The St. Johns herald., 1896-03-14
CLEVELAND,s MESSAGE.
His Objections to the Bill Leas.
 ing the School Lands.

His Objections to the Bill Leas.
 ing the School Lands.
 The following is the full text of the message of the President to Congress vetoing the school and university land leasing bill:
 To the House of Representatives
 herewith return, without my appro- val, House bill No. 2768, entitled "An act to authorize the leasing of lands for educational purposes in Arizona"
 This bill provides for the leasing of all | the public lands reserved to the Terri tory of Arizona for the benefit of it's universities and schools, under such laws and regulations as may be herea r. ter prescribed by the Legislature Of said | Territory"
 If the proposed legislation granted no fuI ther authority than this, It would in terms at least recognize the safety and propriety of leaving the deSirabIlity of leasing these lands. and ihe limitations and safeguards regulating such leasing to be determined by the local legislar ture chosen by the people to make thei laws and protect their interests.
 Instead of stopping here, however, LII legit lative action the governor. the sec- retary of the Territory, and superinten- dent of public instruction shall consti- ute board for the leasing of sad lands under the rules and regulations hereto fore prescribed by the secretary of the interior. It is specifically declared that 1t shall not be necessary to submit sad leases to the secretary of the interior for his approval, and that no leases shall be made for a longer term than five years, nor for term extending be- yond the date of admission of the Ter. ritory to statehood.
 Under these provisions, the lands re- served for university and school pur- poses, whose value depends greatly upon their standing timber, and in which every citizen of the Territory has a deep interest, may be leased and de- nuded of tlelr timber by officers, none of whrm have been chosen by the peo- pie, and without the sanction of any law or res ulation made hy their repre- sentatives in the local legislature. Even the measure of protection w ich would be afforded the citizens of the Territory bv a submission to the secretary of the in teriOr of the leases proposed, and thus giving him an opportunity to as- ' his regulations, is especially withheld.
 It was hardly necessary to provide in this bill that these lands might be leased under such laws and regulations as may be hereafter prescribed by the legislature of said Territory" if the action of the Legislature was to be fore stalled aud rendered nugatory by the immediate and unrestralned action of the officers constituted "a board for the leasing of said lands" pending such legislative consideration. These are inc nsistencies which are not satisfac- torily accounted for by the suggestion that the time that would elapse before the legislature could consider the sub. ject would be important.
 The protests 1 have received from nu- merous and influential citizens of the Territory indicate considerable opposi- tion to the bill am ong those interested in the preservation and proper manage ment of these school lands.
 GROVER CLEVELAND,
 Executive Mansion. Feb. 2S, 1896.