EXECUTIVE MANSION, _February 23, 1887_.
_To the House of Representatives_:
I return without approval House bill No. 5877, entitled "An act for the
relief of William H. Morhiser."
This beneficiary, though apparently not regularly enlisted in the
military service of the country during the time covered by this bill for
his relief, performed military duty, was captured and imprisoned. No
technicality should be interposed in considering this bill to prevent
the receipt by him of the same pay and allowances awarded under like
circumstances to soldiers regularly enlisted.
But this bill proposes to appropriate for the benefit of this claimant
such sum as pay and allowances as would be allowed a private of cavalry
from November 30, 1863, to January 1, 1865. It appears from the records
of the War Department that he has already been paid for at least two
months of that time.
The bill also provides that there shall also be allowed to the claimant
such additional pay and allowances, as commutation of rations and so
forth, as were allowed prisoners of war, from July 30, 1864, to January
1, 1865. The records disclose the fact that he has been allowed
commutation of rations from July 30, 1864, to December 11, 1864.
As the purpose of this bill, as gathered from the report of the
committee to whom it was referred, appears to be to secure for the
claimant therein named compensation "at the rate at which other soldiers
in the same situation were paid," and as he seems already to have
received a considerable part of the compensation provided for in the
bill, I am led to suppose that a mistake has been made in framing the
same.