Veto Message

To the House of Representatives:

I have the honor to return herewith without my approval House bill No. 2684, entitled "An act to amend sections 3946, 3951, and 3954 of the Revised Statutes."

It is the judgment of the Postmaster-General, whose report accompanies this message, that if this bill should become a law in its present form it would fail to give effect to its provisions. The remedial suggestions in his report are respectfully recommended to your attention.

U. S. GRANT

POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT,

Washington, D. C., July 19, 1876.

The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,

Washington, D.C .

SIR: I have the honor to return herewith House bill No. 2684, "to amend sections 3946, 3951, and 3954 of the Revised Statutes," with the following objections thereto:

The sections of the Revised Statutes which this bill proposes to amend were substantially repealed by the twelfth section of the act entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1875, and for other purposes," approved June 23, 1874. The sections of the Revised Statutes numbered as indicated in the bill were enacted as sections 246 and 251 of the "act to revise, consolidate, and amend the statutes relating to the Post-Office Department," approved June 8, 1872. These sections were subsequently embodied in the revision of the statutes.

If the accompanying bill should become a law in its present form, it would, in my judgment, fail to give effect to its provisions. The bill is a very important one for the service of the Post-Office Department. Efforts have been made for four or five years past to induce Congress to pass just such a law. To break up the vicious system of straw bidding, this bill would be very valuable, and I regret exceedingly that a mistake should have been made in the title and enacting clause which will render its provisions inoperative.

I therefore suggest that the attention of the House in which it originated shall be called to the defects in the bill explained above; and to enable that body to understand very fully what, in my judgment, would be required to perfect it, I would suggest that the title should read "A bill to amend subsections 246 and 251 of section 12 of an act entitled 'An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1875, and for other purposes,' approved June 23, 1874, and also to amend section 3954 of the Revised Statutes," and that the enacting clause of the bill should be changed in conformity therewith.

I have the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant,

JAS. N. TYNER, Postmaster-General .