The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-12-11

.uance OF a resolution Of the last Congress for
mail service on tile Ohio and Mississippi river,
IN 1892 and 1923, and the amount paid lie Bin
,sh Post Office collected for al d payable 10 that
|ollice, amounted to 5000, 500 ID, leaving bal.
lance Of revenue over the proper expenditures Of
The year OF S703,299.
Tie receipts Tor rostage during the year, ex.
Icluling the foreign postage collected Tor, and
pa, able 10 the British Post Office, amounted 10
s6,345,747 20, being an increase Of $780,, SIG 20,
Tor 10 and G5 hundreiths per cent over the preee.
ldng year.
The reduction OF postage under Abe act Of
March last, did not take effect until the CON-
menceme of the present fiscal year. The ac
counts for the first quarter under the operation Of
llhc reduced rates, win not be settled before Jan
mary next, and no reliable estimate OF the receipts
for the present year, can as yet be made It's
believed, however, that they viii fall shor, Of
tho.e Of the last year
i The surplus oil the revenue now on hand, is,
however, so large that no further appropriation,
rom the Treasury, In aid OF the revenues Of the
Department, is required for the current fiscal
year; hut an additional appropriation for The
year ending June 30,h, 1853, will be found ne.
cessary But the receipts OF the first two quar-.
'ers OF the fiscal year, are fully asceriained. In
This last annual Report, the Postmaster General
Recommended q reduction OF postage 10 rates
(which he deemed as low as could be prudently
adopted, unless Congress was preparedto appro-
lpriaie from the Treasury for The support Of the
Department, sum more than equivalent 10 IN.
mail services performed by it Tor the Cove nment.
The recommendation oil the =. NJ General in
respect TO letter postage except letters TO Cal.
Hernia and Oregon, were substantially adopted
lby the last Congress, and now recommends aa-
herence TO the present Letter Pates, and adv ses
against further reduction until justified by the
revenue Of the Department. He also recon-
mends that the rates OF postage on printed mat
Ter, be so revised as 10 render them more simple
and more uniform in their operation upon all
+ classes of printed matter. submit the recon-
mendation ofthe Report to your favorable consid-
Ie,a'ion.
The public statutes Of the y. States have now
been accommodating for more than sixty years, and
interspersed with private acts, scattered thro'
! numerous volumes, and from the cost Of The
whole, have become almost inaccessible to the
great mass OF the community. They also exhb-
!. il much o. the incongruiiy and impfrtec'ion Of
lhasiy legislation. As il seems to be generally
conceded that there is no Common Law of the
III. Safes TO supply the defects OF their legia-
ton, it il most important that that legislation
shold be as perfect as possible, defining every
power intended 10 be conferred; every crime in
tended 10 be punishable, AMI prescribing the pun
ishinent TO be inflicted. In addition TO some par
teular cases spoken of more al length, the whole
criminal code il now lamt niably defective
5 some offence are lmpeftecily described, and
others are entirely untitled that fagran. crimes
may be committed with mpunits. The scale Of
punlshm.n, is not in all Gases, 6 adpa,ed accord
ing 10 the degree and the nature Of the offence,
and is often rendered more unequal by the differ
ent modes ot imprisonment, by peni', n'tafy con-
: huemrn, in the different states. Many laws ola
nermatent character have been introduced into
4 appropriation bills. and II - often difficult 10 de-
d ternine whether the particular clause expires
with The tenn orary act, ef which II is part, or
: continues in force. II la. also ireqnsnls tap
: pened, that tnactmen's and provisions ct law
have been introduced in bills, with ihr title or
: general subject with which they have little or no
conn. elton or relation. In III is mode Of lsgisa-
. ton so many enaetmtnls have been heaped uren
u zach Other, and often ih but i,tle conssdsi a.
ton, that ~ instances II Is dcult 10 search
e out and determine wha' IS the law
!. The Government 81 the q. States is emphatic
alls government Of written laws. The statutes
should therefore, a lar as practicable, mol only
4 be Il. abe accessible 10 all. but be expressed N
language SO pa n and simple a 10 be understood
by ALL and an an led IN such method "a TO give
p.rspiru,ty 10 every subject. Many oil the States
have revised their public acts, with gtea, and
manifest beneh'. l recommend that provision
be male b law Tor The apo n'inent Of Com
mss Toner to revise the pauc statutes Of The L.
ciencies, correcting ineongruihes, simplifying
tneir language, AMI reporting theu' 10 Congress,
Tor It's action.
An Act OF G congress, approved the Goth Of Sep
i ienber, 1850, contained a provision Tor the eA-
tension OF The Capitol, accord De 10 such plan as
, nigh, be- approved by the President: and appo-
lpraiei Sl0U, 600 to be expended under his direc.
E lion, by such Architect as he should appoint 10
lexeeuie the sane. On examining the VARIOUS
. plans VII CHI have been subH,iei by different
Architects, pursuant TO an advertisement by
, Committee Of the Senate, no one was found 10 be
entirely satisfactory and il was therefore deemed
advisable To combine and adopt the advantages
$ OF several. The g,eal object 10 be accomplish
ed, is 10 AXE such an ADDITION, a would afford
i ample and convenient, halls Tor the deliberations
OF the two Houses Of Congress, with sufficient
I accommodations for specia ors, and suitable a.
. lartments for the Committees and Officers OF
e both branches OF the Legislature. II was also
b desirable not TO mar the harmony and beauty OF
: the present architecture, which, as specimen OF
IS Architecture is so universally admie ed. Keeping
i these objects n view, l concluded to make The
d addition by wings, detached from the present
+ binding, yet connected with it by corridors -
This mode OF tnla tgement will leave the present
: api'ol nninjned, and affords great advantages
for ventilation and the admission OF light, and
n able the work to progress without interrnpting
y The del beaons Of Congress. To carry this plan
IS competent architect. The COZ ner stone was laid
i on the 4ih cay of July last, with suitable cere-
: monies, since which time the work has advanced
o with comnendabie rapidi,y, and the found atlons
n OF both wings are now nearly completed.
Q again commend TO Your favorable re- ard, The
interests OF the District Of Columbia, and deem il
;, only necessary 10 remind you that although its
n inhabitants have voice in the choice OF Repre-
= sen'nves in Congress, they not The less tn'-
d tied. 10 jus, and liberal consideration from your
J. legislation.
n My opinions on this subject were more fully
:, expressed in my last annual commune alton
Other subjects were brought TO the attention Of
ID Congress in my last annual mess age, to which
'e would respectfully refer. But there was one Of
d more than ordinary interest, TO which again in
/ wife your special attention allude 10 ihe rec.
Of om,nendation ter the appointment OF Commits
81 sioner to settle private claims against the u S.
p Justice TO individuals, as well as the government,
y mperatively demands that some more convsnient
k and expeditions mode than an appeal TO Congress
of should be adopted. il is deeply 10 be regretted
e in several instances, officers OF the government in
attempting 10 execute that law for the return OF
h fngilives from labor have been openly resisted,
al and their efforts frustrated and defeated, by law
l. less and violent mobs that in one case, such re-
ss'ancc resulted in the death Of an estlmable cit
n izPn and in others eerio,is injuries 10 those O-