Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-03-01
Presidents Veto Message.

] return. with my objections, to the House
If Representatives, in which it originated,
tho hill rntitled An act donating public
lands to the several States and Territories
which may provide colleges for tho hrurht "t
agriculture and the mechanic arts. pr"s"n-
rcd 10 me on IN" 18th inst.
This hill makes donation {" the several
States Of twenty thousand acre, ol the pub
lie lands for each senator and representative
in the present Congress: and also an adhI-
tiunal donation of twenty thousand acres tor
each additional representative t" which any
State NAV be entitled under the census of
1850.
According to report from the Interior
Department. based upon tEc present number
Of Senators and Representatives. tn" lands
..ivru tn the States amount t" SIX millions
and sixty thousand acres, and their value, at
the minimum government price OF one dol
lar and twenty-five cents per acre, to seven
million five hundred and scycnty-iivc thous-
and dollars.
The object IF this gift. ~ stated by the
bill, is the endowment. support, and main
tcnancc of at least one college lin each State
where the leading object shall be, without
excluding other scientific OF classical studies,
to teach such branches of learning as are re-
lated to agriculture and the mechanic arts,
as the Legislatures of the States may re-
spectively prescribe. in order to promote the
liberal and practical education OF the indus
trial classes in the several pursuits and pro-
LESSONS in life"
AS there does not appear from the bill to
be any bcncticiaricS in existence 10 which
this endowment can be applied. each State
is required "to provide, within five years at
least, not less than one college, or the grant
10 said State shall cease" In that event the
said State shall be bound to pay the United
States the amount received OF any lands pre-
yiousy sold, and that the title to purchasers
under the State shall be valid
The grant in land itself is confined to such
States as have public lands within their
limits worth one dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre, in the opinion of the Govcrnor.-
For the remaining States. the Secretary OF
the Interior is directed to issue land scrip
to the amount of their distributive shares III
acres under the provisions of this act: sand
scrip to be sold by said States, and the pro-
cecds thereof applied To the uses ami purpo-
scs prescribed i'll this act, and tor no other
use or purpose Whatsoever The lands are
granted and the scrip is to be issued I'm
sections or subdivisions Of sections not less
than one quarter of a section
According to an estimate from the Interior
Department, the number of acres which will
probably BE- accepted by States having pub
lie lands within their own limits will not ex-
coed five hundred and eighty thousand acres.
and il may be much less; leaving ii balance
of five million four hundred and eighty
thousand acres 10 be provided for by scrip.
These grants of land and land scrip 70
each of the thirty-threc States are made up-
on certain conditions. the principal Of which
is. that if the fund shall De lost or diminished
on account of unfortunate investments. or
otherwise. the deficiency shall be replaced
and made good by the respective States.
shall now proceed 10 state my objections
to this bill. deem it to be both mcxpe-
dent and unconstitutional.
|. This bill has been passed at a period
when We can with great difficulty raise >utti-
cient revenue to sustain the expenses OF the
government. Should it become ii law. the
treasury will be deprived Of the whole, or
nearly the whole. Of our income from the
Gala e ,uIJ;c IonI. which far .h. ucyt f.-
c"i ro,r has hnnn estimated IT five millions
81 jolIors
4 b,rc st,temert If the ease will make
this evident, The minimum price at which
twentv-Gve CENTS NOR acre At the nresent
n,nmcrt howavcr rho nrice has Lcen redu-
cod 80 tbnso who purchase the bo,,ntv-land
,.onron.s ~ rho old soldiers 70 a;obtv.fve
oo " nor nora. and of those warrants there
NO IN ,utStond;no and unlocatcd 80 an
mo,rs bv = rennrt + i3tb February 1851 from
The General Land Office the amount Of eleven
millions nine hundred and ninety thousand
tbrcn bundrnd and ninetv.orc ocrcs. This
hoe ,Ircody ,,ro,tlv rnJucad the current sales
~. ,Lo ,,,,orn,,ort and diminished tho rove
g., e., .I,;' o,,.,.n r. ~ nIJ;t;on ,bir-
,,,raa Statos shau or,or rho m.rL., with
their land scrip. the price must DE greatly re-
duced below even eiehtv-fve cents per acre.
rs much to the prejudice of the old soldiers
who have not already parted with their land
warrants a. to government. 1t is easy to
perceive that with this glut of the market
government can sell little or no lands at one
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. when
the price of bountv-and warrants and scrip
shall be reduced to half this sum. This
source of revenue will be almost entirely
dried up. Under the bill the States NAV
sell their land scrip at any price it may
bring. There is no limitation whatever in
this respect. Indeed. they must sell for
what the scrip will bring. for without this