Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-03-31

Sl' CONSTITUTIONS In ttllS case Rdt9t thr eule
that IS suthol mt unto the day is the evil there
70. JAMES BUCHANAN. 4
WaSiHngtop Gity, Feb. a, 1889.
Mr.. Morrill's Reply to tie Presidents Veto.
Mr.. MORRILL,. move ta print the lsessare
oft President ust read; and upen that aetiJn
J propose to submit few very brief remarks.
Al this late state OF the session, shall not de.
tain the House long, however provocative the
occasion but DO not propose that the com
municaton we have heard from the Clerks
desk, touching Measure 50 important in it's
scope and bearing, shall pass entirey without
comment.
The President of tho United States has cer:ss-a'
tainly the night to express his opinion upoH the
subject of the bill, as to whether it is consttu-
tional and expedient on not; but We have also
the same privilege.
Ghe Measure vas rot introduced here as q
party measure, nor was 1t advocated as a party
measure. 1t has received the cordial support
of members of both sides Of this House. 1t
fought its way on its own merits. 1t has been
pressed here by petitions and resolutions from
the Legislatures of at least thirteen States and
by an indtnite number of memorials from pri-
Vate citizens OF the highest character. 1t is Il
measure which has been endorsed by agricultu-
raj societies and agricultural men throughout
the whole country, with unprecedented unani-
nifty. 1t is u measure dear to the hearts of all
farmers young and odd. 1t would have been
approved by all the earlier Presidents, and Was
especially dear to the heart of Washington, and
occupied his last thought. | will again quote
from his last message:
at will be doubted that with reference either to
individual national welfare agriculture is of primary
importance In proportion as nations advance H. popu-
laon and other circumstanc of maturity this
comes more apparent and renders the cultivation of
soil and more the object of public patronage In
situtons for promoting grow up supported by pub
lie purses; and to what object it be decided with
greater proprety'"
Yet, while the President assumes to be tho
representative, par excellence, of the farmers,
taxpayers, and consumers of the country, he
comes here to strike down the only measure,
perhaps, which was proposed especially for their
benefit. In my judgment, the President has
committed, if not crime, at least a blunder
1t may be that in bluRders the Executive has
i "stept in so far, that, should he wade no more,
1 Returning were as tedious as 60 oer."
If understand the reading, the President
asserts that if this bill passes it deprive the
Treasury OF all revenue from the public lands
for the next fiscal year. This is great error,
as it would have been impossible for the several
States to have the necessary Stata Legislation to
enable them to make the grant available IN less
than one or two years. 1t is not probable dol
lar less would have found its way into the Treas
ury. At no time could it be expected to ope-
rate in this direction to anything like the ex-
f tent of the military bounty land warrants; and
f these. 80 much larger in amount, were scarcely
felt at all. But, if the position of the Pres-
4 dent were correct, it comes with an i'll grace IN
from the Magistrate who wasted more than tens's
million dollars in the grand march of the army
to Utah, who is wasting larger sum by the
grander naval demonstration against Paraguay,
and who would waste so 900 900 more IN the
T grandest of all propositions-for snatchlng Gu
oa With all respect, this can only be regarded
as a pretext.
The President objects to this bill because he
wants to keep the State governments and the
General Government separate. Well, sir this
measure by no means combines the State govern
ments and the General Government. ltespe-
cially leaves the whole matter to the entire con-
troll of the several States to arrange, manage,
and control, as they may see fit. The State
were to be trustees merely for certain and
specific object. This is, indeed, admitted in
another place, and objected to- The President
order that the General Government might in
stitute lawsuits to compel them to adhere TO the
Terms OF the trust But why should the Pres
ldent discuss an alternative to which his veto
would have been as prompt as to this bill ?
lie says the bill would operate greatly to the
INJURY OF the new States. Now, sir, when Gen
eral jackson, in 1885, vetoed a land bill he did
1t mainly because of its giving the new States
twelve and half per cent. more than the old
States; and, therefore, to protect the old States
from injustice, he vetoed the bill But this bill
does equal and exact justice to all the States ac-
cordlng to the census of 1850; and is provides
further, that if, by the increase of population,
the new States, OF any States, shall have an in
creased representation of Congress in 1860, they
shall receive twenty thousand acres for each adj
ditlonal Representative they may then be enti-
tied to. | therefore contend that here is dis
elimination rather for the benefit, than the in
jury. Of the new States, to which this provision
would only practically apply; Thus Demo-
cratic Presidents diifer-agreeng only in the
veto, by which thew of the people, as express
ed by their Representatives here Shall be crush.
ed out One is for justice to the old States and
the otheS for justice to the States hut Meth
er for justice to ALL The objection of the Pres
ident THAT the land scrip would be sold at low
price, 1t true, will hardly be appreciated in the
new States. The several States would be quite
likely to husband their resources, 50 as to obtain
the largest amount of funds
But, sir, the President thinks it would he far
better to establish professorshps in colleges al
ready established. What constitutional diff
Guilty would thus be avoided, | confess, is to me
incomprchensible. The wisdom of the sugges-
ton and its feasibility clearly belongs to the
President alone. II the object be to excite the
jealousy of existing colleges, it is unworthy of
notice. know that the friends Of such insti.
buttons, men of thorough education, are, in all
sections OF the country, the cordial and devoted
friends Of this bill. do not understand this
hint in any other sense than this: that tbe
President was not consulted in regard to the
principles of this bill. Had he been
thus consulted, or had the details. cvcn
been prepared by some Democratic member
then it might have received his assent. That
sir, is misfortune to the country, but not It's
only misfortune. The President wholly mistakes
the object Of the bill, which was to offer frco
tuition to the boys of farmers and mechanics--.
not to enrich corporations and endow professor
ships-and to enable them, by their own indus
try, to require what might not otherwise bc
within their reach-a liberal education II II
be IA satisfaction to the President to have thwart.
ed such an object, hardly think it will be bipb-
~ appreciated and especially not by those
whose hopes are thus destroyed. The telepraphie
news OF this veto will start II tear from the eve
OF more than one manly boy, whose ambition
VIII now be nippcd in the bud One great OBJ
lect was to arrest the degenerate and downward
system OF agriculture by which American soil
II is raDidlV obtainin,r tho r,,,b, ~ IL -.