n December, 1863, one year and eight
months before his discharge, a comrade assaulted him with a stick while
he was sitting in front of his tent preparing for bed and injured his
back. He alleged that the assault was unprovoked and unexpected.

The claim was rejected upon the facts stated, upon the ground that any
injury incurred was not the result of military duty.

Unless the Government is to be held as an insurer against injuries
suffered by anyone in the military service, no matter how incurred, and
also as guarantor of the good and peaceable behavior toward each other
of the soldiers at all times and under all circumstances, this is not a
proper case for the allowance of a pension.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _September 24, 1888_.

_To the House of Representatives_:

I return without approval House bill No. 8310, entitled "An act provide
for the disposal of the Fort Wallace Military Reservation, in Kansas."

This bill provides that a portion of this reservation, which is situated
in the State of Kansas, shall be set apart for town-site purposes, and
may be entered by the corporate authorities of the adjoining city of
Wallace.

The second section of the bill permits the Union Pacific Railroad
Company to purchase within a limited time a certain part of the military
reservation, which is particularly described, at the rate of $30 per
acre.

I am informed that this privilege might, by reason of a faulty
description of the lands, enable the railroad company to purchase at the
price named property in which private parties have interests acquired
under our laws.

It is evident that the description of the land which the railroad
company is allowed the option of purchasing should be exact and certain
for the interest of all concerned.

Section 4 of the bill grants a certain portion of the military
reservation heretofore set apart by the military authorities as a
cemetery to the city of Wallace for cemetery purposes.

There should, in my opinion, be a provision that no bodies heretofore
interred in this ground should be disturbed, and that when the same is
no longer used as a cemetery it should revert to the Government.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _September 24, 1888_.

_To the House of Representatives_:

I am unable to give my assent to a joint House resolution No. 14 and
entitled "Joint resolution to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
certify lands to the State of