Worcester daily spy., 1861-12-04

ior meeting the demands contemplated by
them, will be submitted to YOU b. the secreta'
ry OF the treasury.
] respectfully refer to the report of the sec
relary Of war for information respecting the
nuherical strength of the army, ana TOR re-
Communications having III view an increase oi
It's efficiency, and The well being 0i the various
branches OF the service entrusted 10 ms care
II is gratifying tc know that the patriotism Of
the people has proved equal TO the occasion.
refer with pleasure 10 those portions of his re-
port which make illusions to tie creditabIe
degree OF discipline already attained by our
troops, and to the excellent sanitary condition
| OF the entire army. The recommendation OF
the secretary for an organization OF the militia
upon uniform basis, is a subject OF vital i'm.
portance to the future safety of the country
and is commended to the serious attention Il
congress. The large addition to the regular
army in connection with the detection that
has so considerably diminished the number OF
its officers, gives peculiar impo tance to his
recommendation for increasing the corps oi
cadets to the greatest capacity of the Military
Academy.
By mere omission, presume, congress has
failed to provide chaplains for the hospitals Oc
cupied by the volunteers. This subject was
brought to my notice, and | was induced 10
draw up the form: of a letter, one copy OF
which, properly addre ssed, has been delivered
| to each OF the persons, and at the dates respec-
| lively named and stated in a schedule contain
ing also the form of the letter, marked A. and
herewith transmitted. These gentlemen,
under tand, entered upon the duties respect
lively stated in the schedule, and have labored
faithfully therein ever since. l therefore re-
| commend that they be compensated at the
same rate as chaplains in the army. L further
al, H.,
| chaplains to serve ut hospitals as well as with
regiments.
The force of mer now in arms greatly ex.
| Ceeds the force which congress authorized ME
TO call into theEfeId.
The report of the secretary of the navy
presents in detail the operations of that brauch
| of he.servce, the activity aud energy which
have characterized its administration, and the
results of the measures to increase Its ttlcien'
cy and power. Such have been the additions,
by construction and purchase, that 1t may al
most be said that navy has been created and
brought into service since our difficulties COM
menced. Besides b ockadng our extensive
coast, sQuadrons, larger than ever before as
sembled under our flag, have been put afoat
and performed deeds which have increased
our naval renown.
would invite special attention to the recon-
q
organization OF the navy by Introducing addi-
tional grades in the service. The present or
ganization is defective and unsatisfactory, and
the suggestions submitted by the department
will, it is believed, if adopted, obviate the dt-
ficuities alluded to, promote harmony and i'll
crease the tticiency Of the navy.
There are three vacancies on the bench of
the supreme court--two by the decease OF JUS
tices Daniel and Mclean, and one by the re-
signatiun of justice Campbell. l have SO far
torborne making nominations for reasons
which | will now state Two of the outgoing
judges resided within the states now oyerrun
by revolt, so that il successors were appointed
in the same localities, they could not now
serve upon their circuits and many of the
most competent men there, probably would
not take the personal hazard OF accepting to
serve, even here upon the supreme bench.
have been unwilling to throw all the appoint
ments norlward, thus disabling myself from
doing justice to ;he south, on the return OF
peace, although | may remark that to transfer
to the north one which has heretofore been i'll
the south, would not with reference to terrific
ry and population be unjust.
During the long and brilliant judicial career
of Judge Mclean, his circuit grew into an
empire, altogether too large for any one judge
to give the courts therein more than nomi
nal attendance-rising to a population from
one million four hundred and seventy thous-
and and eighteen, in 1880, to six millions one
hundred and tifty-one thousand four hundred
and five, in 1860. Besides this, the country
has outgrown our present judicial system.
If uniformity was at all intended, the sys-
tenn requires that all the states shall be accom-
modated with circuit courts attended by su
preme judges, while in fact Wisconsin, Min
nesota, Iowa, Kansas, Florida, Texas, CaIiior-
MIA, and Oregon, have never had any such
courts. Nor can this well be remedied with
out change Of the system, because the add
ing of Judges 10 the supreme court, enough
for the accommodation of all parts OF the
country with circuit courts, would create a
court altogether too numerous for judicial
body OF any sort, and the evil OF it will be one
that will increase as new states come into the
Union. Circuit courts are useful or not use
ful if useful, no state should be denied them
if not useful no state should have them; let
them be provided for ALL or abolished TO all.
Inree notifications occur to me, either of
which, l think, would be an improvement
upon our present system. Let the supreme
court be OF a convenient number i'll every
event Then, first, let the whole country be
divided Into circuits OF convenient size, the
supreme Judges to serve in Il number OF then
corresponding to their own number, and indie
the rest. Or secondly let the supreme judges
be relieved from circuit duties, and circuit
judges provided for all the circuits. Or, third
ly, dispense with circuit courts altogelher,
leaving tie judicial functions wholly 10 the
district courts, and an Independent supreme
court.
1 respectfully recommend to the considera-
tion of congress, the present condition of the
statute laws, with the hope that congress will
be able to find an easy remedy for many OF
the Inconvenience and evils Which constantly
embarrass those engaged in the practical ad-
minisratium of them. Since the organization
OF the government, congress has enacted some
i've thousand acts and joint resolutions, which
fill more than six thousand closely printed
pages, and are scattered through many vol
umes. Many of these acts have been drawn
in haste and without sufficient caution so that
their provisions are often obscure in them
selves, or in conflict with ach other, or at
least so doubtful as to render it very difficult
for even the best informed persons TO ascertain
precisely what the statute law really is.
1t seems to me very important that the
statute laws should be made as plain and in
telligent rs possible and be reduced to as
small compass as may consist with the full
ness and precision of the will of the legisla.
ture aud the perspicuity of its language.
These, well done, would, think, greatly ia
ciitate the labors OF those whose duty 1t is TO
assist in the administration of the laws, and
would be lasting benefit to the people, by
placing before them in more accessible and
intelligent form the laws which SO deeply con.
cern their interests and their duties | am
informed by some whose opinions l respect,
that all the acts of congress, now in force and
OF a permanent and general nature, might be-
revised and rewritten, so as TO be embraced
in une volume, or at least two volumes Of Cr-