The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-03

Our facilities for larger participation in the trade
Of the East, by means of our recent settlements on
the shores of the Pacific, are too obvious TO be oy-
erlooked or disregarded.
The question 10 relation to the rank in the army
and navy, and relative rank between officers Of the
two branches OF the service, presented to the Exz
ecutive by certain resolutions OF the House OF
Representatives, at the last session Of Congress,
have been submitted to board of officers in each
branch of the service, and their report may be ex-
pected at an early day.
also earnestly recommend the enactment of a
law authorizing Officers of the army and navy to
be retired from the service, when incompetent for
its vigorous and active duties, taking care to make
suitable provisions for those who have faithfully
served their country, and awarding distinctions,
by retaining in appropriate commands those who
have been particularly conspicuous for gallantry
and good conduct. While the obligation for the
country to maintain and honor those who, to the
exclusion Of other pursuits, have devoted them
selves to its arduous service, this obligation should
not be permitted to interfere with the efficiency of
the service itself g',,l E..r s'...Fy -a..fs..E
am gratifed in being able to state, that the es-
Inmates of expenditures for the navy in the ensu-
ing year are less, by more than one millions Of
dollars, than those of the present, excepting the
appropriation which may become necessary for
the construction Of a dock on the coast Of the Pa
chic, propositions for which are now being con-
sidered, and on which special report may be ex-
pected early in your present session. . %.
There is an evident business in the suggestion Of
the same report, that appropriations for the naval
service proper should be separated from those for
fixed and permanent objects, such as building
docks and navy yards, and the fixtures attached /;
and from the extraordinary objects under the care
Of the Department which, however important, are
not essentially naval.
revision of the code for the government of the
navy seems to require the immediate consideration
of Congress- Its system of crimes and punish
p1a 70 had un6arpnne M han fnr half 81
until the last session, though its defects have been
often and ably pointed out, and the abolition of a
particular species Of corporal punishment, which
then took place, without providing any substitute,
has left the service in state of effectiveness
which calls for prompt correction. | therefore
recommend that the whole subject be revised with
out delay, and such system established for the
enforcement Of discipline, as shall be at once hui
name and effectua.
The accompanying report Of the Postmaster
General, presents satisfactory view of the op-
erations and condition Of that Department.
At the close Of the last fiscal year, the length Of
the inland mail routes in the United States (not
embracing the service in Oregon and California;
was one hundred and seventy ght thousand SIX
hundred and seventy-two miles; the annual trans
portation thereon forty-slX million five hundred
and forty-one thousand four hundred and twenty
three miles; and the annual cost of such trans
portation two millions seven hundred and twenty
four thousand four hundred and twenty-siX dol
lars.
The increase of the annual transportation over
that of the preceding year, was three millions
nine hundred and nlnety-seven thousand three
hundred and ffty-fo miles, and the increase in
cost was three hundred and forty-two thousand
four hundred and forty dollars.
The number of post Offices in the United States,
on the first day OF July last, was eighteen thou
sand four hundred and seventeen-being an in
crease OF sixteen hundred and seventy during the
preceding year.
The gross revenues Of the Department for the
fiscal year ending June Both, 1850, amounted to
FIVE millions FIVE hundred and ffty-two thousand
nine hundred and seventy-one dollars and forty
eight CENTS including the annual appropriation of
two hundred thousand dollars for the franked mat
ter of the departments, and excluding the foreign
hostages collected for and payable to the British
Government. E.| @h3'
The expenditures for the same period were FIVE
millions two hundred and twelve thousand nine
hundred and ffty-three dollars and forty-three
cents-leavng balance Of revenue over expendi-
lures of three hundred and forty thousand and
eighteen dollars and five cents. t&s @ fE
+, | am happy TO find that the fiscal condition of
the Department is such as to justify the Postmas-
ter General in recommending the reduction of our
inland letter postage to three cents the single let
ter when prepaid, and five cents when not prepaid.
He also recommends that the prepaid rate shall be
reduced to two cents whenever the revenues of the
Department, after the reduction, shall exceed its
expenditures by more than five per cent for two
consecutive years that the postage upon Cali
forna and other letters sent by our ocean steam
ers shall be much reduced /; and that the rates of
postage on newspapers, pamphlets, periodicals,
and other printed matter shall be modified, and
some reduction thereon made.
1t cannot be doubted that the proposed reduc.
tons WILL for the present, diminish the revenues
of the Department. 1t is believed that the de-
fciency, after the surplus already accumulated
Ill., H. ,h,, oa1 ha all, hole mat
either by abohshing the existing, privileges Of
sending free matter through the mails, or by pay
ing out of the Treasury TO the Post Office Depart
ment sum equivalent to the. postage Of which it
is deprived by such privileges. The last is sup
posed to be the preferable mode, and will, if not
make any further appropriation that may be found
necessary so nconsiderable as to form no obstacle
to the proposed reductions, a
entertain no doubt Of the authority of Congress
to make appropriations for leading objects in that
class of pupc works comprising what are usually
called works Of internal improvement. This au-
thority | suppose to be derived chiefly from the
power Of regulating commerce with foreign ma
tons, and among the States, and the power Of
laying and collecting imposts. Where commerce
is to be carried on, and imposts collected, there
must be ports and harbors as well as wharves
and cus,om-houses. If ships, laden with valua-
BILE cargoes approach the shore, or sail along the
for the protection Of life and property. Other
facilities and securities for and naviga-
ton are hardly less important and those clauses
of the Constitution, therefore, to which | have
referred, have received from the origin Of the
Government a liberal and beneficial construction
Not only have lighthouses, buoys, and beacons
been established, and floating lights maintained but
harbors have been cleared and improved, piers
constructed, and even breakwaters for the safety
OF shipping, and sea walls to protect ha.bors from
being filled up, and rendered useless, by the ac-
ton ofthe ocean, have been erected at very great
expense. And this construction of the Constitu-
ton appears the more reasonable from the consid-
Grafton, that if these worke, Of such evident i'm
portance and utility, are not to be accomplished
by Congress, they cannot be accomplished at all.
BY the adoption Of the Constitution the several
States voluntarily parted with the power of col
lecting duties on impost in their ports and i, is
not to be expected that they should raise money,
by internal taxation, direct or indirect, for the
benefit Of that commerce, the revenues derived
from which do not, either in whole or in p TT, go
into their own treasures. Nor do perceive any
difference between the power of Congress to make
appropriations for objects of this kind on the
oceal, and the power TO make appropriations for
similar objects on lakes and rivers, whenever thew