Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1868-12-16

undermines the virtues necessary for the support
| of the social system. and encourages propensities
| destructive of its happiness Itwars against in
| dustry frugaity and economy and it fosters the
| evil spirits of extravaganza and speculation. It
| has been asserted by of our profound and
In ost gifted statesmen that of all the contrivances
for cheating the lahoring classes of mankin
has been more efectuai than that which deiudes
them with paper money This is the most efec
tuai of inventions to fertilize the rich mans
| feds by the sweat of the poor mans brow. Or
binary tyranny, oppression. excessive taxation
these bear lightly on the happiness of the mass of
| the community. compared with f audufent cur
rency and the roboeries committed by deprecia-
ted paper Our own history has recorded for
| instruction enough. and more than enough of the
demorafzing tendency. the injustice. and the in
| tolerabie oppression on the virtuous and weH
| disposed. of degraded paper currency. author
lied by law, or any way couRtenanced by the
Government 1t is of the most successful
| devices in times of peace or war, of expansions
| revulsions. to accomplish the transfer of MI
| the precious metals from the great mass Of the
| people into the hands of the few where they
boarded in secret places deposited under bolts
and bars. while the people are Left to endure all
the inconveniences. sacrifices and demorafizatio
resulting from the use of deprecated and worth
less paper
The Secretary Of the Interior in his re-
port, gives valuable information in reference
to the interest confiied to the supervision
of his Department, and reviews the oper
ations of the Land Ofice, Pension Office,
Patent Office aud the Indian Bureau. Dur
ing the fiscal year ending june 30th, 1868,
six millions six hundred and fifty- five thou
gand seven hundred acres of public lands
were disposed Of The entire cash receipts
of the General Land office or the same pc
riod were Sl.632, 745 being greater by
S2s4, ,SS3 than the amount realized from the
same sources durlrg the previous year.
| The entries under the Homestead law cover
two million three hundred anG twenty eight
| thousand nine hundred and twenty three
acres, nearly one fourth of which was taken
under the act of Junde 2lst, 1866 which
applies only to the States ot Ala bama, Mis-
sissippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida.
On the 30th of June, 1868, one hundred
and sixty thousand six huniIe ed and
forty three names were borne on the pension
rolls, and during the year ending on that
day, the total amount paid for pensions, IN
Guiding the expenses for disbursements, was
| s24,0l0,SS2, being S5, 39l OPS greater than
that expended for like purposes during the
preceding year. During the year ending
the 30th of September last, the expenses of
che Patent Office exceeded the receipts by
one hundred and seventy one dollars, and
| including re issues and das;-ns, fourteen
| thousand one hundred and fifty three pat
! ents We're issued Treaties with var rus In
dian tribes have been concluded and will
| be submitted to the Senate for its constitu-
tional action.
| sanction the stipulations which provide
| for reserving lands for the various tribes,
| where they may be encouraged to abandon
! their nomadic habits, and engage in agricul
turai and industrial pursuits. This policy,
inaugurated many years since has met with
! signal success whenever it has been pursued
| in good faith and with becoming llberality
| by the United States. The necessity for
! extendind it as far as practicable in our re
lutions with the abariginal population is
| greater now than at any preceding period.
! Whilst we furnish subsistence and instruc
| tions to the Indians and guarantee the un-
disturbed enjoyment of their treaty rights,
we should habitually insist upon the faith
| ful observance of their agreement to remain
within their respective reservations. This
| is The only n,ede by which these collisions
! with other tribes and with the whites can be
| avoided, and the safety of our frontier set
Elements secured. The companies con-
structing the railway from Omaha to Sacra-
mento have been most energetlcally engag
ed in prosecuting the work. and it is believ-
ed that the line will be completed before
the expiration of the next fiscal year. The
| six per cent. bonds issued these companies
amounted on the fifth instant to S4f 337, :
| 900, and additional work had been perform
! ed to the extent of SO, POO, 900. The Sec
retary of the Interior in August last invited
my attention TO the report of Director of
the Union Pacific Railroad Company, who
| bad been specially instructed to examine
! the location, construction and equIpmnt OF
| their road and submitted for the opinion of
! the Attorney General certain questions in
regard 70 the authority of the Executive,
which arose upon this report, aud those
/ yub oh had IN m hapD nrpSppt-
ed by the Commissioners appointed to cx-
! anime this and other lines, and have recent
! ly submitted statement of their IuveStlga-
| tions, of which the report of Secretary OF
| the Interior furnish special information.
The report of the Secretary of War con
! tainS information of interest respecting the
several Bureaus of the War Department,
| and the operations of the army. The
strength of our military force on tire Both of
! September last, was $4,000 men. and it is
computed that this number viii be decrcas-
ed to 43, 900. 1t is the opinion OF the Sec
retary of War, that within the next year a
considerable diminition of the Infantry force
may be made without detriment to the in
! terest of the country. and in view OF the
great expense attending the military estab.
/ IiShments aud the absolute necessity of re-
| trenchment, wherever it can be applied, 1t
| is hoped that Congress will sanction the
reduction which his report recommends
| While in 1860, sixt en- thousand three hun
dred men cost the nation Sl6,412 600. The
sum of sos, ,6S2, 000 is estimated as necessary
for the support of Army during the fiscal
year. ending June the both. 1870. The esti-
mates of War debt. for the last two fiscal
years, were for 1867, S33, Sl4, ,46l, and for
| 1868, S25. POS. .669. The actual expendi-
lures during the same periods were respec-
lively, S95 .224 Is and 1923, 246, CAS-. The
estimate submitted in December last, for
the fiscal year ening June Both, 1869, was
| SIT, l24, 707. The expenditures for the
first quarter. ending the 30th. of Septem
Der last, were S27.2I9, III, and the Seere
tary of the Treasury gives SOC. 600. 600 a,
the amount which will probably be required
during the remaining three quarters,lt IT there
should be no reduction of the Army, max
ing its aggregate cost for the year consider
ably in excess of ninety three millions. The
difference between the estimates and expen-
ditures, tor the three fiscal years which
have been named, is thus shown to be 81 =.
545, 343 for this single branch OF public
service.
The report of the Secretary of the Navy
exhibits the operations of that department