Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-12-17

other ana OF supplying one OF The elements
of prosperity so much needed
THE ARMY AND NAVY.
The report of the Secretary Of War, here
with attached, and forming part of this
message, gives all the information concern
ing the operations, wants and necess
ties of the army, and contains many
suggestions and recommendations which
commend to your special atten.
ton. There Is no class of Government em-
ployes who are harder worked than the army
officers and men; none who perform their
tasks more cheerfully and efficiently, and
under circumstances OF greater privation
and hardship. Legislation is desirable to
render more efficient this branch of the pub
lie service All the recommendations of
the Secretary of War regard as judicious,
and | especially commend to your at
tention the following: The consolidation of
Government arsenals; the restoration of mile
age to officers travelling under orders; the ex-
emption of money received from the sale of
subsistence stores from being covered into the
| Treasury; the use of appropriations for the
purchase of subsistence stores without wait
| ing for the beginning of the fiscal year for
| which the appropriation is made; for add.
| tiona appropriations for the collection of tor
| pedo material; for increased appropriations
| for the manufacture of arms; for relievngthe
| various States from Indebtedness for arms
| charged to them during the rebellion; for drop
| ping officers from the rolls of the army with
out trial for the oftense Of drawing
!, pay more than once for the same
period; for the encouragement Of the
plan to pay soldiers by checks, and
| for the establishment OF professor
ship of rhetoric and English literature at
| West Point The reasons for the recommend
| tons are obvious, and are set forth sufficiently
! in the report attached, | also recommend
that the status of the staff corps of the army
| be fixed, where this has not already been
| done, SO that promotions may be made and
vacancies filled 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 vacancies III that Department be-
ing below the number adequate to the per-
Torrance of the duties required of them by
| law.
The efficiency of ;the navy has been largely
increased during the last year, under the i'm
pulse of the foreign complications which
| threatened us al the commencement of the
! last session of Congress. Most of our etli-
| cient wooden ships were put in condition for
| immediate service, and the repairs of our
! iron-clad feet were pushed with the utmost
vigor. 'ihe result is that most of these are in
effective condition, and need only to be
| manned and set in commission to go at
| once into service. Some OF the new
| sloops authorized by Congress are already
| in commission, and most OF the remainder
| are ldlNcDeu ana WALL only lhc COM plttlou oi
| their machinery to enable them 10 take their
| places as part of our effective force. Two
| iron torpedo-ships have been completed dur
| ing the last year; and four of our large tur-
reted iron-clads are now undergoing repairs
When they are finished, everything that is
| needful OF our navy, now authorized, Will be
| in condition for service, and with the advance
in the science of torpedo warfare the Ameri
can navy, comparatively small as it Is, will be
| found at any time powerful for the purposes
| of 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 in
| terests of commerce and civilization Exten-
| sive and much needed soundings have been
made for photographic purposes and to fix
| the proper routes of ocean telegraphs. Fur
Their surveys of the Darien Isthmus have been
| undertaken and completed, and two vessels
| of the navy are now employed, in conjunction
| with those of England, France, Germany and
| Russia, in observations connected with the
| transit of Venus, 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, the general support of the service
being somewhat less and those for improve
ments at various stations rather larger than
| the corresponding estimates made year ago.
| The regular maintenance and steady in
crease in the efficiency of this most important
arm, in proportion to the growth of our mari
| time intercourse and interests, is recommend
ed to the attention Of Congress.
The use of the navy during peace might be
! further utilized by direct author ization of
| the employment of naval vessels in surveys
| of the supposed navigable waters of other ma
| tionalites on this continent, especially the
| tributaries of the two great rivers of South
| America, the Oronoco and the Amazon Moth
| ing prevents, under existing laws, such ex-
| plOratiOns except that expenditures must be
made in such expeditions beyond those usual
! ly provided for by the appropriations. The
| field designated is unquestionably one of inter-
est, and one capable of large development
! of commercial interests, advantageous to the
! people reached and to those who may estab-
| llsh relations with them.
| EDUCATION AND THE PosToFFIcE.
| The education of the people entitled
| to exercise the right Of franchise !
everywhere, and especially so in repub
| lies, where neither education nor pre-
| vious condition enters into account in giving
| suffrage Next to the public school the
| Postofice is the greatest agent of education
over our vast territory. The rapidity with
| which new sections are being settled in
creases the cost of carrying the mails in a
more rapid ratio than the increase Of re-
| ceipts. The report of the Postmaster Gen
eral, herewith attached, shows that there was
| an increase of revenue in this department in
| 1873 over the previous year of 81 ,6T4,41l,
and an increase of the cost of carry
| ing the mails and paying employees Of
| S3,0il 1921. The report Of the Post
masterGeneral gives interesting statistics of
his department, and, comparing them with
the corresponding statistics of year ago,
| shows growth in every branch of the de-
partment.
| A postal convention has been concluded