The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-08-16
Reasons Assigned by Gov.
Baldwin For DisapprOvaI
Of Measure
Sees no Need of Entailing Ad-
ditional Annual Expense of
100000 on State
Believes Present Law Which
Partially Exempts Property of
Veterans and Which Has
Stood For 46 Years is Still
ServiceabIe
Especial to The Farmer.l


Hartford, Aug. 16-Gov. Simeon E.
Baldwin today sent to the House OF
Representatives a message vetoine
the bill which allows veterans of the
Civil War an annual cash allowance
of $50 in lieu of an exemption on
property to the extent of $1,000. The
message follows:
tatives:
1 return herewith, without my ap-
proval. House Bill 223, being an act
amending an act concerning exemp-
ton of property from taxation.
My objections to it are these:
O-The finances of the State are
not in a condition to justify the as
sumption, unless for very strong rea-
sons, of large and novel expenses
promising no return.
This bill, according to the best in
formation 1 can obtain, would prob
ably involve an immediate expense
Gncluding that which it would neces-
sarily throw on the comptroller's and
treasurer's offices), of between $350,00O
and $490, 900 a year.
(2)-The bill proposes a radical and
as 1t seems to me uncalled departure
from the long settled policy of the
State.
This has been to provide for the
wants of Civil War veterans in the
case of those needing assistance and
in their case only
We have provided plea SAINT homes
for them at Noroton and at Cromwell.
If they need medical treatment, we
pay for that at any hospital. (Gen-
further provided for their wives and
minor children. General Statutes
287Q), at an expense which may reach
81 week for each member of the
family. The orphan children of any
veteran may have an allowance from
the State of $1.50 week. The State
has also exempted from taxation a
Grams or their family which would
otherwise have been subject to it.
This. it is true, has benefited only
those who were possessed of capital,
but in most cases was a very moder-
ate eone
The plan of giving support to all
who NEEDED it and to their families
included most of the veterans who
had no taxable property.
Those who had some were, on the
other hand, benefited by the tax. ex-
emption. 1t was a system well bal
anced and carefully thought out. 1
see no solid reason for departing from
it now, As years after the close of the
Civil War
Most of these men received, when
they enlisted, considerable bounties
from public monies appropriated up-
der the laws of the State, and since
their discharge from the service of
the United States, all have received
and are receiving from that govern
mert such pensions as Congress has
considered adequate
Up to this time, Connecticut has not
thought it incumbent upon her to sup
plement that action by another. I
see no sufficient reason why she should
now do so for the first time by a bill
which provides for payment Of all vet
erans or their families whether in
needy circumstances or not.
(3)-The bill repeals in part only the
exemptions from taxation to which
a.llusion has been made. They have
the Civil War and of the Spanish
War.
This bill continues this to the SOL
diers Of the Spanish war and thus
sets up different standard for them
from that adopted for the veterans of
the Civil War.
It's enactment would, undoubtedly,
relieve the towns of a considera BILE
burden but only by throwing a far
greater burden upon the state.
The Governor of Connecticut is the
only representative of the people of
the state at large as whole that
has part in the legislation of the
state. The Senate, as our government
originally planned and an 1t was con-
Quoted for nearly two centuries. rep
resented the people at large. Under
our constitution, as it now stands. it
represents not the people but a GER
tain number of districts of territory
very unequal in population.
The responsibility lies upon me-
therefore, so far as 1 am able to keep
before the General Assembly the in
terests of the state as whole. so
far as they differ (and in many mat
ters they do differ from those of the
counties or towns or groups of towns
or parts Of towns which we call SEN
atorial districts. As occupying such
position I deem it my duty to with
hold my approval of a bill which
adds indeed perhaps $50, 900 to s10O, 600
to the annual tax revenues of the
towns but only at the cost of throwing
an annual burden not heretofore sus-
tained of s35O,O0O to 100000 on the
state at large.
(Signed)
SIMEON E. BALDWIN.
Governor
On motion Of Leader Banks the veto