Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-12-11
EATON OHIO THURSDAY, DECEMBER II, 1873.

| cy. AS Congress, at its last session, appoint
| ed special committee to investigate the
whole subject during the vacation, and report
| at this session, have nothing to recommend
| until their report is ready.
There is one work, however, of a national
| character, in which the greater portion of
| the East and the West, the North and the
South, are equally interested, to which
will invite your attention. The State of
New York has a canal connecting Lake
| Erie with tide-water on the Hudson river.
| The State Of Illinois has similar one con-
Meeting Lake Michigan with the navigable
waters on the Illinois river, thus making
water communication inland between the East
| and the West and the South. These great
| artificial water-courses are the property of the
States through which they pass, and paw toll
| to those States. Would it not be wise states
| manship to pledge these States that if they
will open these canals for the passage of large
| vessels, the Government will look after and
| keep in navigable condition the great public
| highways with which they connect, to-wit ::
| The over-slough on the Hudson, the st. Clair
| flats and the Illinois and Mississippi rivers !?
| This would be national work, one of great
value to the producers of the West and South,
| in giving them cheap transportation for their
| produce to the seaboard, and market to the
consumers in the East, in giving them cheaper
| food, particularly of those articles of food
which do not find foreign market, and the
| prices of which, therefore, are not regulated
| by foreign demand. The advantages of such
a work are too obvious for argument. I sub
NIT the subject to you, therefore, without fur
| ther comment.
In further connection with the Treasury
| Department, would recommend revision
| and codifcation of the tariff laws and the
opening of more mlnts for colningfmoney,
with authority to coin for such nations as may
apply.
The attention of Congress is invited to the
recommendations of the Secretary of War
herewith accompanying. The apparent great
cost of supporting the Academy is fully ex-
planned in the report, and it will receive your
attention. While inviting your attention to
all the recommendations made by the Secreta-
ry of War, there are two which I would es-
pecially invite you to consider First, the i'm
portance of preparing for war in time of peace
by providing for proper armament for our
cost defenses. Proper armament is of vastly
more Importance than Notifications. The lat
ter can be supplied very speedily for tempora-
ry purposes when needed; the former cannot.
The second is the necessity of reopening pro-
motion in the staff corps of the army. Par
ticularly is this necessity felt in the medical,
pay and ordnance departments. At this time
to supply the necessary medical attention re-
quired by the army. With tho present force
Of the Pay Department, it is now difficult to
make the payments to- troops provided
ments are productive of desertions
and Generalization, and tina law prohibits the
payment of troops by other than regular
army paymasters. There are now sixteen
cancies in the Ordnance Department, thus
leaving that branch of the service without
sufficient officers to conduct the business of
the different arsenals on large scale. If ever
required.
During the past year our navy has been re-
duced by the sale of some vessels no longer
fit for naval purposes, and by the condemna-
ton of others not yet disposed of. This
however, has been more than compensated
for by the repair of six of the old wooden
ships, and by the building of eight new
sloops-of-war authorized by the last Congress.
The building of these latter has occurred at
doubly fortunate time. They are about being
completed, when they will possibly be much
needed, and the work upon them has not only
given employment to thousands of men, but,
no doubt, has been the means of keeping
open establishments of other works
at a time of great financial distress.
however. the distressing occurrences
which have taken place in the
waters of the Caribbean sea, along our very
seaboard, while they illustrate most forcibly
the necessity always existing that nation stu
ated like ours should MAINTAIN in state of
efficiency navy equal to its responsibilities,
has at the same time demanded that all of the
effective force we really have shall be put IN
Immediate readiness for warlike service.
This has been and is being done promptly
and effectively, and I am assured that all the
the American navy will be ready for whatever
action is required for the safety of our cities
or the maintenance of our honor. This, of
course, will cause -t the expenditure
of some of the appropriations which were
calculated to extend through the fiscal year;
but Congress WILL I doubt not, understand
and appreciate the emergency, and will pro-
vide adequately, not only for the present
preparations but for the future maintenance
of our naval force. The Secretary of the
| Navy has during the past year been putting
| some of our most extensive monitors in con-
ditlon for service, and thus the exigency finds
| us in much better condition for war than we
could possibly have been without his action.
complete exhibit is presented In the ac-
| comp anying report of the Postmaster General
| of the operations of the Postoffice Depart
ment during the year.
The ordinary postal revenues for the fiscal
| year ending June so, 1878, amounted to $22, :
to $29, ,Gs4, 945.67. The increase of revenues
over 1872 was 81 ,0s1, ,315, 20, and the increase
in expenditures $24, ,657, 1886. Independent
of the payments made from special approprla.
tions. for mail steamship lines, the amount
| drawn from the general Treasury to meet de-
fciencies was $50, ,G54, 700. The constant and
rapid extension of our postal service, particu-
larly npon railways, and the improved taclll-
ties for the collection, transmission, distribu-
ton and delivery of the mails, which are con-
stantly being provided, account for the IN
| creased expenditures of this popular branch
of the public service. The total number OF
postoffices in operation on the 30th of June,
1873, was SO, PA, a net increase of 1.30l over
the number reported the proceeding year.
The number of Presidential Offices was 1868
an increase of 163 during the year.
The total length of railroad mail routes
at the close of the year was 63, 457, an increase
of 5,546 miles over the year 1872. Fifty-nine
railway postoffice lines were in operation OF
| the 3Oth of June, 1878, extending over Il, ,s6e
J miles of railroad routes, and performing al
aggregate service of "a, 925 miles daily.
, The number of letters exchanged with for
| eign countries was 81, ass, 1876, an increase o
; 3.096, ,6S5 over the previous year, and tht
t postage thereon amounted to 50, 02l, $40 Sc
: and the total weight of correspondence ex
l changed in mails with European countries eX
' ceeded 912 tons, an increase of 92 tons owe
3 the previous year. The total cost of the Unl
4 ted States ocean mail steamship service, IN
cludlng $735, 900 paid from special appropria
: tions to subsidized lines of mail stesmers, wa
g S1O4 727, 1856. New or additional postal con
= yentions have been concluded with Sweden
y Norway, Belgium, Germany. Canada. New
: foundland, and Japan, reducing postage rate
= on correspondence exchanged with those coun
| tries, ana further efforts have been made t
= conclude satisfactory postal convention wit
:. France, but without success.
e Invite the favorable consideration OF Cor
= gress to the suggestions and recommendation
@ of the Postmaster-General for an extensio
It of the free-delivery system in all cities havln
7. a population of not less than O,OOO; for th
II prepayment of postage on newspapers an
IL other printed matter IF the second class; fc
r. q uniform postage and limit of weight on mil
Il cellaneous matter; for adjusting the ccmpel
y sation of all Postmastars appointed by IL
l. President by the old method of commissioI
q on the actual receipts of the office, instead {
N the present mode of fixing the salary III a.
is vance upon special returns and especially {