Evening star., 1869-12-06

npal T, ports Of the department, provided that
tn title OF the property, when acquired, he
vested in the United States. The expediency OF
aoesding TO the request is submitted for consid-
Grafton. The Secretary avails himself OF this
opportunity to express the earnest desire that
the clai of this excellent and well-conducted
Institution upon the bounty of Congress will be
cheeIiuly recognized, and such a. i extended as
Will secure its permanent success. and enable it
to bestow more largely its benefactions.
During the last fiscal year thirteen pupils were
admitted into the Columbia Institution for the
Deaf and Dumb. The number of those now re-
ceiylng instruction is eighty-two, of whom SIX
teen are supported by the State of MARYLAND.
three ly the city of Baltimore. and eight by
their friends; ffty-fve are benefciaries of the
United States, OF whom twenty-five from the
States OK Territories are students in the collie
gate department. Congress originally provided
only for the support and education OF INDECENT
deaf mutes who resided in this District, or were
| the children of persons actually in our military
or nav al service. Subsequent legislation extend
ed, free of charge, the privileges OF the collie
gate department 10 this class OF sufferers in the
States or TIE erritories. The number is limited to
| twenty five, and the Directors recommend that
| * be increased TO forty. The appropriation for
| tie maintenance and tuition of pupils during
the current year Is S45,0oo. being S13, 500 in ex
| cess of the estimates therefor. During the last
fiscal year the disbursements for the support Of
I'll institution were SiS j4s.2 exceeding the re-
ccipts by "a 201.iI; and at its close there re-
mained OF the appropriations for the erec-
tiCn Of buildings and the Improvement of
the grounds the sum of SJ.22iI0. The
directors have furnished the following esti-
mates for the year ending 30th of June, ISL
Fer the support of the institution, Including
salaries, incidental expenses, aud the mainte-
rance CT the bcneficiaries OF the United States.
Sio,.i5; tVr the completion Of the main central
| building, S9i, ,oS,; for Improvement of the
grounds s. S5e0D--making aggregate of l39, ,S6o
being ~9i So in excess OF the appropriation for
! the current yeaf. The contracts Tor bu ilding,
however, were Ilade under the authority of pre-
existing law, and every reason is in favor of the
speedy completion Of the work, SO that the
/ Institution may enjoy its use. The experiment
OF giving 10 deaf muteS more extended inStruc-
ton than they had previously enjoyed has been
eminently successful, and proves that there is no
obstacle TO their acquiring full collegiate and
scientific education which may not be overcome
new scope is thus offered to their activity and
fields OF employment and ambition opened to
them from which they have heretofore appeared
to be barred. IL may be proper to note the fact
that one OF the recent graduates of this institn1
tion IS now doing acceptable work rs a second
assistant examiner in the Patent Office.
On the 3lst ultiino, there were 81 prisoners in
| the custody of the warden of the District Jail.
During the year preceding that date, ,199 per-
sons were committed; 269 were convicted of va
rious misdemeanOrs, and 61 sentenced to i'm
priSonmenf at hard labor in the penitentiary at
Albany. The expenses, including the cost of
the transportation Of the prisoners, were
so. .1s1.7O.
Provision was made for new Jail. The site
therefor, originally adopted, was disapprOved.
Pursuant to the directions of joint resolution
of March 2, 1856. a new site, known as reserva-
/ IL.
for the erection of the building. Congress- at
the following session, ordered the work to be
suspended for specific period. Secretary Cox
says his immediate predecessor, in his last an
nual report, stated his reasons for not resuming
the work, and hoped that Congress would take
prompt and decisive action in regard to it.
There was no additional legislation, and the
Secretary has declined TO proceed until after
the attention of Congress should have been
called to the subject.
Statutory provision has for several wears cy-
isted, authorizing the establishing of a reform
farm and school for youthful criminals or incor-
rigibe boys within the District of Columbia. A
temporary building has been erected, but no
school has, until within very brief period, been
opened. The present board of trustees are de-
sirous of making the institution adequate to the
necessities of the District, and OF organizing il
upon the plan known a. the family plan, which
has produced very gratifying results i'm several
of the States and in some parts OF Europe. A
careful examination OF the work of the prfncipal
institutions OF this Kind viii show that no means
for the protection OF the public from crimes is
30 efficient as the forced education of the Young
offender. The ordinary modes of punishment
generally return a more hardened criminal to
the community, ON the expiration OF the
tence. No part Of our correctional system has
stronger claims or cOnfers greater benefits upon
society than the reform school. He most cor
daily recommends such appropriations as NAV
enable the trustees TO receive all the youths OF
the District who may be convicted of offences,
or sent TO the school by proper judicial action,
and to give them instruction in agriculture,
horticulture, and the mechanical trade, as well
the ordinary moral and Intellectual training.
The members OF the Metropolitan Police force
actively and efficiently performed their duties
during the past year. u ,Z6 arrests were made
3,li6 of which were females; 0.2i7 of those ar
rested were unmarried, and ,Iis could neither
read nor write.
Attention is invited to the expediency Of pro-
yiding a central Office or headquarters for the
Use of the board and members of the MetrOpoli
tan Police force. There il an uneNpended bal
ancc of about so3 900 OF past appropriations Tor
expenses which might be used in the erection OF
such a building, should Congress sanction the
project and provide n suitable site.
There u an urgent necessity for a court in this
city for the summary trial of minor oitenscs.
The Secretary fully concurs III the views pre-
sented on this subject in the last annual report
OF the Department, and deems further comment
entirely surerfiuOuS.
Under the head Of the ''Civil Service the
Secretary says:-"Ny predecessor remarked i'm
his report for 1s66-'NO one, with the most linn
tied experience in an executive department,
can, believe, avoid the CONCLUSION that its effi-
cheney would be largely promoted BY a radical
change in the organization OF its clerical force;
and in that for 1865: 1t is my settled opinion,
the result Of much reflection, and of experience
i'm my present position, that the efficiency OF the
clerical force would be essentially promoted by
thoroughly reorganizing it, lie added, 1T is
to the successful working of the executive
departments will receive the consideration it
opinions and unite in the hope he expressed.
The first measure OF reform is 70 raise
the standard Of qualification, make merit
as tested by the duty performed the sole
ground Of promotion and secure to the faithful
incumbent the same permanence Of employ
ment that il given to officers of the army and
navy. Under the present system, the general
conviction among the clerks and employees is
that the retention OF their places depend, much
more upon the political influence they can COM
mand, than upon energy or zeal in the perform
ance of duty. After a careful examination OF
the subject, am fully persuaded that the meas
nTe have suSgeste. would have enabled this
department to do the work of the past fiscal
year, with a corIr> of clerks One-third less in
number than were found necessary. Special
knowledge and skill are indispensable Tor the
proper performance Of much OF the clerical
labor of most of the bureaus, and can only be
acquired in time and with great labor. An in
innate familiarity with the statutes hearing
upon the subject under investigation, with the
rules and regulations of the department, ami
with the practice in relation thereto, is ncces-
sary for the accurate and rapid transaction
of business; vet IL l. safe to say that. under
our present customs, very few clerks are
retained i'm place long enough to learn the duties
and perform them . it'll dispatch. and that there
Is no induceme offered them to make any real
effort 10 that end. An experienced clerk Is a
repository Of the law, the history and the tradi-
tons OF the Department, and may often. by a
word or suggestion expose fraud, which mi ght
otherwise escape UnnOticed, Indicate an import
thousand ways save his superior from imposition
such is the singular anomaly of our system that
the very fact that n man had been retained in
place during a change OF Administrations has
hSen m ball In ke a cieut tp,Ii teal