The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-06-29
Governor pattison Vetoes the bill to Pension
Disabled Soldiers

Governor Pattson gives the follow
ing as his objections to the Senate bill
No. 20, entitled can act to authorize
and empower cities, boroughs and in
corporated towns or villages in this
Commonwealth to provide for the sup
port Of disabled fremcn."
This is a new style of pension bill. 1t
empowers the Councils of "each city,
borough and incorporated town or vii
lage' to pass an ordinance appropriat.
ing money for the payment of pen
sion of eight dollars month to any
member of fire company who is dis
abled in the discharge of his duties as
fireman, and in case of death from
injuries so received to appropriate 800
to defray his funeral expenses The
bill is loosely and imperfectly drawn,
and has many details providing for the
proof of injuries received by firemen
claiming pensions, for the publication
every six months of the names of pen
sioners and the amount paid them, and
for the semi-annual examination OF all
such pensioners. There is no doubt of
the humane motive of the persons who
conceived this bill, but there is rather
bitter potion mixed in the charitable
cup it offers, by the provision requiring
the fact that person is pensioner on
the bounty of community to be pub
l'shed every six months in the newspa-
pers with his name aud the amount of
his note. This, however, involves a
question of taste and delicacy only, and
no infexible rule can be established for
measuring the charitable propensities
of mankind. The bill provides that
the moneys to pay the pensions al
lowed shall be appropriated by
the authorities "out of the moneys
raised for city, borough and
town purposes and shall be paid
from the public treasury "out of any
money therein and collected by tue
taxes from the taxable property"
Herein consists the legal vice of this
bill. The Legislature can not authorize
the appropriation of money raised bv
taxation for public purposes to any
such charitable use. The seventh sec
tion Of the article of the constitution
on "Taxation and Finance provides
that "the general assembly shall not
authorize any county, city, borough or
Incorporated district = to obtain
or appropriate money for or to loan its
credit to any corporation, association,
institution or individual" Here is an
express prohibition against the passage
of any bill such as this, authorizing
money to be appropriated to individuals.
That the purpose is a benevolent one
is no answer, and will not stay the OPP
Grafton of the constitutional interdict.
The public spirited citizens may volun-
tarily exercise their charitable impul-
ses to any extent they please, and in
such matters generally will, for there
are no people the visible evidence of
whose mercifrl and humane liberality
SO thickly abound as those of Penusyl-
vania. Her charities and charitable
institutions are among the greatest of
her civic gories. The consultation
seems to have been framed in the be-
lief that there was no danger of de-
cadence of this benevolent spirit among
our citizens. 1t may be said that the
fact that the bill provides that it shall
only take effect upon majority of the
legal voters adopting its provisions is
an answer to the constitutional prohibi-
tion cited. But this is mistake Every
citizen has the right TO claim the fun
damental law, and majority cannot
take away from minority the security
afforded by the law. Tax moneys are
sacredly protected by the constitution
from being appropriated in the manner
authorized by this bill, and every man
who pays tax can invoke this pro
lection. For these reasons / decline to
approve the bill