"An act for the relief of Laban Cousins,"

Mr. Baylies, appointed for that purpose, reported the following reasons for not concurring in passing the bill entitled "An act for the relief of Laban Cousins," viz. " Reasons assigned why the Governor and Council do not concur with the General Assembly in passing the bill entitled " an act for the relief of Laban Cousins." The Governor and Council have heard the petition of Laban Cousins, which accompanies the bil!; also have seen the report of the Committee made thereon. The Governor and Council are of opinion that money in the County Treasury in the County of Addison is property in which each person belonging to the County has a common interest with all other persons belonging to the same County; and that the freemen of the County by electing the representatives to the General Assembly did not delegate power to such representatives to do any act by report or otherwise, which would justify the legislature in passing a law directing money te be paid out of the County Treasury, as a gift to the said Laban Cousins. The Governor and Council are of opinion that, if the legislature have power to pass the law, the power is derived from the constitution and laws of the State, not from the consent of the Representatives of the County; therefore the legislature may pass the law as well without as with their consent, and may direct one sum to be given as well as another. The Governor and Council doubt the existence of a power in the Legislature to pass a law directing money to be paid out of any treasury in this State, by way of gift to any individual, except it be out of the State Treasury. They see not, if the legislature have a right, to lay their hand on the money in the treasury of a County, and give it to an individual, why they have not the right to put their hand into the treasury of every corporation in the State to take its money and give it away without any consent on the part of the corporation. Corporations, as well aa individual citizens, have their rights, which cannot be infringed by the legislature. Money in a County treasury is corporate property, under the control of the corporation, to be expended, according to existing laws, in paying its debts, and for objects necessary for the well being of the County. Such money cannot, by a legislative act, be taken from the corporation, and given to an individual person, any more than the property of one citizen can be taken and given to another. It is true that the legislature may by its act empower a corporation to make a donation, but the legislature cannot direct a corporation to make a donation any more than it can a private citizen. The bill in favor of Laban Cousins directs the treasurer to pay him eighty dollars by installments, as the County Court shall direct. This bill cannot be considered as empowering the County of Addison to make a donation, and then leaving it at the option of the County whether to make it or not. But it directs the money to be paid, as though the legislature had a control over the treasury of that County. The Governor and Council find no precedent for such a law'