National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-08

payers. Inc secretary OF tine treasury IN his
report, fsyOrs legislation looking to an early
return to specie payments, thus supporting
views previously expressed in this message.
He also recommends economy in appropria-
tons; calls attention to the loss of revenue
| flom repeating the tax on tea and coffee, WITH
out benefit to the consumer; recommends an
increase of ten cents a gallon on whisky, and
| further, that TO modification be made in the
banking and currency bill passed at the last
session OF Congress unless modification should
become necessary by reason of the adoption of
measures for returning to specie payments. In
| these recommendations cordially join.
would suggest to Congress the propriety
of readjusting the tariff, so as to increase the
| revenue, and, ct the same time, decrease the
number of articles upon which duties are
| levied. Those articles which enter into our
manufactures and are not produced at home
| 1t seems to me should be entered free. Those
| articles OF manufacture which we produce a
| constituent part, but do not produce the
| whole, that part which we do not produce
| should enter free also. will instance fine
wool, dyes, &c. These articles must be i'm
| ported to form part of the manufacture of
| the higher grades of wooden goods. Chemi-
| calls, used as dyes, compounded in medicines,
and used in various ways in manufactures,
| come under this class. The introduction free
| of duty of such woods as we do not produce
would stimulate the manufacture of goods re-
| quiring the use of those we do produce,
a
| production. There are many articles entering
| into 'home manufactures" which we do not
| produce ourselves the tariff upon which in
| creases the cost of producing the manufac-
| tured article. All corrections in this regard
are in the direction of bringing labor and
| capital in harmony with each other, and of
supplying one of the elements of prosperity
so much needed.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
Tba Of
with attached and forming part of this mes
sage, gives all the information concerning the
operations, wants and necessities of the army,
and contains many suggestions and recon-
mendatiOns which commend to your special
attention. There is no class of Government
employees who are harder worked than the
army officers and men-nOne who perform
| their tasks more Cheerfully and efficiently and
under circumstances of greater pTiYatiOns and
| hardsLips. Legislation is desirable to render
more efficient this branch of the public ser
| vice. All the recommendations Of the SeCre-
tary of War / regard as judicious, and l espe-
| cially commend to your attention the follow
| ing: The consolidation of Government arsenals;
the restoration Of mileage to officers travelling
under orders; the exemption of money received
| from the sale of subsistence stores from being
covered into the Treasury; the use of appro-
priations for the purchase of subsistence stores
| without waiting for the beginning of the fiscal
| year for which the appropriation is made; for
| additional appropriations for the collection of
| torpedo material; for increased appropriations
| for the manufacture of arms; for relieving
| the various States from Indebtedness for
arms charged to them during the rebellion;
| for dropping officers from the rolls of the army
without trial for the offence of granting pay
| more than once for the same period; for the
| encouragement of the plan to pay soldiers by
| checks, and for the establishment of q profess
sorship of rhetoric and English literature at
| West Point. The reasons for these recommend
| atoms are obvious, and are set forth sufi-
GENTLY in the report attached. also recon-
mend that the status of the staff corps of the
| army be fxed-where this has not already
been done-so that promotions may be made
and vacancies filed as they occur in each grade
when reduced below the number to be fixed by
| law. The necessity for such legislation Is
| specially felt now in the pay department. The
number of officers in that department is below
| the number adequate to the performance of
the duties required of them by law.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
The efficiency of the navy has been largely
| increased during the last year. Under the i'm
| pulse Ofthe foreign complications which threat
| ened us at the commencement of the last ses-
sion of Congress most of our efficient wooden
| ships were put in condition for immediate SER
vice, and the repairs of our iron-clad feet were
| pushed with the utmost VigOr. The result is
that most of these are now in an effective state,
and need only to be manned and put in COM
mission to go at once into service, Some of
the new slOOps authorized by Congress are al
ready in commission, and most of the remain
| der are launched and wait only the completion
Of their machinery to enable them to take
their places as part of our effective force. Two
iron torpedo ships have been completed during
the last year, and four of our large double
turreted iron-clads are now undergoing re-
pairs. When these are finished, everything
that is useful of our navy as now authorized
will be in condition for service, and with the
advance in the science of torpedo warfare the
American navy, comparatively small as it is, will
be found at any time powerful for the pur-
poses of a peaceful nation. Much has also
been accomplished during the year in aid of
science, and to increase the sum of general
knowledge, and further the interests of COM
MERGE and civilization. Extensive and much
needed sOundings have been made for hydro
graphic purposes and 10 fix the proper routes
Of ocean telegTapbs. Further surveys of the
great lsthmus have been undertaken and CON-
pleted, and two vessels of the navy are now
employed, in conjunction with those of Eng
land, France, Germany and Russia, in ObserYa-
tions connected with the transit of Venus, so
useful and interesting to the scientific world.
The estimates for this branch of the public
service do not differ materially from those of
last year, those for the general support of the
service being somewhat less, and those for
permanent Improvements AT the various STA
tions rather larger than the corresponding es-
innate made year ago. The regular main
tenance and a steady increase in the efficiency
of this most important arm in proportion to
the growth of our maritime intercourse and
interests is recommended to the attention of
Congress.
The use of the navy in time OF peace might
be further utilized by direct authorization of
the employment of naval vessels in explora-
tons and surveys of the supposed navigable
waters of other natiOnalities on this continent,
specially the tributaries of the two great rivers
of South America, the OronOco and the ANA
Zon. Nothing prevents, under existing laws,
such exploration except that expenditures
must re made in such expeditions beyond those
usually provided for in the appropriations.
The field designated is unquestionably one of
interest and one capable of large development
of commercial interests advantageous to the
peoples reached, and TO those who may estab- |
lish relations with them. Education of the
people entitled to exercise the right of fran |
chise regard essential to general prosperity |
everywhere, and especially so in republics, |
where birth, education or previous condition |
does not enter into account in giving suf'
trage. Next to the public school
THE POST OFFICE
is the great agent of education over our vast |
territory, the rapidity with which new sections |
are being settled thus increasing the carrying |
the mans III amOE6Edplu EdLlO LLau the luCf6ase |
of receipts is not alarming. The report of the |
Postmaster General, herewith attached, shows |
that there was an increase of revenue in his |
Department in 1873 over the previous year of |
81 GA AL, and an increase of cost of carrying
the mails and paying the employees of 50 OIL
1851. The report of the Postmaster General |
gives interesting statistics of his Department, |
and compare them with the corresponding |
statistics of a year ago, shows a growth in |
every branch of the Department.
A postal convention has been concluded |
with New South Wales, an exchange of postal |
cards established with Switzerland, and the |
negotiations pending for several years past with |
France have terminated in a convention with |
that country, which went into effect last Au- |
gust. An international Postal Congress was |
convened in BeTne, Switzerland, I'm September |
la, at which the United States was repre- |
scented by an officer of the Post Office Depart |
mcnt of much experience and of qualification |
for the position. A convention for the estab- |
lishment of an International postal union |
was agreed upon and signed by the delegates |
of the countries represented, subject to the ap-
proval of the proper authorities of those coun-
tries. l respectfully direct your attention to /
the repOrt of the Postmaster General and to /