Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-12-10
is against us to this amount. The subject is
one worthy OF your serious consideration.


WATER TRANSPORTATION. ass
Cheap transportation is subject that has at
tracted the attention eft both producers and
consumers for the past few years, and has
contributed to, it it has not been the direct
cause, of the recent panic and etrin-
gency. AS Congress, at Its last session,
appoint ed special committee to investigate
this whole subject during the vacation and
report at this session. | have nothing to re-
commend until their report is ready. There
is one work, however, of q national character,
in which the greater portion OF the east and
west, the north and the south, are equally in
terested, to which I will invite your attention.
The state of New York has canal connecting
Lake Erie with tide water on the Hudson Riy.
er. The state of Illinois has similar ca
nal connecting Lake Michigan with
the navigable water on the
Illinois river, thus making water commu-
nicatlon inland between the East and the
West. These great artificial water courses
are the property Of the states through which
they pass, and pay toll to those states. Would
1t not be wise craftsmanship to pledge these
states that if they will open these canals for
the passage of large vessels the
government will look after and keep
highways with which they connect, to-wit /:
the overslough On the Hudson, the st. Clair
Flats and the Illinois and Mississippi rivers !?
This would be a national work, and one OF
gIeat value to the producers OF the West and
South. iii giving them cheap transportation
for their produce to the seaboard and a mar
ket to the consumers of the East. In giving
cheaper food, particularly Of the articles OF
food which do not find foreign market,
and the prices of produce therefore are
not regulated by the foreign demand !,
the advantages OF such a work are too OBJ
vious for argument. I submit the subject to
you, therefore, without further comment. In
attempting to regain our lost commerce and
CARRYING trade, heretofore called attention
to the state south of US Offering field where
much might be accomplished to further
this object, I suggest that = small
with authority for the Secretary oil the Navy
to fit out naval vessel to ascend the Amazon
River to the month Of the Madeira, thence to
explore that river and it's tributaries into b.
livia, and to report to Congress, at it's next
session, or as soon as practl cable, the accessi-
blllty OF the country by water. its resources,
and the population so reached. Such an ex-
portation will cost but little. It can do no
harm, and may result in establishing
trade Of value to both nations.
In further connection with the Treasury
department, would recommend revision
and codifcatlon of the tariff laws and the
opening Of more mints for coming MONEY,
with authority to coin for such nations as may
apply.
WAR DEPARTMENT.
The attention of Congress is invited to the
recommendations in the report of the Secre-
tary OF War, herewith accompanying. The
apparent great cost of supporting the
Academy is fully explained in the
report, and it will receive your attention
While inviting your great attention to all the
recommendations made by the Secretary of
War, there are two which I would especially
invite your to consider first, the Importance
OF preparing for war in time OF peace, by pro-
vldlng for proper armament for our sea-
coast defenses. Proper ornaments OF vastly
more Importance than Notifications. The lat
ter can be supplied very speedily for
temporary purposes when needed, the former
cannot. The second is the necessity of re-
opening promotion in the staff corps of the
army. Particularly is this necessity felt in
the Medical, Pay and Ordinance Departments.
At this time it is necessary to employ contract
surgeons to supply the necessary medical
attention required for the army. With the
present force of the Pay Department it is now
difficult to make the payments to troops
provided for by law Long delays in
payments are productive of assertions and
generalization, and the law prohibits the
payment of troops by other than regular army
Paymasters There are now sixteen vacan-
ces in the Ordnance Department, thus leav-
ing that branch of service without sufficient
officers to conduct the business of the different
arsenals on large scale, it ever require
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
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 condemnation
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 au
thorized by the last Congress. The building
of these latter has occurred at a doubly fOrtu-
nate time. They are about being completed
when they probably will be much needed, and
the work upon them has not only given en-
ployment to thousands Of men, but no doubt
has been the means of keeping open estab-
ments of other works at time of great finan-
cal distress. Since the commencement, last
month, however, the distressing occurrences
which have taken place in the waters of the
Caribbean Sea and along our very seaboard,
while they illustrate most torcibly the ne
cessity always existing that nation situat-
ed as ours is should maintain in state of
efficiency navy adequate to it's responsible
tiles, has at the same time demanded that all
| 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 am assured that the available
ships and every authorized man of the Ameri-
can navy will be ready for whatever action is
required for the safety Of our cities OF the
maintenance of our honor. This, of course, will
require the expenditure in a short time of
some of the appropriations which were calcu-
lated to extend through the fiscal year, but
Congress will. doubt not, understand and
appreciate the emergency, and will provide
adequately, not only for the present pre-
paration, but for the future maintenance
Of our naval forces. The Secretary Of the
Navy, has, during the past year been quietly
putting some of our most extensive monitors
in condition for service. and thus the exieency
finds us in much better condition for war
than we would possibly have been without
this action.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT..
4 complete exhibit is presented, in the &C.
companylng report of the Postmaster Gen
eral of the operation of the Postoffice De-
partment during the year The ordinary
postal revenues for the fiscal wear ending June
80, 1873, amounted to $22, 996741.57, and the
expenditures of all kinds to 500, 084, 945. e.
The increase of revenue for 1872 was 81 ,O81,-
$500, and the increase in expenditures
S246, 57336, and interest Of payments made
from special appropriations for mail steam
ship lines. The amount drawn from the
general treasury to meet the deficiencies was
S., 265 ,470. The constant extension of our
postal service, particularly upon railroad and
improved facilities for the collections. trans
mission, distribution and delivery of mails
which are being provided, account for the in
creased expenditures of this popular branch
OF public service. The total number of post
offices in operation on June 80, 1873, was 33.-
244, net increase of 1881 over the number re-.
ported the preceding Year.
The increase of pOstofices was 1863
an increase of 165 during the year. The
total length of railroad mail routes at the