The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-01-25
xesro Jury Bili-Mcssage OF the
Th' President.

81, President yesterday sent to the Sc.
- the following message:
w. p" as Senate Of the Unsted States:
49, received the following preamble
"-ssoution adopted blythe Senate on
he sth instant: ,,n ,,
.;red and forty -one, and entitled sAn
No' a. the further security Of equal rights
N' me District Of Columbia,' having at
u a. nTescnt session passed both Houses OF
rr was afterwards, on the eleventh
; ,,~ nf December, eighteen hundred and
49, :,,r sevep, duly presented to the Presi-
,,o; Of the United States for his approval
.od signature; and whereas more than
~ DAYS, exclusive Of Sundays, have since
SI.oSed in the session without said bill
s,Tjng been returned, either approved or
5;>,pproved therefore
"ReSolued, That the President Of the
1.,itcd States be requested to inform the
senate whether said bill has been delivered
"a and received by the Secretary of State,
=, nrovidcd by the second section of the
A., Of the twenty sevcnth day of July,
seventeen hundred and eighty-nine."
IS the act which the resolution mentions
has no relevancy to the subject under in.
cur;. it is presumed that it was the in
,.a,ion Of the Senate 80 refer to the law OF
the 18th of September, 1889, the second
section of which prescribes
"That whenever bill, order, resolu
ton. or vote Of the Senate and House Of
representatives, having been approved
and signed by the President of the United
States, or not having been returned by
him with his objections, shall become o
law or take effect, it shall forthwith there
stler be received by the said Secretary
from the President; and whenever bill,
order, resolution, or vote shall be returned
BY the President with his objections, and
shall, on being reconsidered, be agreed tt
be passed, and be approved by two-third:
0! both Houses Of Congress and thereby
become a law or take effect, it shall ii
such case be received by the said Secre
,ary from the President of the Senate, o.
the Speaker Of the House Of Represents
tives, in Whatsoever House it shall las
have been so approved"
Inasmuch as the bill "for the further
security Of equal rights in the District o
Columbia has not become law in either
Of the modes designated in the section
above quoted, it has not been delivered t.
the Secretary of State for record and pro
mitigation. The Constitution expressly
declares that elf any bill shall not be re-
turned by the President within ten day!
Sundays eXcepted) after it shall have
been presented TO him, the same shall be 6
law in like manner as if he has signed it
unless the Congress, by their adjournment
prevent it's return; in which case it shall
not be a law" AS stated in the preamble
to the resolution, the bill to which it refers
was presented for my approval on the 18th
day of December, 1867. On the Goth Of
the same month, and before the expiration
Of the ten days after the presentation Of
the bill to the President, the two Houses.
in accordance with concurrent resolu.
ton, adopted on the Sd of December, ad.
journed until the 9Th Of January, 1868
Congress, by their adjournment, thus pre-
vented the return Of the bill within the
time prescribed by the Constitution, ant
il was therefore left in the precise condi
ton in which that instrument positively
declares bill shall not be law"
If the adjournment in December did
not cause the failure of this bill because
not such an adjournment as is contem-
plated by the Constitution in the clause
which | have cited, it must follow that
such was the nature Of the adjournments
during the past year on the Goth day OF
March until the first Wednesday of July.
and from the goth of July until the 2lst Of
November. Other bills will therefore be
effected by the decision which may be
rendered in this case, among them one
having the same title as that named in the
resolution, and containing similar provi,
sions, which, passed by both Houses in the
month Of July last, failed to become Law
by reason Of the adjournment of Congress
before ten days for its consideration had
been allowed the Executive.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
Washington, January %, 1868.