Weekly flag of the Union. (Jackson, Miss.) 185?-18??, 1857-12-23

|, to restrain them from committing aggression
J on each other, as well as upon our frontiel
citizens and those emigrating to our distafl
, States and Territories Hence, expensive
military expeditions are frequently necessary
: to over-awe and chastise the more lawless ane
hostile.
J The present system of making them valua
BILE presents, to influence them to remain al
peace has proved Intellectual It is believed
to be the better policy to colonise them in
suitable localities. where they can receive the
rudiments Of education and be induced grad.
ually to adopt habits of industry So far as
experiment has been tried it has worked well
IN practice and it will doubtless prove to be
less expensive than the present system.
j The whole number of Indians within our
territorial limits is believed to be, from the
best data in the Interior department, about
$4,000.
The tribes of t,herokees, Choetaws, Chick
asaws, and Greeks, settled in the territory set
apart for them west of Arkansas, are rapidly
advancing in education and in all the arts of
civilization and self-government; and we may
indulge the agreeable anticipation that at no
very distant day they will be incorporated into
1t will be seen from the report of the Post
master General, that the Post-ofice Depart
ment still continues to depend on the Treasury,
as it has been compelled to do for several years
past, for an important portion of the means of
sustaining and extending its operations. Their
rapid growth and expansion are shown by a
decennial statement of the number of post
offices, and the length of post roads. coinlnerl-
eng with the year 1897. In that year. there
were I 900 post offices in 1887, II, iii in
lS47, Is, 146 ; and in l857 they number &C.
o96. In this year. 1925 post offices have
been established and 704 discontinued leav-
ing net increase of 1921 The pestmas-
ters OF $50 offices are appointed by the Pres
ident
The length Of post roads in 1927 was 05,-
3S6 miles, and in the year 1887, 14I,242
miles; in 1917, 1913, SIG, and in the year
1857 there are 242,601 miles Of post road,
including %, $50 miles of railroad, On which
the mails are transported
The expenditures of the department for the
fiscal year ending the 30th of june 1857 as
adjusted by the Auditor amounted to SILL
507,670 To defray these expenditures there
was to the credit of the department, on the
LIST of July, 1856, the sum $3.50, 500 the
gross revenue of the year. including the an
nual allowances for the transportation of free
mail matter, produced $8,053, 951 and the
remainder was supplied by the appropriation
from the treasury of 80, 100000, granted by
the act of Congress approved August Is,
1856, and by the appropriation Of $666, 1913, |
made by the act of March 3, 1851 leaving
y II II
department in the accounts of the current
year. commend to your consideration the
report of the department in relation to the
establishment of the over land mail route |
from the Mississippi river to San Francisco,
California. The route was selected with my
full concurrence, as the one in my judgment |
best calculated to attain the important objects
contemplated by Congress
The late disastrous monetary revulsion may |
have one good effect, should it cause both the |
government and the people to return to the
practice of wise and malicious economy both
in public and private expenditures
An OVERLOOKING treasury has led to habits
of prodigality and extravaganza in our legis- |
lation. It has induced Congress to make
large appropriations to objects for which they |
never would have provided had it been nee
essary to raise the amount of revenue re- |
CURED to meet them by increased taxation or
By hams We are sQow compelIed to pause
in our career and to scr1ltiaFze our expses.e- T
lures With the utmost Vigilance; and in per-
forming this duty, | pledge my cooperation
to the extent of my constitutional competen-
cy
1t ought to be observed at the same time
that true public economy does not consist in
Withholding the means necessary to accomplish
important national objects intrusted to us by
the constitution, and especially such as may
be necessary for the common defence in the
present crisis of the country it is our duty to
confne our appropriations to objects of this
character, unless in cases where justice to in
dividuals may demand different course. In
all cases, care ought to be taken that the mon
ey granted by Congress SHALL be faithfully
and economically applied,
Under the Federal Constitution C every
bill which shall have passed the House of
and the Senate, shall, before
it becomesa law, " be approved and signed by
the President and. if not approved, he
shall return it with his objections to that
House in which it originated. y In order to
perform this high and responsible duty, sufi-
cient time must be allowed the President to
read and examine every bill presented to him
for approval. Unless this be afforded, the
Constitution becomes dead letter in this
particular, and even worse, it becomes a
means of deception. Our constituents seeing
the Presidents approval and signature attach
ed to each acts of Congress, are induced to
believe that he has actually performed his
duty, when, in truth, nothing is in many
cases, more unfounded.
From the practice Of Congress, such an ex-
animation of each bill as the constitution re-
quires has been rendered impossible The
most important business of each session is
generally crowded into its last hours and the
alternative presented to the President is eth
II to violate the constitutional duty which he
owes to the people, and approve bills which,
or want of time, it is impossible he should
nave examined, or by his refusal to do this,
subject the country and individuals to great
oss and inconvenience.
Besides, practice has grown up of late
Years to legislate in appropriation bills at the
asst hours of the session, on new and impor-
ant subjects. This practice constrains the
either to suffer measures to become
avs which he does not approve, or to incur
he risk of stopping the wheels of the govern
nent by voting an appropriation BILL For
nerly, such bills were confined to specie APP /
for carrying into effect existing
avs and the well-established policy of the :
COUNTRY, and little time was then required by
he President for their examination.
For my own part, have deliberately de-
ernined that I shall approve no bill which | ]
ave not examined, and it will be case of
xtreme and most urgent necessity which shall !