The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-08
FROM OUR OWN COMMENCEMENT.


resolved The news from Washington OF this morning BE-
correct toenac the part the bun the china shop In their
proposed wholesale destruction of the power carry the
government the heads Of the various departments have
estimated that ID ought TO be carried TO provide
for the wants and due protection Of the population Cut
down the army estimates several millions -''reduce the
navy estimates about three millions ''diminsh the
mail routes 10 California and SNAKE the ocean mail
service selfsusainng among the gentle remedies
proposed by the committee on retreuchment
i can assure those gentlemen who compose that COM
Ittee that almost every good citizen here, and, be-
ieye, In every other part of the Union would look with
extreme disavor any cartment Of the numbers and
efficiency of the army. IL is an indispuiable fact,
that the increased expense of the army occasoned
solely by the Utah rebellion and border conflicts
with the Indians. There act Of the Presidents
administration that more unanimously commended
than his prompt energetic and eectual restoration Of
law aud order in Utah and there not a TO be
found In the country possessed of grain of patriot
ISM that did not approve of the measures that were
adopted TO protect our frontier citizens bold pio
OF civilization the savage outrages of hostile
tribes Of Indians The popular feeling decidedly in
favor OF permanent increase Of the army proposed by
the Secretary of War during the last session of Congress-
and urgently recommended by the gallant commandments
chief of the army because the nsuciency Of the
army TO guard our immense extent of frontier uni
yersally admitted BY the energy Of the Executive the
Utah rebellion has been quelled and the trucuent
ages in Oregon and Washington Territories have been sub
dued but would not the advantages of those brilliant
successes be thrown away, Utah be handed over to
the disailcctcd Mormons, and frontiers exposed
/ =
! lishment in Utah withdrawn, and frontier
posts abandoned, must be the if the army
estimates are reduced TO the extent proposed by the com
mittee retrcnchment2 Then, again. with regard to
the expenses of the navy DO the sapient economists
who propose to lop off three millions from the estimates
think that the people of the United States will sustain
them in reducing the force and efficiency of noble
little navy Do they not know that the unanimous
voice OF the country has been than raised to
express the conviction that the present naval establish
ment is wholly inadequate to protect our shores and
our Importance in the scale of nations?
1t true that the extraordinary appropriations for the
military and naval service, rendered essentially necessary
by the Utah and Indian troubles and the menacng difficult
ties with foreign nations sweed the total of government
expenditures and gave the INSCRIPTIONS partisan oppo
nents of the present administration the means of mis-
leading the ignorant into the belief that the
had been reckless and extravagant but 1T only needs
very superficial examination of the facts to find that
these extraordinary appropriations but temporary,
and created by wholly beyond the control of any
government, however sagacious and that in reality,
there never has been government which has been con-
Quoted on basis of more rigid economy
Nothing would be more unpopular, nor more unwise
in political and economical sense than to diminish the
existing postal facilities strike another blow at the
ocean mail service. There money expended
which will produce better interest than the three or four
millions which required to meet the deficiency IN the
receipts of the postal service Of of southern
and western States and Territories compared with
the expenditure required to afford them their present
postal facilities To cut off these facilities is to cut of
emigration to waste lands to cut of the purchases Of
the public domain to cut of the extension OF agrcn
tula mprovementand increase of the national wealth
and to cut off the means which that commerce is
founded from which the aiment Of whole system of
government is supplied
If Congress, after calm and enlightened examination
of the matter finds that the existing tariff under no
circumstances yield sufficient to defray the
penses of the government under existing laws il Is clear
y the duty of that body to amend the tariff as to pro-
vide the required revenue and obvato the necessity for
public debt the hand, injudicious and pre-
judicial economy in the public service the other
We gratifcd to find that the New York delegation
support the estimates furnished by the heads of depart
ments. The country is willing to provide for liberal
not lavish government expenditure, and is justly OPP
posed to all niggardy retrenchment which is as mnch
at variance with sagacous Craftsmanship as 1t with the
national dignity
The national democracy of New Rochelle propose to
meet Thursday next to express their sentiments as
to the advantages of the annexation OF Cuba The call
for the meeting is numerousy signed by influential men,
Other meetings for similar purpose said to be in con-
temptation throughout the State during the next ten
| days, ft
Az ! write, is falling fast The storm commenced
about to-day and the ground is covered with
snow to the depth of about three inches. aa i-
most tragic event occurred quite close to my house
carly this morning. fire broke out in coniectioncrs
store at the Of Elm Place and Fulton avenue,
Brooklyn and before relief could be procured rapid
the ames three out of four of the inmates pershed
and the fourth precipated himself from window and
not likely to survive his injuries The origin of the fire
is unknown
The address of Lieut. Mowry before the Geographical
Society presented, in copdensed form, large and
valuable addition to the Indignation in possession of the
public respecting Arizona and Sonora The speaker gave
resume of the early history of Arizona showing
cusvcly thatfor nearly hundred yeast flourish
ing Spanish province, rich in herds of cattle and horses,
in farms and vineyards, aud yielding in hundred diff
erent localities silver and gold in large amounts.
The geographic of the Territory next accurately set
FORTH its general characteristics being extended plateau
rising gently east towards the Sierra Mare and descending
with mperccpble slope westwardto the Gulf of Caor-
nia five hundred miles This plateau broken by the Sac
amento and Guadalupe mountains cast Of the Rio Gande,
and 10y the Santa Rita and Chin-a-ca-hu mountains
west of the Rio Grandc The Territory is divided nearly
in the by the river la whose valley for four hun
bred miles can be cultivated by irrigation -
The country north of the ella is mountainous but has
a number of valleys of rich land well wooded. Gold is
believed to exist in these streams in large quantities.
The population of Arizona is about 10 900, of which
more than 1000 are Americans The Colorado bottom
was described by Mr.. Mowry being adapted to the
growth of cotton tobacco sugar. and rice and the Gia
also represented fine cotton region Mr. Mowry
prcscnteda vast array of statistics showing the great
wealth of Arizona in the precious metals and in copper
and iron. The conclusion drawn from his remarks
that, although Arizona is not generally agricultural
region, IL contains sufficient arabic land to support
large population As grazing country il is unsurpassed
but its true wealth lies in s mines of silver and its veins
ofcoppr and of gold Passing 10 the subject Of Sonora,
Mr. Mowry gave n geographical sketch of the State,
spoke of its miserable condition. it's dcsoaton caused by
the Apachcs of fatal memory for Sonora and
the hope and belief of the people that their only hope
OF rescue lies in annexation TO the United States
Mr. Mowrys sketch of the principal mining localities
of in thp md