egal principles
to the subject, there does not appear to be any sentiment which should
restore to the pension rolls as the widow of a deceased soldier a
divorced wife who has relinquished the title of soldier's widow to again
become a wife, and who to secure the expected advantages and comforts of
a second marriage has been quite willing to forego the provision which
was made for her by the Government solely on the grounds of her soldier
widowhood.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _May 23, 1896_.

_To the House of Representatives_:

I herewith return without approval House bill No. 4804, entitled "An act
to amend subdivision 10 of section 2238 of the Revised Statutes of the
United States."

The subdivision of the section of the law proposed to be amended by
this bill has reference to the fees allowed receivers and registers at
public-land offices. This subdivision now reads as follows:

Tenth. Registers and receivers are allowed jointly at the rate of 15
cents per hundred words for testimony reduced by them to writing for
claimants in establishing preemption and homestead rights.

The bill under consideration so amends this subdivision that in the
first clause a compensation of 10 cents per hundred words is allowed
to the registers and receivers for reducing to writing the testimony
of claimants "in all cases," instead of 15 cents per hundred words for
reducing to writing testimony "in establishing preemption and homestead
rights," as provided in the old law.

Whether this reduction of fees preserves an adequate and just
compensation to the officers affected I suppose has been duly considered
by the Congress.

The bill, however, after providing for this change in compensation,
contains the following words:

And in all cases where they [the registers and receivers] can secure a
competent person to reduce the testimony to writing for a sum less per
folio than the sum herein prescribed it shall be their duty to do so.

By the addition of these words the bill seems to give certain fees by
way of official compensation to the officers named for certain services
to be performed by them and at the same time to provide that if they can
secure other persons willing to perform these services for a less sum
than the amount allowed to them they shall forego their fees in favor of
such persons.

It is very important that the fees and perquisites of public officers
should be definitely and cle