The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-05-23
VETO NO. 8.
Presidents Message VetOing the
Colorado Hill.

y ~ 4 CNAAL > AAErC&A~ SNSAAAh u " 4
RADIO admission bill.
To the Senate of the United Stats:
return tn the Senate, IN walsh House it
originated, the bill which has passed both
Houses of Congress. entitled An act for
the admission OF the State Of Colorado in
tn the Union" with my objections To its be-
coming a law at this time.
First. From the best IniorInltiOn which |
have been able to obtain, | 10 not consider
the establishment of a State Government
1T present necessary for the welfare of the
people in Colorado. Under the existing
L .rritOrial Government all the rights, priv
ileges and interests of the citizens are pro.
tected and secured. The qualified voters
choose their own Legislatures aud their own
local officers, and are represented In Con
gress by a delegate of their own selectiIu.-
They make and execute their own mulici.
pal laws, subject only TO revision by Con.
gresS, an authority not likely to BE- exercised
unless in extreme or extraordinary cases.
The population is small, some estimating
it so low as %, 200, while the advocates Of
the bill reckoa the number at from $4,000
to 10000. The people are principally re-
cent settlers, many Of whom are understood
to be ready for removal to other mining
districts beyond the limits of the Territory,
if circumstances shall render them ore in
viting. Such a population cannot but mud
relief from excessive taxation, If the Terri
torial system, which devOlves the expenses
of the Executive, Legf lative and Judicial
Departments up1n the United States, is
for the present continued. They cannot
but find the security of person aud property
increased by their reliance upon the Nation
al Executive power for the maintenance of
law and order against the disturbances neceS-
sarily incident to all newly organized COM
muD'ties.
Second. 1t is not satisfactorily establish
ed that a majority of the citizens of Colo
RADIO desire or are prepared for an exchange
of a Territorial for a State government
In September 1864, under the authority Of
Congress, an election was lawfully appoint
ed and held for the purpose OF ascertalnlng
the views Of the people upon this partlcu-
lar question. 6,l92 votes were cast, and OF
this number a majority of 3,l52 was given
against the proposed change. In Septem'
Der 1865, without any legal authority, the
question was again presented to the people
of the Territory, with the view of obtaining
a reconsideration Of the result Of the cleo
tiun held in compliance with the act Of
Congress approved March 2lst 1864. AT
this second election 5,905 votes were poled,
and a small majority of 1855 was given in
favor of a Stare organ cation. 1t does not
S, en- to me entirely safe to permit this last
mentioned result, so irregularly obtained, to
outweigh the one which had been legally
obtained in the first election. Regularity
and conformity 10 law are essential to the
preservation of ortler and stable govern
ment, and should, as far as practicable, al
ways be observed in the formation Of new
States.
Third. The admission of G dorado at this
time as a State into the Union, appears to
me to be Incompatible with the public in
trrests eff the country. While it is desira-
BILE that Territories, when sufficiently ma
tured, should be organized as States, yet
the spirit of the Constitution seems to re-
quire that there should be an a%ppraxima-
tinn towards equality among the several
States comprising the Union. No State
can have less or more than two Senators IN
Congress. The largest State has a pnpula-
ton of four millions. Several other State,
have a population exceeding two millions,
and many others have a population exceed,
ing one million. 1t this bill shoitd become
a law the people Of Colorado, thirty thou
sand in number, wssld have, in the House
of Representatives. one member, while
New York. with a population Of four mil
lions. has but thirty one. Colorado would
have in the EieGGra College three votes,
while New York has only thirty thee
Colorado would have IN the Senate two
votes, while New York has no more.
inequalities Of this character have alrea-
dy occurred, but tits belierednone have hap
p ned where the inequality was 50 great
When such inequality has been allowed,
Congress is supposed to have permitted il
on the grounds of some high public %necesSi
ty, and under circumstance which have
promised that it would rapidly d~iSappea'
through the growth and development of {
newly admitted State. Thus in regard t.
the several States in what was formerly call
ED the Northw st Territory, lying east o
the Mississippi, their rapid advance in pop
ulation rem lesed it certain that States al
United with only one or two Representa-
tives in Congress would in a very short pc
rod be entitled to a great increase of repre-
sentation. SO when California was admit
{ tud on the ground oil commercial and politi
cal exigeneies, it was well forseen that tina
State was destined to become a great, pros
porous and important mining and CONNER
cial comm uaity. In the case of Colorado
am not aware that any national exigency
either of o political or commercial nature
r requires a departure from the law OF equal
ity which has been so general y adhered t
: in our history. IF Information subnitte,
y in connection with this bill is reliable, Colo
e RADIO, instead of increasing, has declined |
population. At an election for members G
: a Territorial Legislature, held in 1861, 10,
$50 votes were cast. At the election be-
fore mentioned in 1864, the number wa
6.192, while at the regular election held i
e 1865, which is assumed for a basis of legis
latiye action at this time, the aegregat
number of the votes was 5 1905.
{ Sincerely anxious for the welfare an,
d prosperity Of every Territory and State, a
0 well as for the prosperity and welfare of tn
whole Union, | regret this apparent declin
! of population in Colorado, but it is man
u fest that it is due to emigration which is &c
a ing on from that Territory into other region
e within the United States, which either al
in fact, or are believed by the inhabitants
-. Colorado to be, richer in mineral wealth an
{ agricultural resources. II Colorado has no
$ really declined in population, another censr
or another election under the authority 0
a Congress wnul3 place the question beyon,
doubt and cause but little delay in the ulti
. mate reception Of the Territory as a State
o if desired by the people.
The tenor Of these objections furnishe
. the repy which may be expected to an "a
gulnent in favor of the measure, deprive
y from tn. enabling act which was passed [
Congress on the Dist day Of March, 1854
Although Congress then supposed that tn
c ,ndition of the Territory was such as t
warrant its admission as . State, the resu
Of two years experience shows that ever
e reason which existed for the institution of
Territorial instead of a State Governmer
q in Colorado at its first organization, sti
continues in force. The CONDITION of IL
Union at the present moment is calculate