Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-12-12

s sr of "a HsiSS ssn d 9Ss .,
remain with us. To direct the employment
Of these is q problem deserving the most scri.
GUS attention of Congress. II employment
can be given 70 all labor Offering itself PROS:
the opinion, ana repeat it, that the first feso'
luton to the accomplishment of this end is
the substitution of asound currency In place
of one Of fuctuating value. This secured,
there are many interests that might be fos.
tered, to the great profit OF both labor and
labor IL NC Ssessisn pf TSs saSeeS iIhesI,
transportation has occupied the attention of
Congf4a SNag light on the queNionwiA,
without douhk, be- given the committee spr
pointed by the last Congress to investigate
and report upon this subject. The revival of
shipbuilding, and particularly of iron ship
building, is of vast importance 10 our Nation
al pr9NakY irne Rpilsa 'e3DsE il -gSN
paying over one million per annum for
'freights and passage on foreign ships to be
carried abroad, and expends in the employ
ment and support of other ports beyond o
fair percN66xtSfwk1t shohld ggtq f4fisn
vessels, estimating on the tonnage and travel
IL TINT sa this The Carrying sde
&C. 'sss 1a ~ fto% ts q Ssus aaSsse
Of the Government in supporting what might
usually be termed private enterprise. I
would not suggest as "a remedy direct subsi!
dy to American steamship lines, but would
tfon ffr carrying the mails between Atlantic
owned and American built steamers, and
would extend this liberality to vessels carry.
ing the mails to South American States and
to Central America and Mexico, and would
pursue the same policy from out the Pacific:
seapQIe tQfoyeign seaRorts on the Pasl9c
It might be demanded that vessels built for
this service should come, up to. Bta4dard,
fixed by legislation, In tonnage, speed and
all other qualities. Looking to the possibility
time for war purposes, the right Of also tax.
ing possession of them in such emergency
should be guarded. Ioffer these suggestions,
believing them worthy Reconsideration, in
all seriousness, affecting sections and all in.
terestG alike. II anything batter can be1dOns
to direct this country into course of general
prosperity none will be more ready than l to
second the plan.
= Forwarded herewith will be found the re.
port of the Commissioners appointed under
an act of Congress approved June 30, 1874,
to wind up the fepsfr osG.IuJ TWAIN
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
It will be seen from the report that the
total debt of the District of Columbia, less
securities on hand and available is: Bonded
debt, issued prior to July 1, 1874, 1888. 1914, :
043; 1855 bonds, under act Of Congress June
30, 1874, $2OS, $40 ,S7S;' certificates of the
Board Of Audit, $477, 055, S45; total, $1,574s,
288, 721; less special Improvement assess
ments clargeable to private property in ex,
$i01, 400, 4s7; iesS Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
bonds, $75, 900, and Washington and Alex.
ander Railroad bonds, 90, 900; in the hands
of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund,
$174, 8O5, 337; leaving the actual debt, less
said assets, $1;399, 461, 324e In addition to
this there are claims preferred against the
Government of the District amounting in the
aggregate, reported by the Board of Audit,
to $3l4, 778, 748. of which the greater part
will probably be rejected This sum can
debt Ut the District Government than can
the thousands of claims against the General
Government be included as portion of the
National debt; but the aggregate sum thus
stated includes. something more than the
funded debt chargeable exclusively to the
District of Columbia. The act of Congress
of November %, 1878, contemplates an ap-
portionment between the United States Gov
eminent and the District Of Columbia in
respect of the payment Of the principal and
interest of the 365 bonds. Therefore, in
computing with precision the bonded debt
of the District of the aggregate sums above
stated, tbs unadjusted sums pending before
the Board of Audit should be reduced to the
extent of the amount to be apportioned to
United States Government in ktle matter IN
dictated In the act of Congress 81 June 20,
1873. respectfully invite your attention to
the Recommendation Of the, Commissioners
of the Sinking Fund relative to the'ambiguity
of the act Of June 20, 1879 / feel much
indebted to the gentlemen who consented to
lkave their private affairs and come from
distance to attend to the business of this Dis.
trict and for tho able and satisfactory man
ner in which it has been conducted. am
sure their services will be. equally appteci.
ated by the entire public. It win be seen
from the accompanying full report of the
Board Of Health that the sanitary condition
of the District IL very satisfactory Id my
opinion, the District Of COLUMBIA should be
regarded as the grounds Of the National Cap.
ital. which the entire people are interested
appropriatIons t9the. District bpt p draw
scale on which the city was planned by the
founders of the Government. The manner
in which, for ornamental purposes, the res.
ervations, streets and avenues were laid out
was in the proportion of the property actu.
ally possessed by the General ,u0vernmcnt.
/ think the proportion of the expenses of the
Government and improvements to DO borne
by the General Government, the cities OF
Washington and Georgetown, should be
carefully and equitably defined. ia, d.
T. TIE, DISTRICT sovERSMuENIr. H.. w. 49,
In accordance with section of the act ap-
proved June 2S, 1873, appointing a Board to
make a survey of the mouth o. the Missis-
sippi River, with view to determining the best
method Of obtaining and maintaining a depth
fnerce, and in accordance with an act entitled
an act to provide for the appointment of q
OF Engineers to Investigate and
report q plan for the excavation Of the alluval
basin of the Mississippi River subject to the