Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-12-11
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
cur Public Debt and Taxation.
Postal Statistics and Our Internal Rela.
lions.

speculations. We give to-day an addition.
al synopsis embracing points not fully
given by telegraph. The message opens
as follows
To the Senate and House Of Representatives:
In transmitting to you this, my fourth
annual message, it is with thankfulness to
the Oliver of all good that, as a nation we
have been blessed for the past year with
peace at home, peace abroad, and q general
prosperity vouchsafed to but few peoples,
With the exception of the recent devas-
tatiDg fire which swept from the earth,
with breath as il were, millions of accu-
mulated wealth in the city of Boston,
there has been no overshadowing calamity
within the year to record. 1t is gratifying
to note how, like their fellow-ctizens of
the city of Chicago, under similar crcum-
stances year earlier, the citizens of Bos-
ton are rallying under their misfortunes
and the prospect that their energy and
perseverance will overcome all obstacles,
and show the same prosperity soon that
they would had no disaster befell them.
Otherwise we have been free from pesti-
lence, war, and calamities which often
overtake nations; and as far as human
judgment can penetrate the future, no
cause seems TO exist to threaten our pres
ent peace.
On the reduction of the public debt, the
President says
The Treasurer's reports show reduction
of the public debt from the first of March,
1862 to the present time, as follows
From March /, 1869, to March
I, sS7 1874, 7S2 81
From March l, 1870, to
March /, 1S71................. III ,6l9, $50 %
From March |, 1871, to March
I, "a ,S95, 84S "a
From March /, 1872 to No
vemberl, 1872, s months) 64,047, 237 81
Total. S363, 696 1899 81
His policy for the Treasury Department
is thus tersely expressed:
The preservation of our national credit
is of the highest importance next in i'm
portance to this comes solemn duty to
provide a national currency of fixed I'M
varying value as compared with gold and as
soon as practicable, having due regard for
the interests of the debtor class and the
vicissitudes of trade and commerce, con-
vertible into gold at par.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
The report of the Postmaster General
furnishes full and satisfactory exhibit of
the operation of the Postoffice Department
during the year. The ordinary revenues
of the Department for the fiscal year end
ed June 80 1872, amounted to 81 ,9l5,-
1872 81. Compared with the previous fis-
cal year the increase of revenue was ST.
S7S, $3.50 50, or 9,37 per cent, and the in
crease of expenditures 81, 26S, 0SS SO, or 9.2Q
per cent. Adding to the ordinary revenues
the annual appropriation of 100000 for
free matter, and the amounts paid to the
subsidized mail steamship lines from spe-
cial appropriations, the deficiency paid out
of the general treasury was S3,3l7, 765 "a,
an excess of $3.50, 107 20 over the deficiency
for the year 1871. Other interesting sta
tistical Information relating to our rapidly
extending postal service is furnished in
thisreport. The total length of railroad
mail routes on the 30th of June, 1872, was
57,9ll miles, sou additional miles of such
service having been put into operation
during the year. Eight new lines of rail-
way post offices have been established with
an aggregate length of 2, 300 miles.
The number of letters exchanged in the
mails with foreign countries was 24,362,
500, an increase of 4, 066, 502, or twenty per
cent over the number in 1871, and the pos
tage thereon amounted to Ssh ,257 25
The total weight Of the mail exchanged
with European countries exceeded $50
tons. The cost of the United States trans
Atlantic mail steamship service was $780,
30l 20. The total cost of the United States
ocean steamship service, including the
amounts paid to the subsidized lines of
mail steamers, was 81 ,027 900 81.
SOBER WORDS FOR THE SOUTH.
In referring to the condition of the ku-
klux prisoners and the circumstances of
their trials, &c, he says:
look with confidence to the time, not
far distant, when the obvious advantages
OF good order and peace will induce an
abandonment OF all combinations prohibit
ed by the acts referred to, and when it will
be unnecessary to carry on prosecution or
inflict punishments to protect citizens
from the lawless doings of such combina-
tons Applications have been made to me
TO pardon persons convicted of violation
Of said acts, upen the ground that clemen-
cy in such cases would tend to tranquilize
the public mind and TO test the virtue of
that policy. | am disposed, as far as nv
sense of justice will permit, to give to
these applications favorable considera-
ton, but any action thereon is not to be
construed as indica Jag any change in my
determination to enforce with vigor such
acts so long as the conspiraces and COM
binations therein named disturb the peace
Of the country. 1t is much to be regretted
and is regretted by no one more than N.Y.
self, that necessity has ever existed Ia
execute the enforcement act.n No one
can desire more than / that the necessity
Of applying 1t may never again be demand.
ed.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The attention of Congress will be called
during it's present session TO various enter.
prises for the more certain and cheaper