Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-12-19

specie uavments. Let specie payments once
he earnestly inaugurated by the government
and the banks, and the value of the paper cir
culation would approximate specie standard.
Snecie payments having been resumed by the
government and banks, all notes or bills of
paper issued by either, Of less denomination
than twenty dollars, should by law be eX-
cluded from circulation, so that the people
may have the benefit and convenience OF
gold and silver currency, which in ali their
business transactions may be uniform in value
at home and abroad Every man OF property
or industry, every man who desires to pre-
serve,what he honestly possesses, or to obtain
what he can honestly earn, has direct inter-
est in maintaining a safe circulating medium
which shall be real and substantial, not liable
10 vibrate with opinions, not subject to be
blown up or blown down by the breath of
speculation, but to be matle stable and secure.
A dishonored currency is one of the greatest
political evils. 1t undermines the virtues ne
cessary for the support OF the social system, and
encourages pFopensities destructive of its hap
piness. 1t wars against industry, frugality, and
economy and ii fosters the evil spirits of ex-
travagance and speculation. 1t has been as
serted by one of our profound and most gifted
statesmen, that of all the contrivances for
cheating the laboring classes of mankind, none
has been more effectual than that which de
ludes them with paper money. This is the
most effectual of inventions to tertiliZe the rich
mans fields by the sweat of the poor mans
brow. Ordinary tyranny, oppression, exces-
siye taxation, these bear lightly on the happi-
ness of the mass of the community compared
with fraudulent currency and with robbcries
committed by deprecated paper. Our own
history has recorded our own instruction
enough, and more than enough, of the demor-
alizing tendency, the injustice and the intoler-
able oppression on the virtuous and well dis
posed, by degraded paper currency author
lied by law orany way countenanced by the
Government. 1t is one of the most successful
devices in times of peace or war, OF expansions
or reductions, to accomplish the transfer OF all
the precious metals from the great mass OF the
people into the hands of the few. So here
they arc boarded in secret places or deposited
under bolts and bars, while the people are left
to endure all the Inconvenience, sacrifices and
demorslizaticn resulting from the use of depre-
ciated and worthless paper
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
The Secretary of the Interior in his report,
gives valuable information 10 reference TO the
interests contided TO the supervision of his de-
partment, and reviews the operations of the
land office, pension Office, patent office, and
the Indian bureau. During the fiscal year
ending June so, 1865, $3.50, 200 acres of public
land were disposed of. The entire, cash re-
ceipts of the general land office for the same
period were 81 ,632 145, being greater by SiS4
SS2 than the amount realized from the same
sources during the previous year The entries
under the homestead law cover two millions
three hundred and twenty-eight thousand nine
hundred and twenty-tliree acres, nearly one
fourth OF which was taken under the act of
June u, 1868, which applies only to the States
of Alabania, Mio--y5i2pi, l-v,-.~:sna. Arkansas
and Florida
On the Both of June, 1868, one hundred an
sixty-nine thousand SIX hundred and forty
three names were borne On the pension rolls,
and during the year ending on that day the
total amount paid for pensions, including the
expenses OF disbursements, was SsA ono ,9S22,
being $5,391 OPS greater than that expcndedfor
like purposes during the preceding year.
During tie year ending the Both of Septem-
Der last; tire EXPENSES of the patent office ex-
ceeded the receipts by one hundred and seven
ty-one dollars. Including reissues and designs,
forty thousand one hundred and tifty-thrce
patents were issued. ...-.i.
Treaties with various Indian tribes have
been concluded, and will llc submitted to the
Senate for its constitutional action. | cor
daily sanction the stipulations which provide
for rtserving landsfor the various tribes, where
they ,Lay be encouraged to abandon their
nomadic habits, and engage in agricultural
ated n,auy gears since, has met with signal
success, wi.aneve. il has been pursued in good
faith and met ,7ith bcccming liberality by the
United States Ti.s necessity OF extending it,
as far Us practicabiC, Ia, our 9latlons with the
aboriginal population is great, now than al
any other preceding period. WhLe we furnish
subsistence and instruction to tie Int. rs, ana
guarantee the undisturbed enjoy mcut q. -leir
treaty rights, we should habitually I:'sist up
the faithful observance of their agreeLacnt to
remain within their respective reservations.
This is the only mode 10y which collisions:
with other tribes and with the whites can be
avoided, and the safety of our frontier settle
mentS secured. -.v. .-
10 THE PACIFIC RAILROAD 81;
The companies constructing the railway
from Omaha to Sacramento have been most
energetically engaged in prosecuting the work,
and 1t is believed that the line will be COM
pleted before the expiration of the next fiscal
year. The six per cent. bonds issued to these
companies amounted on the 5tli instant to
$f4 337 ,000 and additional work has been done
to the extent of S3200,000. The Secretary of
the Interior ia August last directed my atien-
ton to the report of Government Director of
the Union Pacific Railroad Company who had
been specially instructed to examine the loca-
ton, construction and equipment of their road.
submitted to the Attorney General certain
questions in regard TO the authority of the
Executive, which arose upon this report and
those which had from time to time been pre-
sented by the Commissioners appointed to
examine this and other lines, who have re-
Gently submitted a, statement of their iRvesti-
cations, of which the report of the Secretary of
the Interior furnishes specific information.
s--.. TIE WAR OFFICE t.i.i--
The report of the Secretary of War contains
Information of interest and importance re-
fecting on the several bureaus of the War
Department and the. operations of the army.
The strength of our military force on the 30th
of September last was 4S,O00 nlen, and il is
computed that by the 1st of january next this
number will be decreased to 43 900 men,. 1t is
the opinion of the Secretary of War that
within the next year considerable diminution
of the infantry force may be made without
detriment, to the interest of the cavalry In
view of the great expense attending the mill
tary peace establishment, and the absolute ne
cessity of rctrcnchment wherever it can be
applied, it is hoped that Congress will sanction
the reduction which his report recommends.
While in 1860 sixteen thousand three hundred
men cost the nation $16,492 900, the sum of
So, ,GS2, 900 is estimated as necessary for the
support of the army during the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1870. The estimates of the
war Gcbt for the last two fiscal years were
for 1867, $3S S14 461 and for 1868, S25; 5;206 1853;