The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-04-06
Another Veto SIe~.ag,



GENTLEMEN: return herewith H. Join
Resolution No. q entitled "a Joint Resolu.
ton tor the pay Of the Joint Standing Com.
mlttee on Public Buildings Private con.
slderations make 10 painful to me TO with
hold my approval of this Joint Resolution
Dur am constrained TO do so by overrulina
reasons of public policy and right.
That Joint Committee of the Legisla-
ture should have been charged with duty
| so properly that of administration as the
| letting out and management of public works
OF the State was originally violation Of
Constitutional propriety. And the wisdom
which should have forbidden such a con-
founding of agencies distinct in character
comes into broad evidence when we behold
as in the case of the Joint Resolution be-
| fore me, this legislative committee in the
| iadelicate position of sitting as Legislators
in the auditing of their own claims. On
this account alone / should be slow to give
my approval to the accounts claimed by
those legislators for their services in letting
| out the Contracts for the works on the State
House and the Lunatic Asylum.
In Section of the Act entitled ian Act to
| provide for the repairs and additional build
ings to the Mississippi State Lunatic Asy-
lum," approved July Il, 1870, the sum APP
| prOpriated for the expenses of the Joint
| Committee is fixed at one thousand dollars.
/ am at a loss to know why that sum, sup
posed at the time to be reasonably sufficient
| for the purpose, is not abundant to meet all
the joint claims of the members of the Com
mittee. find, however, that it is not only
not sufficient but that, in addition to that
amount, the members of the Committee
claim in the resolution before me the still
further sum of three thousand seven hum
bred dollars.
What service can the committee be sup
posed to have rendered to Justify payment
OF four thousand seven hundred dollars
The letting of the contract was surely no
time consuming business; and beyond that
they cannot be supposed to have had any
legitimate duties which would not have
been discharged more properly, and which
were not discharged in fact, by their archi-
tact. Under right system of working,
their payments to the contractors should
have been matter of routine demanding,
after the estimates of the Architect, but
formal approval of the Chairman of the
Committee; and except this, any other SER
vice on the part of any member of the Com
mittee was a mere Wanton waste OF time and
attention. Claims against the State under
any such circumstances cannot receive my
approval without a fragrant violation ofmy
sense ofduty to the taxpayers.
But the claims proposed to be paid on the
Joint Resolution before me, are, it appears,
but an entering wedge for others to follow.
They assume to be in full for services rem
dered up to and terminating with the 3rd of
last January! An account current is, it
appears still open on the part of the Com
mttee against the State; and will continue
TO run on IOT All tlulc III LkiC
What limit may be set upon the claim thus
proposed to be established, on the Treasury
At what period shall the accounts termi-
nate? Shall the pay of the Committee go
on for the whole time; and If not for the
whole, for what part? What rate of pay
shall the committee receive during
that period? Is it to be supposed that,
because they receive eight dollars per diem
as legislators, they are sufficiently skilled
in the work of the Architect to receive
eight dollars per diem as Superintendent
of Public Works? With the onerous taxa
ton resting on the people 1t behooves us to
be very chary in admitting claims against
the public Treasury. Whatever the Legis-
lature may in its wisdom deem proper to do
i'm such cases, l, charged as | am individu-
ally with solemn duty to guard the money
of the people, cannot give my approval TO
measure that, like the Joint Resolution be-
fore me, not only grants claims of doubtful
Justice, but does so in form which throws
open the Treasury to the same claim ants in
the future to an extent that has no known
limit of reason or justice.
j. L. ALCoRN, Governor.
Executive Office, March %, 1871.