New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-07


distribute apparatus that every officer may have such ID
formation of the duty as may Suffice in Of emer
geucy, to save life IN or prevent disaster To ms
operations against Indians the pans. The courses ~
the military and naval academies have been pursued as
field electric telegraph and flag stations in the field. at
West Point before the Board OF Visitors received ther
commentator, and all the duties OF sending messages
signals or by telegraph performed by the cadets
Fort Whpple has been maintained as post OF praeoe
instruction, and experiment IN the dnnes OF 1e ~
service The force maintained constitutes nucleus VI
organization for any emergency. a., -,
graph has received especial attention, and continued
tests have been made with portable lines sneh as ARE
organized in a military form, which requires all
movements TO be executed at the word or command An
object has been to provide train equipped and organ
ized as to enable four portable lines carried in it TO be
erected simultaneously at about the rate OF three mics
an hour.
The operations Of this bureau have been closed
except the educational and bounty divisions,
and two hospitals for freedmen. The num-
her Of officers agents. clerks has been reduced from
90 TO 5S No further reduction Is practicable so long as
the present operations shall continue The bureau mas
had under Its care up to June SO 1869 6Sils persons
All the hospitals but two have been closed or trans
ferred TO the civil authorities and one OF the remaining
two about beng closed There VIII then remain but
one which is located In the District OF Columbia, aud
be dispensed with at present The general aver
age during the whole period existence Of the Bureau
shows that about in two hundred or oneha OF one
per cent OF the freed people have been supported by the
The freedmen were advised to make written contracts
with their employers aud have the same explained ana
approved by Bureau officer. In single state more
than fifty thousand such contracts were made The Ia
Dor Of the freedmen has produced nearly all the 1000
consumed in the South beside large amounts OF rice,
sugar. and tobacco, for expectation and about Two
million bales OF cotton per year. on which were PAID INTO
the United States Treasury during the years 1850 n1
1867 taxes amounting to more than forty millions OF dol
lars
Much disappointment and flfeeng was caused by the
failure Of the original plan lease or sell the abandoned
lands in small tracts to refugees and freedmen Infor
nation has been published respecting lands under the
Hon fnun nf
aid given to those Who desired to enter them.
Attention is beginning to turn IN that direc
and obtained homes OF their own In Few instances
freedmen have united in the purchase OF farms under
cultivation They very anxious to become land own
and the possession Of lands and homes one OF the
chief means OF their elevation.
But the most argent want is education, and more at
entOn has been paid TO this than to any other SUBJECT
In each State at least one school has been organ
ICED. Several chartered colleges for freed people are In
operation also university IN the District OF Columbia
officially reported, the number OF teachers employed Is
2,455 aud tho number OF pupils Is ll4522 Adding those
estimated In private and Sabbath-schoOls the number
instruction Of kind during the last year is
not less than 100000 The freed people are doing what
they for their education, having, during the
last year paid for tuition and the construction OF build
ings about 100000.
The whole amount OF bountles paid since April IT,
1867 when the first Treasury certificate received, Is
S5s34l7 SO. The balance on deposits now due to claim,
ants is 81 22OO66 So Three thousand three hundred
and eleven applications for bounty are now under
examination IN this Office and $1,000 such claims are
now on file IN the Second Auditors Office, awaiting
settlement and IL is believed that about $4,000 claims
OF this kind remain to be presented The work OF pay
ing bOuntes is therefore not yet complete ana IS De
eyed that the system IN operation should be con-
tnued. The freedmen have been protected as lar as
conformed to the wants Of different communities
The expenses Of the Bureau met the first year with
tuition and sale Of confederate States" property The
amount received from all these miscellaneous sources
$S65645 50. and from appropriations by congress
since july 1885, M 750 making total OF 30
received from all sources The expenditures including
the Of the Department OF negro AFFAIRS from
June 1865, to August 81 1862 have been 28 TO-
In addition 10 this subsistence, medical supplies ana
quartermaster supplies, were expended amounting IN
cash SSJO7ss r. but whose real value when trans.
ferred to the Bureau probably less than one million
OF dollars Adding their original cost TO the cash ex-
pended the total expenses OF the Bureau have been 49,
b2is6 e. Attention is called to the Recommendation Of
the report that the hospital IN the Dstrct De c0hhneu
and that the payment OF bountes be continued by TINS OF
other agency, until all should nave feAsohaDIe
time TO present their claims
MILITARY ACADEMY.
The report Of the Board OF Visitors TO the Military
Academy for the present year is one OF unusual impor
lance aud interest. The condition OF affairs generally
was found be all that could be desired or expected
organization itself which has remained unchanged since
the days when the army was but 10000 strong ana the
nation very far below Its present size and mpor
other nations s declared 10 De inadequate
organization is accordingly recommended: The insttu
ton TO be greatly enlarged; the numOer OF cadets
greatly increased; the standard Of admission to be
raised and the cadets TO be divided into two classes
pursuing ordinary course OF military instruction.
and It's members returned TO civil me upon gLaduaton,
the land. and supply trained officers Tor the emeIRen
members OF the former class and equal IN number
only 10 yearly wants OF the army, to pursue their
studies and practice 70 the very limits OF military
These recommendations are reviewed by the Inspector
the Military Academy, who does not advise any pres
emf enlargement OF the Academy ITSELF but recommends
OF the cadets tn 400 number when the Aca
eny can accommodate without enlargement and which
the army will probably able to absorb fast they
graduate IL being but two hfhs larger than the now au
borzed number while the army has more than doubled
IN the mean time. Upon the question or raising tue
standard OF admission, he remarks that every addi-
ton TO tho list OF preparatory qualifications necessarily
restricts the the circle from which cadets be drawn,
and that the present st embraces all the attachments
that DO obtained by very large majority OF Tue
youth OF the country Since the standard was raised by
law 10 1866 the reflections for want OF the necessary ed
caona requirements have increased from 10 per cent 10
AZ per cent AS substitute for the other recommends
lions Board the Inspector proposes schools OF APP
plcation for several such exist In Europe,
always been favored by military officers here
and the nuclei OF which 10 be found In the artl
ery school at Fort Monroe ana one OF the three shgeer
depOts already established lie gives various reasons Tor
his proposition principal among them tue ready ana
the depressing influence upon the cadets OF long resi-
dence amid unchanging scenes ana unvaryng modes OF
life study and discipline The estimates Tor the support
OF the Academy during the coming hseal year amount 10
S3324 30 OF which Sl2Ol9 20 Is Tor pay ana allowances
OF Instructors and cadets.
MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI
This division. commanded by LieutGen. Sheridan emf
braces departments Of Dakota the Platte and the
Missouri commanded. respectively. by hajorGen. W. s.
Hancock Brevet Major Gen. Augur. and Brevet Major
tory Of great extent which Of tho civilized semi
civilized and wild Indians abide and include the states
of Illinois Iowa. Missouri Kansas Nebraska ana hinne-
sofa and the Territories Of Colorado New Mevico. Wyo-
ming, Utah, Dakota, MONTANA and the Indian The ad,
mnisraton OF these departments has been ably and
economically conducted but the number OF troops now
OH duty In them is deemed insufficient with the present
reduced strength of companies to meet the wants OF the
service
Although there have been numerous depredatons In
this DIVISION the condition OF indian affairs very much
better than year The policy OF reservations adopted
by tho Indian Department Is IN the Judgment OF Cen
Eh,tiIn IA DOllgy
murders and depiedatons Every effort IL made to avoid
necessity OF Furnishing the sayages with tue strong
hone that they may settle down their reservations and
adopt a more peaceful and civilized life.
The system of supplying the Wild bands under
Al. Indian management Ia working we'll