Press enter after choosing selection

Veto Message

Veto Message image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
March
Year
1845
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The Governor has relurned to the Le gislnture without his signature, eight bill appropriating in all 243,000 acres of public Innds'of this State for building th Railronds, and improving the navigntion of the Shiawassee and Kalamazoo rivers and improving certain roads. The bil to extend the Central Railroad to St. Jo sopt) appropriates 140,000 acres for tha pur pose. He vetoes these bilis, because the State is badlv in debt, the whole liabilities fo the present year, (should these bilis be come laws) amounting to the enormou sum. of 8821,250; because the land scrif would become deprecialed in value, am the contractors would ask the State e nough more for doing the work to make tip for the amount of the depreciation: because these bilis propose to appropriate 7,000 more acres ihat the State owns: because, the lands are virtually pledgedtor redeeming outstanding warrants for merly issued: becnuse the amount pro posed tobe appropriated would only prepare the rail roads for the superstructure and the State possessingno means topur chase iron, the whole would be lost, and various olher reasons which appear to be amply sufficient to juslify his action in the premises. As many persons have erroneous views of the state of our public works, and indulge in nnticipafions of large profit from them, we subjoin the following statement from the message ofGov. Barry, who has had the best opportunity for knowing their real condition. "While I am in favor of extending the roads, I may be permití ed at the same time to say, that I think their revenuc has often been over-esfimated. The Southern road has hitherto yielded no return for the investment made in its construction; but an extensión, while it may not secure a net revenue equal to the interest npon the whöle cost of the road, will increase that revenue by an amount greater ihan ihe interest upon the addiüonal outlay, and at the same time, affbrd increased advantages to citizens in its vicity and to the public.In regard to the revenue upon the Central road, I have no hesitation in expres sing my belief, that, finished to Kalamazoo or to St. Joseph, it will never yield a et unnual proüt exeeeding six per cent upon the cost of its construction. The net annual proceeds of years past must not all be considered as net profits. A great portion oí the road being comparatively new, allowance has not been made for repairs that ere long will be required for dilapidation now in progress, but yet riot so far advanced asto require attention. - All the bridges must be re-built vvitinn n few years, and the whole superstructure renewed. At the present moment iron to the amownt of $100,000 or more is wanted to lay anew the track between Detroit and Ann Arbor, and many other items of repairs are required and would be made if the means for that purpose were at command. Such repairs, though now postponed, must ultimately be made, and their cost will be, of course a charge upon the receipts of the road.It is highly probable, if not entirely certain, that to pay the interest upon our acknowledged public debt, when the same shall be adjusted upon the principies of the act of February 17, 1842, the revenue of the public works will not be sufficient, & that taxation will be indispensable. In my administration of public affairs, I have endeavored so to husband the resources of the State, that whjen this crisis arrived the burden of taxation would be as light as possible; and I cannot give my sanction to the bilis returned. believing as l do, that should they become laws, they would interpose obstaclesto the preservation of public faith, and increase the taxation consequent upon a deficiency of revenue upon the public works. The approval of the bilis would prevent the completion of the Central Railroad to Kalamazoo, the present year if not altogether. A large outlay has already been made upon this road between Mar shall and Kalamazoo; it is now in a state of forwardness, and ils immediate com pietion is of paramount iuiportance.doubt not, however, ehould the bilis returned become laws, that land scrij 'ould become so depreciated that con ractors would in most instances abandon iieir contracts from inability to continue icir w.ork. 1 am also of opinión that the roposed appropriations would so fa njure our credit abroad as to destroy al rospect and hope of obtaining the iron necessary to complete the road between he places mentioned.i he public can naraiy appreciaie m ifficulties with which the board has hac o contend for the last three years in constructing the public works, and par ticularly in obtaining i ron and spike. - To individual efïbrls and assurances, ove and above the discharge of official duty the State is much indebted for the pro curement of ron laid upon the Centra road west of Jackson, and upon the South ern, west of Adrián. It is easy to suppose illimitable abilit in the State, without the supply of com mensúrate means, but all legislation base upon such illusion, islikely to be injuriou in its character. The present emba rassment of the State is a sufficient iluslration of ihis; and the approval of the present bilis would be, but thecontinuation of a policy which should long ogo have been abandoned."

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News