The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-08

army operations tor the year just passed, the
expenses for maintenance, etc, with reconlmen-
datons for legislation, to which respectfully
Invite your ,4ttentiOn.s To.sD1ne Of these | in
wife SPECIAL attention First, tile necessity Of
making $500, 900 of tue appropriations for the
Subsistence departments available before the
this provision troop at points distant from
supply and production must eithe go without
food or the existing laws must be violated 1t
is not attended with Gust to the treasury
Second, his rec"mnen iatie en- for the enact
pnent Of asy tenn fapnuiti-s Tor the families OF
deceased officers, bv voluntary deduction from
the monthly pay of officers. This again is not
attended with burden upon the Treasury and
would Tor the future relieve much distress
which every OLD army ottit er has with, $50 in
the past, of Off ers dying suddenly or being
killed, leaving their families without even the
means OF reaching their friends if fortunate
enough to h We friends TO a them.
Third Repeal OF the law abolishing mileage
and return tOthe old system :
Fourth-The trial with torpedoes under the
orps Of engineers and appropriations for the
same. Should war ever occur between the
United States and any maritime power, torpe-
does will be among, if not the most effective,
the cheapest auxiliary Tor defense OF harbors
and also in aggressive operations that we can
| nave. I1cuCf IL Is tt1VlS1Dlc u tediu ny cAFe-
riment their best construction and application
as well as effect.
Fifth, permanent organization for the sig
nal service, corps This service has
now become necessity of peace as we'll as war,
under the advancement made by the pre- ent
able management.
Sixth, a renewal of the; appropriations for
compiling official records Of the war, &C..
THE NAVY.
The condition Of onr navy at This tjm. is a
subject of satisfaction. 1t does not contain, it
Is true, any of the powerful CT. Using ir"nclads
which make so much OF the MARITIME strength
OF some other nations, but ,either
our continental situation nor our foreign
policy require that we. should have a large
his situati N and the nature OF our ports con-
tinue to make those OF other nations little
dangerous to us under any circumstances,
our navy does contain, however, considera-
ble number Of ironclads OF the monitor class
which, though not properly cruisers, are pow
erful and effective for harbor defense and for
operations near our own shores. Of these all
the single-gun ships Tor fighting purposes arr
also in hand undergoing complete repairs and
could be ready tor sea in periods varying from
four to six months. These, completed ac-
cording to the present design, and our two
iron torpedo boats now ready, our ironclad
fleet will be, for the purposes OF def nse at
lCaSt, cuuitl W lOICe tl.tL can De readily
brought az inst it.
OF our wooden navy also cruisers ct various
sis S, to the number Of about forty, Including
those now inu commission, OH the Atlantic
all could be ready tor duty AS fast as men
could be enlisted, for those not alreauy in
commission. OF these one-third are III effect
new ships, aud though some OF the rems Under
need considerable repairs to their boilers and
machinery, they are, or can readily be made
effective.
This constitutes fleet of more than fifty
war ships, of which tiite II are ironclads, now
in hand, on the Atlantic coast.
The navy has been brought to this condition
by a iudicious and practical apple at on OF what
could be spared from the current appropria-
tons of the last few years, and from that made
to meet the possible emergency of two lyears
ago. 1t has been done quietly without Dr0e|a.
nation or display. 1t has necessarily strai ght
ened the department in extraordinary e~pend-
iture, and as far as ironclads are concerned has
added nothing to the cruising force of the
navy. Yet the result is not the less satisfactory
because it is to Ike found in great increase q
real rather than apparent force.
The expenses incurred in the maintenance
OF an effective naval force in all its branches
are necessarily large, but such force is essen.
tlal to- our position, relations ana character
and affects seriously the weight Of our princi
pies and policy thr"ug hout the whole sphere
of naval responsibilities
THE ESTIMATES
for the regular support Of this branch of the
| service 'or the next year amount to little
less in the aggregate than those made 10,
the current year, but some additional appro
priations are asked for objects not included i.
the ordinary maintenance of the navy but be.
lleved to~be OF pres>ineimportance at this time
ltw"ud, in my opili! tie wise at once to afford
sufficient means for the immediate completion
OF the five double turreted monitors now un.
dergoing repairs, Which must otherwise adj
va-ce slowly, and only as money can be-
spared from current expenses.
Supplemented by these, our navy armed
with the destructive weapons of modern " ar.
iare, manned by our seamen and in charge o.
our Instructed officers, will present force
powerful for home purposes OF a responsible
| though peaceful nation. t
POSTAL AFFAIRS
The report of the Postmaster General, here.
with transmitted, gives full history OF the
Workings OF the department for the year jus,
passed. 1t will be observed that the deficiency
ODE supplied from tie general treasury is in.
eedlng year. In country so vast in area as
the United States, with large portions sparsely
settled, it must be expected that this lmpor.
! t'nt service will be m sde more or les a bur.
den upon the treasury for many years to come
but there is no branch OF the public service
Wnlch interests the whole people more thar
that OF cheap and rapid transmission of the
mails to every inhabited part OF our territory
Next to the free school the postottice is the
! great educator OF the people, and it may well
| receive the support the general government
The subsidy Of sl5O,u0O per annum given
to vessels OF the United States for CARVING
mails between New York and Rio Janeiro Iav::
ing ceased on the 80 Ii day of September last
we are with: ut direct mail facilities with the
South American States. This is greatly to bf
the authorization Of a renewal Of that coutrac
and also that the service may be increase,
from monthly to semi monthly trips. Tht
commercial advantages to be gained BY a di
rect line of American line steamers to tn,