The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1866-05-24
VETO NO. 8.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE VETO
ING THE COLORADO BILL.

ING THE COLORADO BILL.
WASHINGTON, May 16.-The fol
lowing is the Presidents message
vetoing the Colorado admission
bill: l.. . rs..... .,-. ...
To the Senate of the United States:
/ return to the Senate, in which
House it originated, the bill which
) has passed both Houses of Con-
gress, entitled "An act for the ad-
mission of the State of Colorado
into the Union" with my objections
to its becoming a law at this time.
First. From the best information
which / have been able to obtain,
| do not consider the establishment
of a State Government at present
necessary for the welfare of the
people in Colorado. Under the
existing Territorial Government all
the rights, privileges and interests
of the citizens are protected and
secured. The qualified voters
choose their own Legislatures and
their own local officers, and are
represented in Congress by a dele
gate of their own selection. They
make and execute their own mu
nicipal laws, subject only to revis-
ion by Congress, an authority not
likely to be exercised unless in ex-
treme or extraordinary cases. The
population is small, some estimat-
ing it so low as $4,000, while the
advocates of the bill reckon the
number at from $4,000 to 10000
The people are principally recent
settlers, many Of whom are under
stood to be ready for removal to
other mining districts beyond the
limits Of the Territory, if circulu-
stances shall render them more in
viting. Such population cannot
but find relief from excessive tax
alton if the Territorial system,
which devolves the expenses of the
Executive, Legislative and Judicial
Departments upon the United
States, is for the present continued,
They cannot but find the security
of person and property increased
by their reliance upon the Nation
al Executive power for the main
tenance OF law and order against
the disturbances necessarily incl
dent to all newly organized com
munities.
Second. It is not satisfactorily
established that majority of the
citizens Of Colorado desire or are
prepared for an exchange of Ter
ritorial for a State Government
In Sept, 1864, under the authority
OF Congress, an election was law
fully appointed and held for the
purpose of ascertaining the views
of the people upon this particular
question. 6,192 votes were cast,
and of this number a majority of
1852 was given against the pro-
posed change. In Sept, 1865,
without any legal authority, the
question was again presented to
the people of the Territory, with
the view Of obtaining a reconsid-
GRAFTON of the result of the election
held in compliance with the act of
Congress approved March Dist,
1864. At this second election s.
9O5 votes were polled, and small
majority of 155 was given in favor
of a State organization. 1t does
not seem to me entirely safe to
permit this last mentioned result,
so irregularly obtained,to outweigh
the one which had been legally OBJ
tanned in the first election. Regu-
larity and conformity to law are
essential to the preservation of Or
der and stable government, and
should, as far as practicable, al
ways be observed in the formation
of new States.
Third. The admission of Colora.
do at this time as a State into the
Union, appears to me to be incom-
patible with the public interests of
the country. While it is desirable
that Territories, when sufficiently
matured, should be organized as
States, yet the spirit of the Con-
stitution seems to require that there
should be an approximation to-
wards 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 population of
four millions. Several other States
have a population exceeding two
millions, and many others have
population exceeding one million.
If this bill should become law
IL p n ~