important bills
to the Governor in the closing days or
hours of a session.
Fello,1 Cai-ens:-Although it will
not be expected that l should at this
time discuss in detail the particular
questions which will probably come
before the government during my
term, l desire briefly to give express
sion to the gencral views of public
policy to which l hold, in their appli-
cation to practical issues now pending.
Tho currency of the State is in such a
disordered condition, that a general
and wholesome public opinion de-
mands its reform, and the establish
ment of effectual barriers against fu-
ture commissions. This is subject
which will test tho intelligence, the
firmness, and the patriotism of the
Representatives, Of the people in the
department, and may i'm
pose grave responsibility upon the Ex-
ecutive. My views are decidedly hos
tile to the emission and circulation of
small notes as currency; TO the in
crease OF Banking capital under pres
ent arrangements; and to the issues
of bank paper upon securities made
quate for their redemption. The want
of uniformity in the legal provisions
under which existing banks operate,
is Objectionable.
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