HINGTON, _March 3, 1879._

_To the Senate and House of Representatives_:

I have received from the United States Centennial Commission their
final report, presenting a full exhibit of the result of the United
States Centennial Celebration and Exhibition of 1876, as required by
the act of June 1, 1872.

In transmitting this report for the consideration of Congress, I
express, I believe, the general judgment of the country, as well as my
own, in assigning to this exhibition a measure of success gratifying
to the pride and patriotism of our people and full of promise to the
great industrial and commercial interests of the nation. The very
ample and generous contributions which the foreign nations made to
the splendor and usefulness of the exhibition and the cordiality with
which their representatives took part in our national commemoration
deserve our profound acknowledgments. At this close of the great
services rendered by the United States Centennial Commission and the
Centennial board of finance, it gives me great pleasure to commend
to your attention and that of the people of the whole country the
laborious, faithful, and prosperous performances of their duties which
have marked the administration of their respective trusts.

R.B. HAYES.

VETO MESSAGE.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _March 1, 1879._

_To the House of Representatives_:

After a very careful consideration of House bill 2423, entitled "An
act to restrict the immigration of Chinese to the United States,"
I herewith return it to the House of Representatives, in which it
originated, with my objections to its passage.

The bill, as it was sent to the Senate from the House of
Representatives, was confined in its provisions to the object named
in its title, which is that of "An act to restrict the immigration of
Chinese to the United States." The only means adopted to secure the
proposed object was the limitation on the number of Chinese passengers
which might be brought to this country by any one vessel to fifteen;
and as this number was not fixed in any proportion to the size
or tonnage of the vessel or by any consideration of the safety or
accommodation of these passengers, the simple purpose and effect of
the enactment were to repress this immigration to an extent falling
but little short of its absolute exclusion.

The bill, as amended in the Senate and now presented to me, includes
an independent and additional provision which aims at and in ter