Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1866-05-16
MESSAGE FROM TIE PRESIDENT:
Veto Of the Bill Admitting Colorado as a State
o the Senate of the United States:


return to the Senate. in which it originated,
the bill which has passed both Houses OF Coo
gress.~entitled, .An act for the admission Of
the State of Colorado into the Union, with
my objections to its becoming q Law at this
time 49,
First. From the best information which [
have been able to obtain, do not consider the
establishment Of State government at pre-.
sent necessary for the welfare of the people OF
Colorado. Under the existing Territorial gov
eminent all the rights, privileges, and interests
OF the citizens are protected and secured
The qualified voters choose their own legisa-
tors and their own local officers, and are repre-
sented in Congress by delegate Of their own
selection. They MAKE and execute their own
municipal laws, subject only to revision OF Con
gress-an authority not likely to be exercised
unless in extreme or extraordinary cases. The
population is small, some estimating 1T so low
as twenty-five thousand, while advocates OF
the bill reckon the number at from thlrty-hye
thousand to forty thousand souls. The people
are principally recent settlers, many OF whom
are understood to be ready for removal to other
mining districts beyond the limits OF the Terri
tory, if circumstances shall render them more
Inviting. Such population cannot but md
reIiet from excessive taxation ii the territorial
system, which devolves the expense OF the
executive, legislative, and judicial departments
unon the United States, is for the p csent con-
tinued. They cannot hut find the security OF
person and property increased by their reliance
upon the national executive power tor the
maintenance Of law and order against the dis
turbauces necessarily incident to all newly or
ganized communities.
Second 1t is not satisfactorily established
that a majority Of citizens Of Colorado desire or
are prepared for an exchange Of Territorial
for a State government In September, 1864,
under the authority Of Congress, an election
was lawfully appointed and held for the purpose
ofascertainng the views of the people upon
that particular question Six thousand one
hundred and ninety-two votes were cast, and OF
this number majority Of 3,l52 was gwen
against the proposed change. In September,
1865, without any legal authority, the question
was again presented to the people OF the Terri
tory with the view of obtaining reconsldera-
ton OF the result of he election held in conpil
ance with the act Of Congress, approved March
81, 1864 At this second election 5,9O3 votes
were poIled, and majority Of l55 was given IN
favor of State organization. 1t does not seem
to me entirely safe to receive this last mentioned
result, so irreguiarly obtained, rs sufficient to
outweigh the one which had been legally obtain
cd in the first election. Regularity and contor-
nifty to law are essential to the preservation OF
orderand stable government, and should, as Tar
as practicable, always be observed 10 the lorna
ton of new States.
Third. The admission Of Colorado, at this
time. as State into the Federal Union, appears
to me to be Incompatible with the public
interests of the country. While it Is desired
that Terrii cries sufficiently maturcd should &c
OF ganizu d as States, yet the spirit OF the Con
s,llution seems to +, qure that there should be
an approximation towards equality among the
several States comprising the Union. No State
can have more than two Senators IN Congress;
the largest State has population OF four MIL
lions several of the States have population ex
ceeding two millions and many Others have
population exceeding one million.
4 population Of III 900 is the ratio OF APP
portiunment Of representatives among the
several States. It this bill should become a
law, the people of Colorado, thirty thousand
in number, would have in the House of Repre-
sentatives one member, while New York, with
a population of four millions, has but thirty
one. Colorado would have in the electoral
college three votes, while New York has only
thirty-three Colorado would have in the Sen
ate two votes, while New York has nc more.
INEQUALITIES of this character have already
occurred, but it is believed that none have hap
pened where the inequality was so great
When such inequality has been allowed Con
gress is supposed to have permitted 1t on the
ground of some high publlc necessity, and un-
der circumstances which promised that ltWould
rapidly disappear through the growth and de-
vtlopment Of the new y admitted State. Thus
in regard to the Severa! States in what was
formerly cal ed the Northwest Territory" ~
ing east Of the Mississippi, their rapid advance
ment in population rendered it certain that
States admitted with only one or two Repre-
senratives in Congress would in a very short
period be entitled to great increase OF repre-
sentation. So when California was admitted
on the ground of Commercial! and political ext
gencies, it was we'll foreseen that that State
was destined rapidly to become a great prospe.
rous mining and commercial community In
the case OF Colorado, | am not aware that any
rational exigency either of political or COM
mercial nature, requires departure from the
law Of equality, which has been SO generally
adhered to in our history.
If information submitted in connection with
this till is reliable, Colorado, instead CT increas
ing, has declined in population. At an cleo
ton for members Of a Territorial Legislature
held in 1861, 10, $50 votes we've cast. At the
election before mentioned, in 1864, the num-
Der of votes cast was g., 90; while at the irregu-
lar election held in 1865, which is assumed as
oasis ior legislative action at this time, the
aggregate Of votes was 5;o05. Sincerely anx-
ous fer the w~lIare and prosperity Of every
Territory ard State, as we'll as for the prosperi-
,y and welfare of tie whole Union, | regret
this apparent decline of population in Colora-
d. but i is manifest that it is due to emigra
ton, which is going out from that Territory
into other regions within the United States,
which either are in fact, or are believed by the
inhabitants of Colorado to be, richer III mine
raj wealth and agricultural resources. If how
ever Colorado has not declined in population
another censns or election under the authority Of
Congress would place the question beyond
doube, and cause but little delay in the ulti-
mate admission Of the Territory as a State, if
desired by the people. The tenor of these Oh
jectious furnishes the reply which may be OK
pected to an argument in favor of the measure
derived from the enabling act which was pass