Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/207

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No. 65]
A Determined Veto Message
179

wth: wch: I once more tell you, You have no Business or Concern nor willI hear anything from you about it this I say to save Yourselves or me any further trouble and if you are minded to show that Young Gentleman any Respect I would advise you to teach him his Duty in this matter To the Kings Governour and when he practices it he shall have my Answer."

J Belcher

Elizabeth Town August 11 : 1752

His Excellency laid before the Board for their Consideration a Charter proposed for the Incorporation of the Five Dutch reformd Churches in the Counties of Middlesex, Somersett and Hunterdon wch. being Read It is Orderd that it be Referrd to their next Quarterly meeting and that in the mean time the Secretary do procure the Statute of Mortmain.

Compared wch. Minitts of Council of the Province of New Jersey of wch. this is a true Copy

William A. Whitehead, editor, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey (Newark, 1885), VIII (i), 103-108 passim.

65. A Determined Veto Message (1742)
BY GOVERNOR LEWIS MORRIS

Morris was a member of the Council, chief justice, and finally governor of New Jersey. The extract is selected as an example of the absolute veto of governors. —Bibliography: E. C. Mason, Veto Power, § 7.

THERE are two Acts now before me to which my Assent is desired . . . but they now come up in two distinct Acts, and if the other part, with respect to the Enregistring of deeds, had come up in a distinct Act also, then my assent had been desired to three Acts, which had been formerly repealed, by his Majesty, under one title in one bill ; and all the three might have been as well ofrid [offered] for my assent as any two of them as it doth not appear for what particular part the Act before mentioned was disallow'd of tho' certain it is the whole and all the parts of it were disallow'd of; with what View was my Assent desired to Acts, disallow'd of by his Majesty & that even without a suspending Clause according to his Instructions, well known to you, unless it was to Expose me to Just censure for giving such Assent ; and how kind it was to do so, I leave to be determined by all Indifferent persons; and