Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-12-05


enterprise and the public prosperity as vel
as the dictate of obvious justice that the bur
den Of taxation be made to rest as equal,
as possible upon all classes and all sections
and interests of the country. l have here
tofore commended to your consideration
the revision of the revenue laws prepared
under the direction of the Secretary of the
Treasury, and also Legislation upon some
special questions affecting business of thai
department; more especially the enactmen
OF law to punish the abstraction of oficia
books or papers from the files of the Govern
ment and requiring all such books and pa
Pers and all other public property to BE-
turned over by the outgoing officer to hi.
successor; of law requiring discussing of
ticers to deposit all public money in the
vaults of the Treasury or in other Legal. de
positories where the same are conveniently
accessible, and law to extend existing pe
nal provisions to all persons who may be.
come possessed of public money by deposi;
or otherwise, and who shall refuse or neg
lect on due demand to pay the same into
the Treasury. Invite your attention anew
to each of these objects.
The acts granting bounty lands will soon
have been executed, while the extension o.
our frontier settlements will cause a eontin.
ued demand for lands and augmented re-
ceipts probably from that source.
Tho army during the past year has been
so constantly employed against hostile Indi-
ans in various quarters, that it can scarcely
be said with propriety of language, to have
been peace establishment. Its duties have
been satisfactorily performed, and we have
reason to expect, as the result of the years
Operations, greater security to the frontier
inhabitants than has been hitherto enioyed.
Extensive combinations among the hostile
Indians of the Territories of Washington and
Oregon at one time threatened devastation
of the newly formed settlements of that re-
mote portion of our country. From recent
Information we are permitted to hope that
the energetic and successful operations con
Quoted there, will prevent such combinations
in future, and secure to those Territories an
opportunity to make steady progress in the
development of their agricultural and min
.eral resources. On previous occasions to
cure defects in the existing organization,
and to increase the efficiency of the army,
and further observation has butserved to con-
firm me in the views then expressed, and to
enforce on my mind the conviction that
such measures are not only proper but nee
esSary.
bovo - n JJ;t;ov, - ,r,-;4o a. = o4to-.t..
of the Congress to a change of the policy in
the distribution Of troops, and to the neces-
sity of providing more rapid increase of
the military armament; for details of these
other subjects relating to the army, refer
TO the report of the Secretary of War The
The condition of the navy is not merely
satisfactory but exhibits the most gratifying
evidences of increased vigor, as it is com
paratively small it is more important that
it should be as complete as possible in all
the elements Of strength-that it should be
efficient in the character of its office, in the I
zeal and discipline Of its men, in the relia-
bility OF its ordinance, and in the capacity
Of its ships, in all these various qualities the |
Navy has made great progress within the
last few years. The execution of the law
Of Congress of February %, 1855, to pro-
mote the efficiency of the Navy has been at
tended by the most advantageous results
The law for promoting discipline among
.he men is found convenient and salutary.
The system of granting an honorable dis
,harge to faithful seamen on the expiration
If the period Of their enlistment and per-
hitting them to re-enlist after leave of
lbsence of a few months, withous cessation
# pay, is highly beneficial in its influence.
The apprentice system recently adopted, is
evidently destined to incorporate into the
ervice large number of our countrymen
hitherto so difficult to procure. Several
hundred American boys are now on three
ears cruise in our national vessels, and will
eturn well trained seamen.
In the ordinance department there is de-
ided and gratifying indication of progress
reditable to it aud the country. The sug-
estions of the Secretary of the Navy, in t
egard to further Improvements in that
ranch of the service, l commend to your
lvorabIe action. The new Frigates order
d by Congress are now afoat and two of {
hem in active service. i
They are superior models of naval archi-
ecture and with their formidable battery i
id largely to the public strength and seeu- |
ty | concur in the views expressed by the /
secretary of the Department in favor ofstiU S
lrther increase of our naval force The
sport of the Secretary of the interior pre- /
ents facts and views in relation to internal a
fairs, over which the supervision ofhis de- 5
artment extends, of much interest and i'm 7
ortance. The aggregate sale of public I
lnds during the last fiscal year amount to S
,227, ,S28, acres, for which has been receiv- 4
the sum of $S,S2O,414. During the Q
lme period there have been located with q
Military script and land warrants and for
her purposes, 80, ,100,230 acres, thus ma Q
inc a total aggregate of 39,32S,I08 acres. t
IN the 30th of September last surveys had a
cen made of 1873, 500 acres and a large L
roportion of which is ready for market. il
The suggestion in this report in regard to a
lie complication and progressive expansion n
T the business of the different bureaus of the Il
apartment of the pension system to the n
,lonization of Indian tribes and reccommen- C
atoms in relation to various improvements n
the District of Columbia are especially c
to your consideration. The o
port of the Post Master General presents G.
Illy the condition of that department of e