Year: 1871

The following yetoes are commentary
on the recklessness and incompetency Of
the present Legislature


GETLKMEE: i return herewith q draft
Of nlI Ehich purpo5ts 70 be Senate & BIZ
the building and govern the management OF
Railroads In the State Of Mississippi The
lcertifcate OF TIC naesage of this measure ia
lsn0t attached to the draft. MY private See
retary informs me. however, that loose
sheet bearing the certificate OF the passage
of some bill, and signed By the President OF
the Senate and the Speaker OF the House ac-
companied the bills amongst which the draft
before me was found. This certificte have
not seen-the whole of them coming into
ment of the Legislature in an unofficial
manner arising frem the confusion in which
the session closed.


The absence Of proper certificate is suf-
| ficient reason for my Inability to sign this
bill. / have no positive official evidence
that it ever has received the sanction of the
Legislature.
Ireturn without my approval this draft
bill No. 265, to the House In which it origi-
mated on the following further grounds OF
objection:


4 Iin passed the Legislature last session
similar to the draft now before me. Less
faulty, though. some of the provisions OF
the present bill are. the whole is open sub
stantially TO the objections urged by me
against the former bill. cite you to Doc
ument A, page L of the Appendix of the
Senate Journal of 1870, for specification
OF these objections; and holding the gravest
of them directly applicable TO the measure
before me, feel constrained. even assuming
that that measure had come into my hands
in regular manner and with official certi
fieate, to returA it TO your honorable body
on the ground Of these objections without
my signature.


/ return herewith Senate Bill No. Isl, en-
titled an act to incorporate the Meridian
and Red River Railroad Company, without
my approval. 1t has come before me, like
the former BILL irregularly; and shows on
its face evidence of mutilatlon. Section IL
ofthe bill presents an Endorsement in red
ink signed by the Secretary of the Senate
and the Chairman of the Enrolment Com
stricken out by Joint Resolution No. AZ ;
but while have no moral doubt that this
endorsement was made before the certlfcate
of the passage of the bill was signed by the
proper officers, / must deal with the fact
that the bill comes under my observation in
a form which l am bound to consider OIL
cially as one of mutiIation. i return the
bill without my signature on this sufficient
ground; and do not deem it necessary to
add any further objections In explanation
of my inability to sign it.


Senate Bill No. 90, entitled ian act to in
corporate the Vicksburg, Yazoo Valley, and
Grenada Railroad Company" Is amongst
the number which have come into my hands
in the Informal manner incident to the con-
fusion and hurry of the presentation of bills
at the close of the last session. L return
this bill without my signature. because of
the following objection: Section 10 levies a
graduated tax upon certain LANDS, and in
this particular conflicts, in my opinion, with
the provision of the constitution, that all
taxes shall be uniform. 1t furthermore
provides that this tax and the issue of bonds
by certain counties shall be determined by
election; but it leaves open the question
whether that election shall be determined
by a mere majority, or, as required by the
Constitution, two-thirds vote. As plea,
laxity in the issue of our credits has al
ready been made ground of damage to our
commercial integrity, l cannot give my ap-
proval to any bill which presents on its
face means of placing our paper in mar
ket on any other terms than those of the
express restrictions of law.


/ return Senate Bill No. 1913, entitled san
act to reclaim and protect from overflow
of the Mississippi river the certain bottom
lands therein described This bill assigns
the transaction of certain public business
to gentlemen whom it designates. 1t is
open TO the objection that it places a great
public trust at the disposition of a body of
men who caunot ba reached as other officers
of the public service, but are beyond arrest
in the abuse of their trust, save by quo tcGr-
rG7t0. And it is open to the still further OBJ
lection that, while committing large finan-
cial trusts to the keeping of the persons it
appoints, it provides for no safety to the
after the usual guarantee of bond and Sc
curity.


J. T.. ALcoRN, Governor.


EXECUTIVE OFFICE, Jan. 6, 1871.