Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-12-22

many millions of foreign and domestic com. merce annually pass in and out of these barbors Some of our most valuable points are left thus exposed. This class of vessels of light draugbt. great speed, and heavy guns, would be formi. dable in coast defence. The cost of their con. structlon will not be great and they will reouire but comparatively small expenditure to keen them in commission, In time of peace they will prove as effective as much larger vessels. and often more useful. One of them sbould be at every station where we maintain a squad. ron, and three or four should be constantly em ployed on our Atlantic aud Pacific coasts. Economy, utility. and efficiency combine to recommend them as almost indispensable. Ten of these small vessels would be of incaculable advantage to the naval service, and the whole cost of their construction would not exceed two million three hundred thousand dollars, or $20O,OO0 each.
 The report of the Secretary of the Interior is worthy of grave consideration. It treats of the numerous, diversified and important branches of domestic administration entrusted to him by law. Among these, the most prominent, are the public lands and our relations with the h. dians.
 Our system for the disposal of the public lands, originating with the fathers of the repub- lie, has been improved as experience pointed the way, and gradually adapted to the growth and settlement of our western states and terri tories. 1t has worked well in practice. AL ready thirteen states and several territories have been carved out of these lands and still more than thousand millions of acres yet remain unsold. What a boundless prospect this pre- sents to our country of future prosperity and power.
 We have heretofore disposed of 363, ,862, ,464 acres of the pubic land.
 Whilst the public lands, as source of reve nue. are of great importance, their importance Is far greater as furnishing homes for hardy and Independent race of honest and industrious citizens, who desire to subdue and cultivate the soil. They ought to be administered mainly with view of promoting this wise and benevo- lent policy. In appropriating them for any other purpose, we ought to use even greater economy than if they had been converted into money and the proceeds were already in the public treasury.
 To squander away this richest and noblest inheritance which any people nave ever enjoyed, upon objects of d ubtful constitutonalitv or expediency, would be to violate one of the most important trusts ever committed to any people. Whilst do not deny to Congress the power, when acting BONA EIDE as proprietor, to give away portions of them for the purpose of in creaslng the value of the remainder, vet, con. Sldering the great temptation to abuse this power, we cannot be too cautious in its exercise
 Actual settlers under existing laws are pro- tected against other purchasers at the public sales, in their right of pre-empton, to the extent of quarter section, or 160 acres of land. The remainder may then be disposed of at public or entered et private sale in unlimited quantities.
 Speculation has, of late years prevailed to a great extent, in the public lands. The conse- quence has been, that large portions of them have become the property of individuals and companies, and thus the price is greatly en- hanced to those who desire to purchase for actual settlement In order to limit the area of speculation as much as possible, the extinc- ton of the Indian title and the extension of the public surveys ought only to keep pace with the tide of emigration.
 If Congress should hereafter grant alternate sections to states or companies as they have done heretofore, l recommend that the inter- mediate sections retained by the government should be subject to pre-emption by actual set tlers
 It ought ever to be our cardinal policy to reserve the public lands as much as may be for actual settlers, and this at moderate prices. We shall thus not only best promote the prosperity of the new states and territories and the power of the Union, but shall secure homes for our posterlty for many generations.
 The extension of our limits has brought within our jurisdiction many additional and populous tribes of Indians, large proportion of which are wild and tractable and difficult to control. Preditory and warlike in their dispo- sltlon and habits, 1t is impossible altogether to frpy, each other, as well as upon our frontier cit s, and those emigrating to distant states and ter- rtories. Hence expensive military expeditions are frequently necessary to overawe and chas- tise the more lawless and hostile.
 The present system of making them valu- able presents to influence them to remain at peace, has proved intellectual. It is believed to be the better policy to colonize them in suit able localities, where they can receive the rudi- ments of education, and be gradually induced to adopt habits of industry. So far as the ex- pertinent has been tried it has worked we'll in practice, and will doubtless prove to be less expensive than the present system.
 The whole number of Indians within our territorial limits is believed to be, from the best data
 in the several years past, for an im- portant portion of the means sustaining and extending it's operations. The rapid growth and expansion are shown by decennial state ment of the number of post offices, and the length of the post roads, commencing with the year 1927. Tn that year there were 1000 post offices; in 1887, 11,567; in 1847, 15, 146 in 1857 they numbered 26486 In this year; l, 725 post offices have been established, and 7O4 discontinued, leaving net increase of 1.O2l The postmasters of 36S offices are appointed by the president.
 The length of post roads in 1927. was 1O5.. 336 miles; in 1887, Al 242 miles; in 1847 l53,019 miles of post road, including 22. .53O miles of railroad, on which the mails are trans ported.
 The expenditures of the department for the fiscal year ending on the 3Oth of June, 1857, as adjusted by the auditor, amounted to $11,- 5O7,67O. To defray these expenditures, there was to the credit of the department, on the 1st July, 1856, the sum of $789, ,599; the gross revenue of the year, including the annual al- lowances for the transportation of free mail matter, produced $8,O53, 957; and the remain der was supplied by the appropriation from the treasury of Sl,65OOOO, granted by the act of Congress, approved August IS, 1856, and by the appropriation of $666, 1883, made by the act of March B. 1857; leaving S252, ,763 to be car red to the credit of the department in the &C., counts of the current year.
 l commend to your consideration the report of the department in relation to the establish ment of the overland mail route from the Mis- sissppi 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 revolution may have one good effect, should it cause both the government and the people to return to the practice of a wise and judlcious economy, both in private and public expenditures.
 An overfiowing treasury has led to habits of prodigaty and extravaganza in our legislation. It has induced Congress to make large appro- priations to objects for which they never would have provided had it been necessary to raise the amount of revenue requi,ed to meet them by increased taxation or by loans We are now compelled to pause in our career, and