The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-08

ca cDuln DO bt1sIness on % fair mar.
gin OF prob The money TO be received
having an unyarying value, glaborers and dill
ctesses who work for stipulated pay or salary
would: receive more for their income.
because extra profit would no longer
De charged By the capitalist TO com.
pensate for the risk OF q downward fInc.
tuation in the value OF the currency.
Second. That the Secretary of the Treasury
De authorized TO redeem say not to exceed
Two million dollars monthly OF legal.tender
notes by issuing In their stead o long bond
bearing interest at the rate Of $3.50 per cent.
per annum, OF denominati ons ranging from
fifty dollars to one thousand dollars each.
This would To tiue reduce the lsgal.tender
notes to o volume that could be kept Goat
without demanding redemption In large
sums suddenly. Third. That additional
po wer be given to the Secretary Of the Trea.
sury TO accumulate gold for fiusi redemption
either by increasing revenue, -cnrtailing ex.
penses, or both.8 Its pretefabieto do both ;
and / recommend thata reduction Of expen-
dtures be made wherever 1t can be done
without .impasring Government obligations
| or cripp!ing the due execution thereof. One
only one think Of, Isl: the restoration OF the
| duty on tea and coffee. These duties would
add probably sis, 1000, 900 TO the present
amount received from imports, and would
Id no way increase the prices paid for these
articles By the consumers These articles
are the products Of countries collecting
revenue from exports, and. rs We. the
largest consumers, reduce the duties they
proportionally increase them. With this
addition to the revenue many duties uoH
collected, and which give but an insignifcant
return for. the, cost of collection, might
be, RENTED, and to the direct advantage
of consumers ut home. Il would mention
Those articles which enter into manuiac-
Itures Of all sorts. All duty paid upon such
articles goes directly to the cost Of the arti.
cles when manufactured here, and must be
I'paid for by the consumers. These duties not
sonly come from the consumers at home, but
act as a protection to the foreign manufac.
lturers of the same completed articles in ous
Town and distant markets. / will suggest,
l.or mention, another subject hearing upon
1.-The problem of how to enable the Secretary
Iiof the Treasury TO accumulate balances: Ii
lis to devise some better method Of verifying
claims against the Government than at pre-.
lsent exists through the Court of Claims
especially those claims growing out of the
Late war. Nothing is more certain
than that very large percentage
of the amounts passed and paid are
either wholly fraudulent or are far in excess
of the real losses sustained. The large amount
of losses proven, on good testimony, accord
ling to existing laws, by aftidaVits of fictitious
or INSCRIPTIONS persons, to have been sus'
tanned on small farms and plantations, are
not only far beyond the possible yield o.
Those places for any one year, but, as every
one knows who has had experience IN TIL
ing the soil, and who has visited the scene:
of these spollations, are. in many instances
more than the individual claimants were ever
worth, including their personal and rea
estate. The report of the Attorney.General
which will be submitted to Congress at or
|early day, will contain detailed history o
awards made and of claims pending of TIT
class here referred to. :.
MILITARY AFFAIRS. .sss.w.
The report of the Secretary of War, &C
companying this message, gives detailed
account of army operations for the year JUS
passed, expenses for maintenance, etc.. witt
; Recommendations for legislation, to which
respectfully invite your attention. TO somt
! of these invite special attention: First
TIE necessity Of making three hundred thou
; sand dollars of the appropriation for the sub
sistence department available before the be
ginning of the next fiscal year. Without
this provision troops at points distant from
lsupply.production must either 60 without
food or the existing law must be violated
It Is not attended with cost to the Treasury
Second. His recommendation for the enact
ment of a system of annuities for the fami
lies of deceased officers by the voluntary de
auctions from the monthly pay of officers.
This, again, is not attended with burden
upon the Treasury, and would for the future
relieve much distress, which every old army
officer has witnessed in the past OF Officers
dying suddenly, or being killed, leaving fami
lies without even the means Of reaching thei
friends, if fortunate to have friends to aid
them. Third. The repeal OF the law abolish
ing mileage, and return to. the old system
, Fourth. The trial with torpedoes, under tb'
corps of engineers, and appropriations fol
, the same. Should war ever occur between
, tue United States ard any maritime powe
! torpedoes will be among if not the mos
effective and cheapest auxiliary for the de
fence of harbors, and also In aggres
siye operations, that we can have. Hence
: Lit is advisable to learn by eXperimen
their best construction and application q!
well as effect. Fifth. A permanent organiza
, ton for the Signal-Service Corps. This ser
vice has now become necessity Of peace a.
, we'll as war under the advancement made by
1.-THE present able management. Sixth. A re
.newal of the appropriation for compiling th
lofficiai records Of the war, etc. =
s%5& sa THE NAVY. Ss% ,A5E.
The condition of our navy at this time isl
subject of satisfaction. It does not contain
Lit is true, any of the powerful cruising iron
Icads which made so much of the maritime
Istrength of some other nations, but neither
Iour continental situation nor our foreign pol
!. Eicy REQUIRES that we should have large mum
her of ships of this character, while the stu
lation and the nature Of our ports combine tx
make those of other nations little dangerous
Ito us under any circumstances. sSOur navy
/ Edoes contain, however, q considerable number
, tof siron.clads of the monitor. class, which,
! Though not properly cruisers, are powerful
land effective for harbor defence and for ope.
Irations near our own shores. Of these, all
; 1.-THE sipgle.turretted ones, fifteen in number
|haye been substantially rebuilt-their rotten
|wooden beams replaced with iron, their
Ihulls strengthened, and their engines and
|machinery thoroughly repaired-so that they
Iare now in the most efficient condition and
lready for sea as soon as they can be manned
and put in commission. The five double
Iturretted iron.clads belonging to our navy,
by far the most powerful of our ships for
lighting purposes, are also in hand under.
eoipg complete repairs, and could be ready
Ifor sea 10 periods varying from four
Ito six months. With these completed
according to the present design, and
lour two iron.turretted boats now ready,
Tour iron.clad Aeet will be, for the purpose Of
ldefence at home, equal to any force that can
readily be brought against 1t. Ofour wooden
navy, also cruisers Of various sizes to the
number of about forty, including those NOW