Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-03

| five thousand miles of railroad have been
built, requiring the active use OF capital to
| operate them. Millions of acres OF land
have been opened to cultivation, requiring
| capital to move the products. Manufactures
| have multiplied beyond all precedent in the
| same period of time, requiring capital
| weekly for the payment OF wages and fr
| the purchase of material, and probably the
largest of all was the comparative. c0ntrac-
| ton arising from the organizing of free la
Dor inthe South. Now every laborer there
| receives his wages, and for want OF savings
banks the greater part of such wages is car
ried in the pocket or boarded till required
| for use. .s....s,..,.., ;+ls Z.
| These suggestions are thrown out for
your consideration without any recommen-
| tion that they shall be adopted literally,
| but hoping that the best method may be
| arrived at to secure such an elasticity ofthe
currency as will keep employed all the in
dustries of the country, and prevent such
an imitation as will put off indefinitely the
resumption Of specie payment, an object de.
voutly to be wished for by all, and none
more earnestly than the class of people
most directly interested, those who earn
their bread by the sweat of their brow. The
| decision of Congress on this subject will
have the hearty support of the executive.
Our Mythical Marine.
| In previous messages l have called at
tention to the decline in American p
| building and recommended such legislation
as would secure to us our proportion Cf ise
| carving trade. Stimulated by high rates
| and abundance of freight, the progress for
/ the last year in ship building has been very
| satisfactory. There has been an increase
of about three per cent. in the amount
] transported in American vessels over the
amount of last wear. With the reduced
cost OF material which has taken place, it
may reasonably be hoped that this change
| will be maintained and even Increased.
However, as we pay about
Eighty Million Dollars Per Annum
| to foreign vessels for the transportation OF
our surplus products to market, thus in
| creasing the balance of trade against usto
this amount, the subject is one worthy OF
| your serious consideration.
| Cheap transportation
Is 4 subject that has attracted the attention
| of both producers and consumers for the
| mast few wears and has contributed to if it
| has not been the direct cause of the recent
panic and stringency. rs Congress at its
| last session appointed as special committee
| to investigate this whole subject during the
vacation and report at this session, l have
| nothing to recommend until their report is
ready. ..l
Small FavOrs Thankfully Received
There is one work, however OF a national.
| character in which the greater portion OF
| the East and West, the North and the
| South are equally interested, to which L
| will invite your attention. The State OF
| New York has canal connecting Lake
| Erie with tide water on the Hudson rlver.
The State of Illinois has a similar one con-
Meeting Lake Michigan with nav
igable water on the Illinois river,
thus making water communication
inland between the East and the West and
South. These great artificial water courses
lare the property Of theStates throughw which
they pass and pay toll to those states.
Would it not be wise craftsmanship 10
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 hlgh-
wayS with which they connect, to wit: the
overslough on the Hudson, the st. Clair
flats and the Illinois and Mississippi rivers?
|
great value to the producers of the West
and South in giving them cheap transpOrta-
tiOnfo their produce to the seaboard, and
market to the consumers in the East in
giving them cheaper delivery of those artl-
cles of food which do not find foreign
market and the prices of which, therefore,
are not regulated by foreign demand. The
advantages of such work are too obvious
for argument. l submit the subject to you,
therefore, without further comment.
Navigating the Andes.
In attempting to regain out lost COM
merce and carrying trade, have heretofore
called attention to the States south of the
United States of offering q field where
mucb might be accomplished. To further
this object, | suggest small appropriation
: he made accompanied with authority foI
the Secretary OF the Navy to ut out naval
vessel to ascend the Amazon river where
the mouth of the Madeira enters, thence to
, explole that river and its tributaries into
: Bolivia, and to report to Congress at its
next session or as soon as practicable the
accessibility of the country by water, its
: resources and the population so reached
Such an exploration will cost but little. Ii
: can do no harm and may result in estab
| fishing a trade of value to both nations.
In further connection with the Treasury
! Department, L would recommend revision
- and codifcation of the tariff laws, and th'
:, opening of more mints for coming money
with authority to coin for such nations a!
The War Department.
The attention of Congress is invited t
the recommendations in the report OF tn
: Secretary of War, herewith accompanying
II The apparent great cost of supporting tn
, Academy is fully explained in the report
L and it will receive your attention. Will
inviting your great attention to all the ret
e concentrations made by the Secretary
War. there are two which would especial
ly invite you to consider:
-e First. The Importance of preparing fo
4, war in time of peace by providln
d the proper armament for our seacoaS
,r defense. A proper armament IS
l. vastly more importance than tOrtltlcatlon;
V The latter can be supplied very speedily tc
l. temporary purpose when needed. In
n former cannot.
r The second is the necessity of re-openin
le promotion in the staff corps OF the army
T. Particularly is this necessity felt in tn
IS medical, pay and ordnance departments
v At this time it is necessary to employ COZ
10 tract surgeons to supply the necessary med
le cal attention required by the army. Wit
If the present force of the pay department,
of is now difficult to make the payments
le troops provided for by law. Long delays
n payments are productive of deseTtions an
d, decentralization, and the law prohibits tt
le PAYMENT of troops by other than the req
r lar army paymasters. There are now si2
e. teen vacancies III the ordnance department
e, thus leaving that branch OF the seryl(
ir without sufficient officers to. conduct I'll
ut business of the different arsenals on larg
II. scale, if ever required.
a. The Naval Department..
a During the past year the Navy has bee
~ reduced by the sale of some vessels nOlon!
a. er fit for naval purposes, and by the col
~ demnatiOn of others not yet disposed o
le This, however, has been more than con
pensated for by the repair of six OF IL
old wooden ships aud by the building
IN eight new sloops-of-war authorized by u
ld last Congress. The building OF these la
o. ter has occurred at a doubly favorable tim
n, They are about being completed whe
IL they will possibly be much needed, an
90 the work upon them has not only give
ne employment to thousands of men, but h;
be no doubt been the means of keeping ope
q | ~ al vf,TL-S az a