New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-12-04
mon, viii continue to sustain it till peace and union
ahaU aooin bless the land.

I n ,o.,ontfnlly refer VI
| Is WI for Information respecting 'he nuiheii'Hi
If the army and for recornme ndallons nav
new an increase of it's efficiency and the well
b If the various branches of the service lnlrsted
20 bi3 care II is gratifying 10 know that the paul
otism of the people mas proved equai 70 tne
occasion, and that the number OF troops rendered
Greatly exceeds the force which Congress authorized
me 10 call into the field. l refer with pleasure 70
those portions OF his report which make allusion
10 the creditable degree of discipline already attained
by our troops and 10 the excellent sanitary condlton
of the entire army. The recommendation OF tue
Secretary for an organization Of the militia upon
uniform basis is subject Of vital importance TO the
future safety Of the country and is commended 10
the serious attention Of Congress. The large ad-
don TO the regular army In connection win Tie oe
feclion that has 20 considerably diminished the num-
Der of its officers, gives peculiar importance TO his
recommendation for increasing the corps OF Cadets
to the greatest capacity of the Military Academy.
BY mere omission, l presume, Congress has
failed to provide ChapialnS y lTr ue
This subject was brought to my notice, and was
induced to draw up the form Of letter, one copy
Of which, properly addressed, has been delivered 10
each Of the persons and at the dates respectively
named and stated in schedule containing also tne
form of the letter marked A, and herewith transmit
ted. These gentlemen, ] understand, entered upon
the duties designated at the times respectively sated
in the schedule aud have labored faithfully therein
ever since. therefore recommend tnat they % cou-
pensated at the same rate as Chsphns In the army.
further suggest that general provision be mace ior
cbapains 10 serve at hospitals as well with regi.
ments. 4, "
The Report of the Secretary Of tie Navy
presents in detail the operations Of that branch oil
the service, the activity and energy which nave
characterized its administration and the results OF
measures TO increase it's efficiency and power. Such
have been the additions, by construction ana pur-
/ chase that il may almost be said Navy has been
created and brought into service slnce our dicues
commenced. Beside blockading our extensive coast,
souadrons larger than ever before assemOled unucl
our flag. have been put aoat, and performed ueeus
i which have increased our naval renown'
Il would invite special attention TO the recommends
alton of the Secretary for more perfect oisanLa-
ton of the Navy by introducing additional grades
in the service The present organization IS defect
i've and unsatisfactory, and the suggestions submit
ted nv the Department will il is believed, If adopted,
obviate the difficulties alluded TO- promote the har-
T monv and increase the efficiency oil the Navy
There are three vacancies on the Bench Of the SUI
ureme Court two by the decease of Justices Daniel
and Mclean, and one by the resignation oil Justice
Campbell. / have 80 far iorborne making nonlDa-
tions to fill the vacancies for reasons winch VIII
now state. Two OF the outgoing Judges I.si.e ~
within the States now overrun by revolt, so that II
successors were appointed in tine same LOCALITIES tbey
could not now serve upon their circuits, ana man!
of the most competent men there piooaoy Nouiu no'
take the personal hazard OF accepting 70 sel'e oNe
here upon the Supreme Bench.
1 have been unwilling TO throw an the mp
poiDtments Noythward, thus disabling myself
from doing justice to the South on the re-
turn of peace, although may remark that 10
transfer TO the North which has heretofore been
in the Soutb would not with reference to territory
and population be unjust. During the long and
brilliant judicial career Of Judge Mclean, his CIR
cut grew into empire altogether 100 large ior any
one Judge % give the Conrts therein more thah
nominal attendance rising in population from LAW
0lS in $780, to 6l5l, 400 in 1850. Beside this me
country generally has outgrown our present J"die'a
system. -
II uniformity was nj all intended the system re-
QuIreq that all the States shall he accommodated
with Circuit Courts attended by Supreme JUDGES;
while in fact Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa Kansas,
Florida, Texas, California, and Oregon have never
, had any such Courts.
! Nor can this well he remedied without change
of the svstem because the adding OF Judges 10 lhS
Supreme Court enough for the accommodation OF an
pafts O. tie country, with Circuit Courts, would
create Court altogether TOO numerous ior ouoi,
cal body OF any sort, and the EVIL oil IL pe one 'na'
will incTeaee as new States come into the Union.
Circuit Courts are useful or they are not useful.
If useful. no State shoud be denied them. II not
useful. no State should have tbem. Let them be
f provided for all, or abolished as 20 all.
Three notifications occur to me, either OF whlcn
think would be an improvement upon our present
! system. Let the Supreme Court be OF convenient
. number in every event.
Then, first let the whole country be divided into
circuits OF convenient size, the Supreme Judges TO
: serve i'm a number of them, corresponding 10 their
!. own number, and independent Circuit Judges Dc
: provided for all the rest
Or, secondly, let the Supreme Judges be relieved
from Circuit duties and Circuit Judges provided Tor
all the Circuits.
Or thirdly, dispense with Circuit Courts alto
geher leaving the Judicial functions wholly to the
District Courts, and an independent Supreme Cour:
}, / respectfully recommend TO the consideration Of
Congress the present condition Of the statute laws,
with the hope that Congress will be able 10 find an
81 and
evils which constantly embarrass those engaged in
the practical administration Of them. Since the Or
ganzstion Of the Government, Congress has enacted
some five thousand acts and Joint resolutions, which
ill more than six thousand closely printed pages, and
are scattered through many volumes. Many OF
! these acts have been drawn III haste and without
4 sufficient canton, so that their provisions are often
obscure in themselves, in conflict with each other,
or at least 60 doubtful TO render IL very difficult
for the best-nformed persons to ascertain pre-
csely what the statute law really n. seems 10
me very important that the statute laws should be
made as plain and Ineligible possible, and be re-
dueed to m small compass as may consit with the
fullness and precision Of the will Of the legislature
and the perspculty of its language. This, well
done, would / think, greatly facilitate the
labors of those whore duty 1t is to assist
III the administration Of the laws, and would be
lasting benefit to thepeople, by placing before them
in more accessible and Ineligible form the laws
which 40 deeply concern their interests and their
duties. 1 am informed by some whose opinions
respect that all the acts Of Congress now IN force,
and Of permanent and general nature, might be re-
vised and rewritten 30 as to be embraced in vol
ume or at least two volumes OF ordinary and conve-
nient size and respectfully recommend TO Congress
to consider the subject and if my suggestion be ap.
proved, to devise such plan as TO their wisdom fhall
seem most proper for the attainment of the end pIo
posed.
One of the unavoidable consequences Of the
present instruction is the entire suppression in many
places of all ordinary OF administering civil
| L., ba IN tha of