Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-03-26
Miscellany.
Governor Hartranft ssobjections to the
Somerset Relief Bill, Etc.


HARRISBURG, March 19.-The follow
ing is q. veto message sent to the Senate
yesterday -
Executive CHAMBER, HARRISBURG
March 12, 1878 To the Senate and
House of Observation-Disclosures
hereby return, without my approval
Senate bill, No. 3I2, entitled, IAN act
for the relief af certain citizens of Som
erset, Somerset county," and which act
is as follows:-
"Whereas, By conAagration Of lun.
equaled magnitude the town of Somerset
Somerset county, has been almost entire
ly destroyed, and hundreds of her citi
zens made homeless and left in q desti
tute condition aud
Whereas, Charity and benevolence
arc as much the duties of States as Of
individuals ; therefore,
Section /. Be IL enacted 81
That the sum of $4,000 is hereby ap.
propriated for the benefit of the suffer.
ers from the destructive fire of the 9th
of May, 1872, in Somerset, Somerset
county, the said sum to be received and
distributed among the said sufferers by
the authority and under the direction Of
the following named individuals as a
committee hereby appointed for that pur-
pose :-Wm. II. Sanner, A. N. Cofroth,
VIM. H. Picking, VIM II. Koontz and
w. j. Baer.
Section 2. That the State Treasurer
is hereby directed to pay the aforemen-
toned committee, or to one of its num-
Der designated by the same for the pur-
pose aforesaid, the sum of $4,000 ont
of any money in the Treasury prorid-
ed, that the commissioners named in this
act shall file in the office of the Auditor
General, and in the Office of the Regis
ter and Recorder of Somerset county, an
itemized statement containing the names
and the amount paid to each person
within thirty days after such payment" !"
AS the precedent established by this
bill is of the highest importance to the
people of this Commonwealth, and one,
if it becomes law, that might thereby
affect the public Treasury to an extent
that would soon, if followed, deplete the
same, have thought it proper to set
forth the bill in connection with my rea-
SONS for not approving the same:-
The borough Of Somerset, containing
a population of about three thousand in
habitauts, suffered from very disastrous
fire in the mouth of May last, and many
of its citizens "were made homeless and
left in destitute condition.
The amount of their insurance or the
extent of their loss 1 have no personal
knowledge of. Doubtless the loss was
very great, and has commended them to
the sympathy, and justly so, of the citi-
zens of this Commonwealth, and, [ need
hardly add, l participate in that sympa.
thy, and would rejoice to exercise, SO far
as properly can. any power committed
to my keeping for their relief.
The power invoked in behalf of this
bill it is my duty to exercise, not in ac-
cordance with my personal feelings or
sympathy. but in subordination to the
rights of the people, whose property it
is, and for whose common welfare alone
it should be exercised.
This bill appropriates the sum of s75-
900 from the Treasury of the Common-
wealth to the "sufferers" from the fire
referred to. The distribution is not con-
fined to the destitute and needy, but it
is authorized to be paid to any who have
suffered-the rich as well as the poor.
There are to be found upon the statute
books, so far as am able to discover,
but two preeedents, and to which 1 am
referred in support and justification of
this bill, one approved April IA. lS45,
sfor the relief of the citizens of Pitts