Milford chronicle., 1929-02-15
LEGISLATORS GET NO
MILEAGE, SAYS MIR.
BUCK VETOING BILL
ICOHfinusd from first pageJ

CCoHfiEued from first pdge]
to the General Assembly that no
mileage can be allowed in the future
so that the present members of the
General Assembly must pay their
own mileage and can not draw mon
ey from the State for that purpose.
1t has been the custom since the leg
islature began, it. is claimed, to pay
mileage and this is what causes the
feeling over the matter.
The amount allowed for mileage
in the bill vetoed is about $25,OOO.
The allowance for the present leg
islature would have been about the
same so that the action of the Gov
ernor, if it stands, and the chances
are that it will, will be to save the
State total of about $4,000.
Just at present no one can tell
what the next move on the part OF
the legislature will be. An amend
ment to the Constitution making
mileage could not be passed at this
session of the legislature as an
amendment must be voted on at two
sessions. The move may be started,
but even then the amendment would
not apply to the members u the last
legislature named in the bill or to
the members of the present body
Veto Message
The veto message follows:
ITO the House of Representatives,
Gentlemen:
II return herewith without my
approval, House Bill No. 2S, entitled,
An act appropriating certain money
out of the State Treasury OF the
State of Delaware to pay certain
claims. against the State and sub
nit the following as my objections
to the bill:
1.-THE purpose of the bill as I un-
derstand it, is to recognize and au-
thorize the payment of certain
claims of members of the last Cen
eraI Assembly for what is called
mileage, which is assumed to be the
actual cost of transporting the IN
dividual members of the last Cen
eral Assembly from their respective
homes to the place of the sittings OF
the General Assembly and theretrom
10 J0elT respective nOhlCS.
II am advised by the attorney
general that the compensation OF the
members of the General Assembly is
limited by the constitution to SlO
for each days attendance and that
such compensation is further limit
ed by the period of sixty days for
which alone they may be paid for
attendance at the prescribed rate per
day, and also that the individual eX-
pense of the members of the Cen
eral Assembly in going to anc from
it's place of sitting can constitute no
part of the expense connected with
the session of the General Assembly
itself, being expenses of the lndlvld-
ual members and not of the General !
Assembly and not being distinguish /
able from the food, or the room rent ,
or house rent of members while re-
naming at the place of the sittngs
of the General Assembly during the
session thereof.
1.-The Encouragement also ad-
yises me that the general assem2ly
has no power to appropriate the pup
lie money for the purpose OF paying
mileage to the members thereon, nor
20 legally authorize such payments
and that an attempt to do so by leg
slative enactment is uncOnstltution-
al. The encouragement has also ao-
vised that it necessarily follows from
he above that the members of the
asst general assembly, none of whom !
were paid mileage because of the
act that my predecessor in oihce,
he then governor of the State, dis l
,nproved of the appropriation Of the
public money for that purpose, can
nave any valid claim against the
state for mileage and that the pres !
mt general assembly cannot consu- /
utionally recognize and authorize
he payment of such plans. J
81 am not unmindful of the fact
hat former general assemblies nave
,een accustomed to authorize the {
,ayment of mileage to their mem I
,ers and that such sums have been
aid. If. however, there is no war v
ant in the law for such payments, Q
am unable to convince myself |
hat such a practice can supply the L
Constitutional authority that does b
,ot otherwise exist. If there were 4
anguage of the constitution relating h
4 the subject that requires interpre- 5
alton. it might well be said that a Il
egislative Interpretation of such "
anguage should not be regarded. D
m not advised, however, that there
; any such language. u
IF the people of the State think n
ne members of their General AS +
embly should be reimbursed out Oh D
ne public money for their actual
expenses in travelling to and from el
1e place of sittings of the General IL
ssembly, they should, by appropri-
te amendment to the constitution al
lake provision therefor. X
"I regret that under the clrcum1 X,
5ances, I cannot bring myself to 81
pprove the bill, and 1 therefore re- NJ
i'm it without approval to the house
which it originated. III
Yours respectfully, sc
&C. DOUGLASS BUCK,
0HoynrnOr" " tl1