The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1848-12-06

been recently negotiated by the Commissioner of In
dian AHairs in person, by which all their land in the
State of Wisconsin--beIng about four millions of
acres-has been ceded TO tho United States. This
treaty VIII be submitted 10 fine Senate for ratification
at an early period of your present session
within the Inst iour yesrs eigh. important treaties
have been negotiated with different ludsn tribes and
at cost of one million eight hundred and forty.two
thousand tolars; Iadlan lands 10 the amount of
ihan eighteen million five hundred Thousand acres
have been coded 10 the United States; aud provision
has been made for settling in The country west OF the
Mississippi the tribes which occupied this large tx
tent OF the pubic domain. The title Ia all the Indian
lands within the several States OF rul Union, with
the exception of few small rossrvatIods, is now
extlrgushcd, and vast region opened for settlement
and cultivation.
The accompanying report of the Secretary of the
Navy gives satisfactory exhibit of the Operati0nc
and condition of that branch of the public service
number Of small vessels suitable for entering the
mouths Of rivers were jndlciously purchased during
the war and gave great efficiency to the squadron in
the Gulf of Mexico. Ga the return of peace, when
no longer valuable for naval PURPOSES aud liable to
constant deterioration, they sold, and the mo-
ney placed III the Treasury
Tne number Of men in the naval service authoriz ID
by law during the war, has been reduced by dis
charges below III, maximum fixed for the peace
ENLISTMENT Adequate squadrons maln,aned in
the several quarters OF the globe where experience
has shown their services may be most usefully
ployed i; and The naval service was never in
ditlon OF higher discipline or greater efficiency.
| invite attention to the recommendation Of the
Secretary of the Navy the subject of the marine
corps. The reduction Of the corps the end Of the
war required that four officers Of each Of the three
lower grades should be dropped from the rolls.
board Of vucers adc the selections; and those desig
mated W69e necessarily dismissed, but without any
alleged fault ! concur III opinion with the Secre-
tary, that the service would be improved by reducing
the number of landsmen. and increasing the marines.
Such measure would Justify M increase of the mum.
Der o officers to the extent of the reduction by dis
nissal, and still the corps would have fewer officers
than corresponding number OF men i'll the army.
he Ilp TiuItn II,
steamships convertible into warsteamers promise to
realize ali the benefits TO our commerce. and 10 the
navy which were anticipated The frat seamer
thus secured to the government was launched In an
uary, 1917 There are now seven; and in another
y'ar there will, probably be not less than seventeen
AN a.. While this great national advantage Is secured,
our social and commercial intercourse Is increased
and promoted with Germany, Great Britain, and other
oars "f Europe, with all the countries on the Weai
Coast OF our continent especially with Oregon and
California, and hstween the northern and southern
sections Vt the Uateh States
Considerable revenue may be expected from post.
ages but the connected line from New York to
Chagres, and thence across the ishmns to Oregon,
cannot fail to exert beneficial influence, not now
to be estimated the interests of the manufactures,
commerce, navigation, aud currency of the United
States As an important part of the system rtc0m-
mend to your favorable consideration the establish
ment OF the proposed line of steamers between New
Orleans and Vera Cruz. 1t promises the most happy
resul1s III cementing friendship between the two re-
publics, and III extending reciprocal benefits to the
The report Of the Postmaster General will make
known to you the orera;l ms OF that department for
the past year.
1t is gratifying to find the revenues of the depart
menf, under the rates o postag, now established by
p"stages during The last fiscal year amounted to four
inlonth three hundred and seventy one thousand and
received the nine years Immediately preceding the
Passage Of the act Of the third Of March ls4, by the
lars and txceciing tie amount received i,r the Year
ending me THIRTEEN Of June, la7, by the sum OF four
eighty four dollars.
The expenditures for the year. excluding the sum
n inety four Thousand six hundred and seventy two
dollars aIlowedby Congress Mt Ms Inst session to
individual clumanis ana including the sum Of one
services of the line Of steamers between Bremen and
New York, amounted to four million one hundred
five dollars which is less than the annual average for
the nnc Years previous to .he act nf la5. by three
hundred thousand seven hundred and forty eight dol
The mail routes on the 3oth day of June last, were
one hundred and sixty three thousand two hundred
and eight miles IN extent-bcngn nm increase during
the last year 9! nine thousand three hundred and
during the same time, forty million twelve thou
sand five hundred and seventy nine mics making an
one hundred and iwenty -four thousand SIX hundred
and eighty miles, whilst NE expense was less than
that OF the previous year by four thousand two hun
drei and thirty FIVE dollars.
The increase Of the mail Transportation within the
expenses were reduced si56,738-naklng Increase
Of service at the rate OF per cent and reduction
During the past year there have been employed,
under contracts with the Post Office Department,
two ocean steamers iii conveying the mails monthly
between New York and Bremen and one, since Oc-
tober last performing semi monthly service between
Charleston and Havana; aud n contract has been
made for the transportation of the Pacific mails across
the sthmus from Chagres to Panama
Under the authority given tn the Secretary of the
Navy, three ocean steamers have been constructed
and the Pacific and expected to enter up.
on the mail service between Panama and Oregon,
and the intermediate ports, on the first Of January
next, and fourth has been engaged by him for HE
service between Havana mud ChHeres; that
gul,r monthly mail line will be kept up nfrr mt
time between the United States and our territories on
the Pacific
Notwithstanding this great increase in the mail
service, should the revenue continue to increase the
present year it did in the last, there viii b. re-
ceived near four hundred and fifty thousand dollars
more than the expenditures.
These considerations have satisfied the Postmaster
General that, with certain notifications of tine net
of 1915, the revenue may be sill further increased
and Il reduction of postHgcs made to II uniform rnte
of five cents, without all Interference with the pr-
ciple, which has been COZ startly and properly cnr
forced, of lurking that department sustain itself.
A well digested cheap postage system is the best
means of dilusing intelligence among the people,
and il Of SO much Importance in "A country extern
sive as that of the United States that recommend
to your favorable consideration the uggesons of
the Postmaster General for its Improvement
Nothing retard the onward progress of our
country, and prevent us from assuming and MAIN
tanning the first rank among nations, but disregard
of the experience of the past, and to I'M
unwise public policy. WE have Just closed foreign
war by an honorable peace-a war rendered nccessa-
ry and unavoidable in vndica'ion Of the national
rights and honor.
The present condition of the country. is similar in
some respects to that which existed immediately
after the close of the war with Great Britain in
1875 and the occasion is deemed To be proper one
to take retrospect Of the measures Of public policy
which followed that war. There was at that period
Of our history departure from our earlier policy
The enlargement OF the powers of the federal gov
eminent, by construction, which obtained, not
warranted BY any Just interpretation of the consitu-
ton. A few ears after the close of that war, se-
res Of measures was adopted, which, uniIed and
thnrs and advocates, The American system" ''
The introduction of the new policy was for n time
favored by the condition of the ty by the heavy
debt which had been contracted during the war; by
the depression of the public credit; by the dernged
state of the finances and the currency; and by the
commercial and pecunlnrp embarrassment which
tersivey prevailed. These were not the only cluses
which led to It's establishment The events Of the
war with Great Britain, and the embarrnssnents
which had attended its prosecution, had left on the
minds Of many Of statesmen the impression that
our government was not strong enough and that to
WELD its successfully IN great emergencies
and especially IN war, more power should be con-
centrated i'll its hands
This increased power they did not TX obtain by
the legitimate and prescribed node-an amendment
of the conStitution-blt by construction. They saw
COVER III the old world based upon different or
ders Of society, and constituted TO throw the
whole dover of nations into the hands of few, who
or restraint. In that Arrangement they conceived the
strength Of nations III war consisted. There was al
something sci IN the else, luxury and dis
play Of the higher orders who drew their wealth from
the toll of the laboring millions.
rnr sulhors Of the sasten drew their ideps Of Pr,
litica economy from what Trey rad witnessed III
Flrope, and particularly in Great Britain They h d
viewed the enoImouse wealth CO.'S ,enrated III few
hands, and had seen the spendor .. the overerown
establishments Ct ars,ocracy which was uphe Id by
the restrictive policy. They forgot 10 look down
upUl the poorer classes OF the English population