The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-08-10
Presidents Message.


The following message was sent to the
House by the President, giving his OBJ
jections to the Sundry Civil Appropria-
ton Bill:
To The House of Representatives:
The act making appropriations for the
sundry civil expenses of the government
for the fiscal year, ending June 80, 1877, is so
defective in what it omits to provide for,
that can not announce its approval, with
out at the same time pointing out what
seems to me to be its defects. 1t makes but
inadequate provision for the service, at
best, and in some instances fails to make
any provision whatever. Notably among
the first class is the reduction in the ordi.
nary annual appropriations for the revenue
cutter service, to the prejudice of the Gus.
tom revenues. The same may be said of
the signal service, as also the failure to pro-
vide for the increased expenses devolved
upon the minis and assay Offices by the new
legislation and thus tending to their protec-
ton, preservation and completion, of which
there is no adequate appropriation, while
the sum of $10O,OOO only is appropriated for
the repairs of the different navy yards and
stations and the preservation Of the same,
the ordinary and customary appropriations
for which are not less than one million
dollars. A similar reduction is made in the
expenses for armories and arsenals. The
provision for ordinary judicial expenses
is much less than the estimated amount for
that important service, the actual ex-
penditures of the last fiscal year aud the
certain demands of the current year. The
provision for the expenses of the surveys of
public lands is less than one-half the usual
appropriation for that service and what are
understood to be its actual demands. A re-
duction in the expenditures for lighthouses,
beacons, and fog stations, is also made in a
similar proportion. OF the class for which
no appropriation is made, among the most
noticeable, perhaps, is that portion of the
general expenses OF the District OF Columbia,
in behalf Of the United States, as appropri.
ated in former years and the judgments of
the Court of Claims. The failure to make
reasonable contribution to the expenses of
the nations capital is an apparent derelic.
ton on the part of the United States, aud
rank injustice to the people here, who bear
the burdens, while to refuse or neglect to
provide for the payment of the judgments
of its own courts is apparently to repudiate.
OF a different character, but as prejudicial
to the Treasury, is the omission to make
any provision to enable the Secretary of
the Treasury to have the rebel archives
and the records of captured and aban-
doned property examined, and information
furnished therefrom for the use of the
government. Finally, without any further
specification of detail, it may be said
that the act which in its title purports to
make provision for a diverse and greatly
extended civil service, unhappily APP
an amount of not more than sixty
1--WE per cent. of its ordinary demands.
The legislative department establishes and
defines the service, and 1t devolves upon the
departments the obligation OF sub
hitting the annually needful estimates of
the expenses of such service. Congress
properly exacts implicit obedience to the
Of the law in the administra-
ton Of the public service, and rigid &C
in the expenditure thereof,
and 1t is submitted that q corresponding re- |
sponsibility and obligation rest upon 1t to |
make adequate appropriations to render |
possible such administration and to tolerate |
such exaction. Anything short Of an ample |
provision for a specified service Is necessa-
rily fraught with disaster to the public in.
terests and is possible injustice to those
pirate and to execute are corresponding OBJ |
legations and duties and the adequacy of
The former is a necessary measure of |
he efficiency OF the execution. in
his eighth month Of the present session of |
nearly one month Of the fiscal
year, TO which this appropriation applies,
having passed, / do not feel warranted in
,etoing an absolutely necessary appropria-
ion bill, but In signing, deem il duty TO
how where the responsibility belongs for
endorsements may arise in the
execution of the trust con6ded 10 me.
[Signed1 U. 8. GRANT.
EXERCISE gives health, vigor, cheer