Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-12-14
NUMBER so


ed sit of travel and commerce between States.
c. The position of many States is such that
L. they were allowed to take advantage of it fo
III purposes OF local revenue, the commerce be-
Id tween States might be injuriousy burdened
ne or even virtually prohibited. 1t is best. viii {
IN the country is still young. and while the ten
r dency to dangerous monopoes Of this kind il
still feeble, to use the powar of Congress So
ct as to prevent any s.6sh impojilnent to thu
IA free circulation of men and merchandise. 4
!. tax ON travel and merchandise, in their trau
d sit, constitutes one of the worst forms Of mon
j. op 'ly, aud the evil is increased If coupled
j.. with denial of the choice Of route. When
if the vast extent Of cur country is considered
II 1t is plain that every obstacle to the free cir.
q cuatlon OF commerce between the States ought
q to be sternly guarded against by aonropritt,
o legislation, within the limits Of tha Constitu.
q ton.
II The report Of the Secretary of the Interior
y explains the condition of the public lands. tho
c transactions of the Patent Office and the PEN
sion bureau. the management of our Indian
ahalfs. the progress made in tho construction
r OF the Paciic railroad, and furnishes iaforma-
Ton III reference to matters of local interest II,
the District OF Columbia. 1t also present. evi.
dence OF the successful operation Of the Home
s'e.a act, under the provisions Of which |, 100,
o35 acres Of the public lands we're entered du.
, ring the last fiscal ycar-morc than onc-fourtlI
o. the whole number of acres sold or other.
wise disposed ut during that period 1t is es-
t'nhatcd that the receipts derived from this
source are suhcient to cover the expenses inc;-
dent to the survey and d,sposIl of the lands eu-
tered under this act, and that payments in cas!.
10 the extent OF from forty to fifty per cent.
VIII be made by settlers. who may thus at any
time acquire title before the expiration of TIM
period at which it would otherwise vest. The
homestead policy was established only after
long and earnest resistance; experience proves
its wsdo II. The lands in the hands of in
dns'rlous settlers whose labor creates wealth
and contributes to the public resources. ar,
worth more to the United States than if they
had been reserved as solitude for future
purchasers.
The lamcntable events o! the X st four years
and the sacrifices made by the gallant men Of
our army and navy. have swclled the record.
OF the Pension Bureau to an unprecedented
extent. On the 30th day OF June last th.
total number OF pensioners was lS5. 1856, ra.
curing TOR their annual pay, exclusive Of ex.
penses, the sum OF s. ,O22 ,4l5. Tho number
OF applications that have been allowed since
that date will require u large increase of this
amount for the next fiscal year. The mcars
Tor the payment of the stipends due under
existing laws, to our disabled soldiers md
sailors, and to the families Of such as have
persisted in the service Of the country, will no,
doubt be cheerfuly and promptly granted. A
grateful people will not hesitate to sanc.ien
any measures having for their object the re-
lief of soldiers mutilated and families made
fathcrlcss in the efforts to preserve our nationl
existence.
The report of the Postmaster General pres.
ents an encouraging exhibit of the operations
OF the Post O,Ice Department during tn,
year. The revenues of the pas; year from
IN, loyal States alone exceeded the maximum,
annual receipts from all the States previons to
the rebellion: IN the sum Of Sc, OBS ,09i, and
the annual average increase OF revenue during
the last four years, compared with the revenues
OF the four years Immediately preceding the
rebellion, WIS So. 533 Si5. The revenues Of
tn last fiscal year amounted to Sl4 800, ,l5S.
an the expenditures to Sl3 G94 1873, leaving
surplus OF receipts over expenditures 1f
SS6l ,43O. Progress has been made in res
toring the postal service in the Southern
States The views presented by the Postmas-
ter General against the policy Of granting
subsidies to ocean mail steamship lines upon
established routes, and in favor of CONTINUING
the present system, which limits the compcn-
salon for ocean service to the postage earnings,
are recommended to the careful consideration
Of Cougrcss.
ltappears from the report Of tic Secretary
OF the Navy. that while. at the commence
ment ot the present year, there were 10 COM
mission $50 vessels of all classes aud ae.segir-
tl"ns. armed with 5000 guns, and manned
by 81 600 men. the number of vessels at pres
emf in commission is III, with $50 guns aud
l2.l2S men. by this prompt reduction OF
the naval forces the expenses oe the Govern
ment have been largely diminished, ami
numbcr of vessels. purchased fo; naval urr-
poses from the merchant marine. have been
returned to the peaceful pursuits Of co,Irnepce
Since the suppression of uetive hostities our
foreign sYuadrons have been re-es.abli ishpd
and consist of vessels much more efficient thar,
those employed on similar service previou, TO
the rebellion The suggestion for the enlarge
mept of the navy yards, and especially for the
EST Ibilshment OF one in fresh water f,r IRON
clad vessels, is deserving Of consideration, as
is also tire recommendation for a different To-
cation and more ample grounds for the Naval
AccIlcmy. In tue report of the Secretary Of
War, general summary is given Of the mili-
tary campaigns Of 1864 and 1865 ending ia
the suppression Of armed resistanc to the
national authority in the insurgent States.
The operations OF the general administrative
Bureaus of the War Department during the
past year are detailed, and an estimate mad,
of the appropriations that will be required for
military purposes in tho fiscal wear cnumen-
cling the SOth day of June. 1866. The IA
tional military force on the vt sf Nay, 1865
numbered 1.O0O. SIG men. u is proposed to
reduce the military establishment to !. ppace
footing cornprehending fifty thousand trooes
Of all arms. organized 80 as to admit Of on en-
largeuent BY filing up the ranks 10 eighty,
w, th u'and SIN hun'rsd. if tho ciresmsian-
Cos Of the country shoull require an asgmer-
atioH Of the army. The volunteer force has
already been reduced BY the discharge from,
service of over eight hundred thousand troops
and the Departments is proceeding rapidly in
the work Of further reduction The war es,i-
mates are reduced from $5l624o.1s1 to