laimant to about
$9,000 of back pension. This is claimed upon the ground that the soldier
was so sick from the time of the passage of the act creating the
limitation up to the date allowed him to avail himself of the privileges
of the act that he could not file his claim.

I think the limitation thus fixed a very wise one, and that it should
not, in fairness to other claimants, be relaxed for causes not mentioned
in the statute; nor should the door be opened to applications of this
kind.

The beneficiary named in this bill had fifteen years after the accruing
of his claim, and before it is alleged that he was incapacitated, within
which he might have filed his application and entitled himself to the
back pension now applied for.

The facts here presented come so far short of furnishing a satisfactory
excuse for his delay that, in my judgment, the discrimination asked in
his favor should not be granted.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _June 19, 1886_.

_To the Senate_:

I return without approval Senate bill No. 763, entitled "An act for the
erection of a public building at Sioux City, Iowa."

The report of the committee of the House of Representatives to whom this
bill was referred states that by the census of 1880 the population of
Sioux City was nearly 8,000, and that by other enumerations since made
its population would seem to exceed 23,000. It is further stated in the
report that for the accommodation of this population the city contains
393 brick and 2,984 frame buildings.

It seems to me that in the consideration of the merits of this bill the
necessities of the Government should control the question, and that it
should be decided as a business proposition, depending upon the needs of
a Government building at the point proposed in order to do the
Government work.

This greatly reduces the value of statistics showing population, extent
of business, prospective growth, and matters of that kind, which, though
exceedingly interesting, do not always demonstrate the necessity of the
expenditure of a large sum of money for a public building.

I find upon examination that United States courts are sometimes held
at Sioux City, but that they have been thus far held in the county
court-house without serious inconvenience and without any expense to the
Government. There are actually no other Federal officers there for whom
the Government in any view should provide accommodations except the
postmaster