Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-07-30
rHE MONTANA ELL VETOED
The Reasons Against the Other Bill Appli

The following message from IN q President
va. reesiv ed IN the House of Reprrsep .ailNes
on Saturday afternoon
70 tks Hyss, q RepresestastuSs. A herewith re-
.a,S wtHsr, p.,G my sPprSS.al S tss s,n sas..ied
IN 10 q surveying district, and for other pnr-
The bill contains four sections. N. ars, of
which erscts the Territory into q Surveying
d strict, and autnorikes the appointmenf Of a
Surveyor General; the second constitutes the
Te ritory land district the third orizes the
apo n ment Of q Register and Recei vef for
SAID District: and the fourth reQsires the sur
Neyor General 10 ..select and survey eighteen
alternate ood sections OF non mineral timber
and Montana Iron Mining and Manufacturing
CompaGy, incorporateo under the laws Of the
StHtr OF New York, which lands the said COM
pany shall hsye Immediate posses.ioa' OF
patent for the same whenever, within
t~o wears Of their Selection, they snail have
fni inlshed evidence, satisfactory 10 the Sec
and have IN operation on the said la.ds iron
woi ks with capacity for manufacturing ff-
zen huDdred tens Of iron per an nu 10. provided.
States in case the above mentioned iron vorks
be not erected within the specified time And
provided, that untn the title 20 the said lands
shall have been perfected. the timber shall not
De cpt nom more than one section Of the said
lands"
To confer the special privilege, specified in
b.
jeet Of the bill, the provisions OF which are
snbJect TO some Of the most important obyec-
tons that Induced me 70 return 20 the Senate
WITH my d.aPproval the bill entitled IAN act
70 enable the New York and Montana Iron
Mining and Manufacturing Company 70 pur-
chase certain amount Of public lands now in
me market The bill authorized the same cor
porafion 70 select and survey in the Territory OF
Montana, in square form, twenty -one sections
OF land. three of which might contain coal and
iron ore, for which the minimum rate Of 81 2S
a A I G IN hO OWaAa
these sections Of mineral lands and directs the
surveyor General 10 select and survey the
TIMBER lands; but II contains the Objectionable
feature OF granting 10 private mining and
manufacturing corporation exclusive rights
and privileges in the pu bile domain which are
by law denied 10 individuals. The FIRST choice
OF timber land in the Territory is bestowed
upon a corporation foreign to the TERRITORY.
and over which Congress has no control. The
Surveyor General OF the district, public ON
Ger who should have no connection with any
purchase Of public land, is made the agent OF
the corporation to selecr the land: the selection
TO be made in the absence of all competition; and
over eleven thousand acres are bestowed At
the lowest price Of public lands. II is by no
means certain that the substitution of alternate
sections for the pact body of lands COM
templated by the other ball is any less injurious
TO the public interest; for alternate sections
stripped OF timber are not likely 70 en-
bance the vaiue of those reserved by the
Government. BE this as it may, this bill be-
slows large monopoly Of public lands with
privilege in quantity equivalent to seventy
two pre-emption rights: introduces a danger
Gus system OF privileges 10 private trading
corporations and is an unjust discrimination
in favor OF traders and spectators against in
diyidual settlers and pioneers. who are seek
ing homes, and improving our Western Terri
tories. Such departure from the long -es-
tablished, wise and Just policy which has
heretofore governed the disposition Of tho
ublic funds, cannot receive my sanction. The
oblectie rs enumerated apply TO the fourth sec
tion OF the bill. The first, second and third
sections, providing for the appointment OF a
Surveyor General, Register and Receiver, are
unobjectonable, II any necessity requires The
creation OF these Offices, and the additional ex-
penses OF a new surveying and land district.
But they appear in this Instance 70 be only
needed rs part OF the machinery 70 enable the
New York and Montana Iron Mining and
Manufacturing Company" TO secure these
privileges; for am informed by, the proper
department., in q communication hereto an
nexed, that there is no public necessity for q
Surveyor General, Register, or Receiver in
Montana Territory, since IL forms part Of an
existing surveying and land district wherein
the public business is. under present laws,
transacted with adequate facility, 90 that the
provisions Of the fret, second. and third sec
lions would occasion needless expense 20 the
General Government
ANDREW JOHNSON.
Washington, ID. e., July 2s, 1896.