The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-08-02

Message.
The following is the message Of the President
giving his reasons for not signing the Mon tana
Bill:
To the House of Representatives.
I herewith return, without my approval, the bill
entitled, San Act erecting tho territory Of Mon
tana into surveying district, and for other pur-
poseB."
The bill contains four sections, the first Of
which ereots the territory into surveying dis
trict, and authorizes the appointment OF Sur
veyor- General; the second constitutes tho Terri
tory a land district; the third authorizes the ap-
pointment Of register and receiver for Bald
district and the fourth requires the Surveyor
General to "select and survey eighteen alter
nate odd sections OF non-mineral timber lands
within said district for the New York and
Montana Iron Mining and Manufacturing Com
pany, incorporated under the laws Of the State Of
New York, which lands the said company shall
have immediate possession Of on the payment of
one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, and
shall have patent for the same whenever, with
in two years after their selection, they shall have
furnished evidences satisfactory to the Secretary
of the Interior, that they erected and have in
operation the said lands iron works with b
capacity for manufacturing fifteen hundred tons
Of iron per annum; provided that the said lands
shall revert to the United States in cnse the
aforementioned iron works be not erected with
title to the said lands shall have been perfect the
timber shall not be cut off from more than one
section of the said lauds"'s -" ,"... -.
To confer the special privileges specified in this
fourth section appears to be the chief Of the
bill, the provisions of which are subject to some
of the most important objections that induced me
to return to the Senate with my disapproval the
bill entitled can Act to enable the New York and
Montana Iron Aiming and Manufacturing Compa-
lands not now in market." That bill authorized
the same corporation to select and survey in the
Territory of Montana, in square form, twenty one
sections of land, three of which might contain coal
and iroL ore for which the minimum rate of 81 .25
per acre was to be paid. The present bill omits
Surveyor-General to select and survey the timber @
lands; but it contains the Objectionable feature of
granting. to private mining and manufacturing
public domain which by law denied to nd,vid-
uals The first choice of timber land in the
Territories is bestowed upon corporation for
egn to the Territory, and over which Congress has
no control. The Surveyor General of the district
public officer who should have no connection
with any purchase of public land, is made the
lectons to be made in the absence OF all oompeti-
tion. and over eleven thousand acres are bestowed
at the lowest price Of Of public lands. It is by no
sections for the compact body Of lands contem-
plated by the other bill is any less injurious to
the public interest; for alternate sections stripped
or timber are not likely to enhance the value of
those reserved by the Government. Be this as
it may, this bill bestows large monopoly Of
public lands without adequate considccfis. ci zion =
confers right and privilege in quantity eqluva-
duces dangerous system Of privileges to private
trading corporations, and is an unjust discrimi-
nation In favor OF traders and spectators against
Individual settlers and pioneers, who are seek
ing homes, and improving our Western Ter
ritories. Such departure from the long estab-
lished, wise and just policy which has heretofore
governed the disposition Of the public funds, can
not receive my sanction; The objections enume-
rated apply to the fourth section Of the bill. The
first second and third sections, providing for the
appointment Of Surveyor General, register, and
receiver, are unobjectionabe, il any neces ssity
quires the creation of these Offices and the addi-
tional expenses of a new surveying and land dis
triot But they appear in this instance to be only
needed as part Of the machinery to enable the
f'New York and Montana Iron Mining and Manu-
featuring Company" to secure these privileges; for
communication hereto annexed, that there is no
public necessity for Surveyor General, register
or receiver, in Montana Territory, since it forms
part of Gn existing surveying and land district,
wherein the public business is, under present
laws, transacted with adequate facility, 80 that
the provisions Of the first, second and third sec-
tions would occasion needless expense to the Cen
erRl Government. , ANDREW JOHNSON
Washington, D. O., july 2s, 1866. w