Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-03-13

timber
The flags on the capitol to-day are at half
mast in respect to the memory OF the late *
President Fillmore.
Governor hemper's Veto Message
The President ui tue Senate OF Virginia yes
tcrday laid before that body the following com
muuica;iou from the Governor, returning the
bill proviiing new charter for the city Of
Petersburg With his obj .ctlons:
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA,
GOVERNORS OFFICE,
RICHMOND. Marcn l2.h, 1874
To the Honorable the Senate:
v It'll re.uctauce, | am constrained by my
convictions OF Constitutional duty TO dissent,
for the first !luc !roln tn" action OF the Gcue-
raj Assembly. | dlsappruvc The blIl eutItlcd
IAN act t. provide cl;ar!er tor The CITY OF
Petersburg, and now return II, with NY Oh
iycrious, to the house III vii ch ii rIgua!ed.
Tn, provisions OF the bill are, in NY opinion
such Il, would surv"rt the Principles vi puiu-
lar govegllnpu; III Their Application 10 th1 anu
niciraiily IF Petersburg Its cuiurcement would
withdraw from the sutfragaDs vi that clEy, u
great pru,orlitn OF the power to coutroI It's
government, aud lodge 1t III the huuds oi ap
appoiutces to be created by legislative act. Ii
urupuses 10 trauSitr such power 1rOm the PEG
plt to q buarl OF coluiUlSSlnucrs deriving their
authority solely from The bill Itself " hllc the
bill spares The cxstence VI the u~ual city Uthccs
it strip. uauy of them OF ulus. lmpurtaut aud
essential fuuctlUus, aud dWaris them into IN
sigult ance The board is Proposed 10 he mad"
one Of the permanent Institutions vi the CITY.
B sides exercising many uthcr pu%cis, 1t Is to
appolut aud govern ali officers, policemen aud
patrolmeu of the police department, and the
chief engineer aud ASSISTANTS VI ne NE uei,art.
meut; 10 dlSpeuse other aud Exclusive ctncial
patronage; 10 di>burse pubic mOucyS through
its own orders drawn directly upon the city
treasury; and, substantially, t. uuluiuate the
administration Of the city government. NJ
Dt the city officers wou.d necessarily b. the de-
pendcnts az well as su0OrdlUat:s OF the board
Of commissioners, Tor even their :alarcs are TO
be fixed -Ur, IN other words, l!.crcaSed Or cut
down ut the bidding or caprice 81 the board.
Such u measure seems to me cJn>pcuOus lu-
stance of government b lug Instituted Tor
people without and against their cuuscut.
Waving discussion III th, question whether
or not the bill! Inringcs The particular CLAUSES
OF the Constitution With provide iur the gov
eru!uent Of cities und iAwus; and whether Or
not the trainers Of that Instrument, hostile as
they we're 10 the now prevailing political scntl-
meut of the Statc, nteuded 10 e1Ipowe5 their
uwn part saus to gor@rn AL cities and toWns IN
disregard OF the popular viii; yet iooklug be-
you'd such enquiries 10 the iundamcntaI prln-
ciples underlying all free government, | am
met by oLj"ctloas to the bill which lmprcss me
as iusupcrab!c.
The great cornerstone on which republican
liberty rests is tMe tIluclpic that ali govern
mcut derives its jus: powers from the consent
Of the governed. his Fundamental truth, COZ
cciyed aud promulgated by the lhu>trlou,
minds Virginia, glvcu TO the Country III Its To-
taucy, is deeper and more S icred than cons'l
tu;ioGs, CONTROLS their cous'ructOD aud CHECKS
and couiuc, legislative pnwcr. LII constitutes
great Evolutionary article OF liberty, which
will be held sacred aS long u. a resllgc vi tree
goveromen: shall remaln. 1t cannot DC mslD
talued that the Legislature MAY X"rclse, at lts
discretion, any and all such powers as are uO
delegated to the Federal Cove ulncnt, and not
expressly prohibited ~ the term, OF our own
Constitution. Neither the Legislature nor tEe
Government is sovereign. o0Vcrclguty resides
alone and insc pa:ab!y with the people, und rg
lsators have no arbitrary pJwer "lhey are
the trustees, and GOT the uwuers Of the estate.
The fee simple is one tn" people, they the
truSte ) cannot al nl.'; they caunJt waste.
While the Legislature may be SAID 70 be SUI
preme within its allotted sphere, Yet Its sup.e
macy is relative auG not absolute; Tor the |. gls
Iative power Is limited and rucd 10y the tunda-
meutal and lndcieasible principles OF right and
justice, commonly called the Till OF nights,
which control, not oniy legislatures aud govern
meutS, bu; cou>titutlpns Anuug the foremost
of these, the just right of scli:sovsrumeut pr
mpatcs the whole people, extends to every
member OF the body polite, aud must guide
ami control us 10 organizing luct! government
for particular Subdivisions of the colulnuDity,
as we'll as III enactrg general laws Tor the W ole
Commonwealth To lUiract the least OF the
articles OF right, is TO destroy the >ancilty Of
the whole W e cauuot invade the liberties ol
sing e city, or sing Ie citizen, Without break
ing down the monum.nts Which secure the
r,gnts OF al. La The prescott uus tiled state of
our political relations We canuut but hold 10
this luudamertu right as the sheet-ancnor of
our safety The complete political aud IN ltr-
rial restoration Of our State depends upon her
undaunted adherence u the prl"clp e. aud ira.
ditluu> of Jchursoulau rrpuullcaul-m which she
has ever malutal ueL. Uumvved 10y her mls-
fortunes, and standing amid the wreck of her