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to the government. It is deeply to be regretted, that this department of the government cannot, upon constitutional grounds, concur with the legislative department in this last measure proposed to attain these desirable objects. Owing to the brief space between the period of the death of my lamented predecessor and my own installation into office, I was, in fact, not left time to prepare and submit a definite recommendation of my own, in my regular message; and since, my mind has been wholly occupied in a most anxious attempt to conform my action to the legislative will. In this communication, I am confined by the constitution to my objections simply to this bill; but the period of the regular session will soon arrive, when it will be my duty, under another clause of the constitution, "to give to the Congress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as I shall judge necessary and expedient." And I most respectfully submit, in a spirit of harmony, whether the present differences of opinion should be pressed further at this time, and whether the peculiarity of my situation does not entitle me to a postponement of this subject to a more auspicious period for deliberation. The two houses of Congress have distinguished themselves, at this extraordinary session, by the performance of an immense mass of labor, at a season very unfavorable both to the health and action; and have passed many laws, which, I trust, will prove highly beneficial to the interests of the country, and fully answer its just expectations. It has been my good fortune and pleasure to concur with them in all measures, except this. And why should our difference on this alone be pushed to extremes? It is my anxious desire that it should not be. I, too, have been burdened with extraordinary labors of late, and I sincerely desire time for deep and deliberate reflection on this the greatest difficulty of my administration. May we not now pause, until a more favorable time, when, with the most anxious hope that the executive and Congress may cordially unite, some measure of finance may be deliberately adopted, promotive of the good of our common country?

I will take this occasion to declare that the conclusions to which I have brought myself, are those of a settled con

viction, founded, in my opinion, on a just view of the constitution; that, in arriving at it, I have been actuated by no other motive or desire, than to uphold the institutions of the country, as they have come down to us from the hands of our godlike ancestors; and that I shall esteem my efforts to sustain them, even though I perish, more honorable than to win the applause of men by a sacrifice of my duty and my conscience.

STATISTICAL TABLES.

Extra Sessions of Congress.

Congress has been called together on extraordinary occasions nineteen times since the formation of the government, as fol

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Mr. Van Buren's call was made in the spring of 1837, and Congress was convened the first Monday in September of the same year. President Harrison, on the 17th of March, 1841, called Congress to gether on the last Monday in May, 1841.

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Governors of the several States and Territories,

With their Salaries, Terms of Office, and Expiration of their respective Terms; the Number of Senators and Representatives in the State Legislatures, with their respective Terms.

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Maine, John Fairfield,

N. H. Henry Hubbard,
Charles Paine,

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Jan. 1843 31 1 200
June,1843 12 1 250
Oct. 1842 30 1 233
Jan. 1843 40 1 356

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1,200 1

750 1

3,6663 1

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Jan. 1844 324 128 1
Oct. 1843 14

50

1

Penn. David R. Porter,

4,000

3

Del.

Md.

William B. Cooper,
Francis Thomas,

1,333 3

4,200 3

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3,333 3

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Jan. 1845 21 5 79 1
Mar. 1842 32 4 134 1
Jan. 1843 50 2 120 2
Dec. 1842 45 4 124 2
Nov. 1843 30 1 207
Dec. 1843 303 100 1

100 1

Miss. T. A. Tucker,

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La.

A. B. Roman,

7,500 4

Jan. 1843 17 4

50

Ark.

Archibald Yell,

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Oct. 1843 25 2 75 2

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Territo.

Flor. Richard K. Call,

2,500

3

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Wisc. James D. Doty,

2,500 3

May, 1844 13 4

26 2

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July, 1844 13 2

26 1

In all the states, except New Jersey, Virginia, and South Carolina, the governor is voted for by the people; and, if no one has a majority of all the votes, in the states in which such a majority is required, the legislature elects to the office of governor one of the candidates voted for by the people.

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ANNUAL EXPENDITURE, AND LOSSES BY PUBLIC DEFALCATIONS,

UNDER EACH ADMINISTRATION, FROM 1789 To 1837.

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13,224,623.25

8,560.56

835,655.14

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2,951.61 2,300.18

318

38,640.55 5,050.69

320

11 14,764.51 10,578.54

86,870.37 320 267 13.48

3 1
8 1

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1819 2 31

119

1820 3
1821 1
1822 3 10
1823 1
1824 2

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5,998,772.08 3,882,482.18 1,135,971.09

7,282,942.22 6,840,732.48 1,287,959.28

330.56 36,306,874.88 9,378,343.40 1,717,985.03 87,900,901.59.10

26,283,348.49 4,512,287.81 1,991,226.06
17,176,385.00 1,219,612.56 2,606,564.77
20,283,608.76 313,244.41 3,274,422.78

34 11,483.99 84,883.48 5,967.32 8 2 13 124,142.42 36,129.48 37,413.18 400,022.44 122 222 27.02 1,801.90 15,005,612.15

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17,429.03 3,968.76 1,044.79 253,805.25 133 130 2 .46 1,967.39 17,878,325.71

40,865.33 984,418.15 72,750,896.65 .35

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Total 87 243 27 357 1,198,979.91 442,265.76 397,304.14 2,038,549.81)

682,957,754.47 34,995,340.02 89,087,314.77 807,040,439.26 .25

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