The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-12-10


ton and ne nature of our ports continue % make
.nose of other nations little dangerous % us under
any circumstances. Our navy does contain, bow
ever a considerable number OF ironclads Of the
monitor class which, though not properly cruisers
are powerful and effective for harbor defense and
Tor aperations near our own shores. OF these. all
tle sipgle-turreted ones, fifteen ia number, have
been substantially rebuilt, their rotten wooden
beams replaced with iron, their hus strengthened
and their engines and machinery thoroughly re-
rared 80 that they are now in The most Efficient
condition. aud ready for sea a. soon ~ they can
be manned aud put in commission The hNo
double-turreted ironclads belonging 10 our navy,
nv far the most powerful OF our ships for
6phting purposes, are also Ia hand. under
going complete repairs, and could be ready
for sea in periods varying from four to Elk
months With these completed according 20
present designs aud our two iron torpedo boats
now ready, our ironclad fleet VIII be, for the
purposes OF defense at home, equal 10 any force
that can be readily brought against It, or our
wooden navy, ALSO cruisers Of various sizes, to the
number of about forty, including those now Ia
Commission are in the Atlantic, aud could be ready
for duty as fast could be enlisted Tor those
not already in commission Ot these, ohe-thlfu are
in effect new ships, and though some oi the re-
mainder need considerable repairs n their bolo
and machinery, they are, or can readily he made,
effective This constitutes q Meet OF more than nifty
war ships, OF which fifteen are ironclads now on
hand on the Atlantic coast. The navy naS been
brought to this condition by judcio'A aud pract-
| cal application Of what could be spared rom the
onrrent appropriations of the last few years and
from that made to meet the possible emergency
of two years ago. II has been done quietly,
/
has necessarily strengthened the department in
its ordinary expenditure, and, as far az the IRON
clads concerned, has added nothing TO the
cruising force Of the navy yet the result IS not the
less satisfactory because 1t is 10 be found IN great
! increase OF real rather than apparent force. The
expenses incurred in the maintenance of an enec-
tive naval force in all its branches are necessarily
large but such force il essential To our position,
/ relations and cparacter and anects seriously inc
weight OF our principles ana pohcy throuShout We
/ Whole sphere If Val respouslblhtes lbe estl-
mates for the regular support CT this Dranch OF ths
service for The next year amount to httse less IL
! the aggregate than those made Tor the cuffenS
year but some additional appropriations are
asked for objects not incbIded III the ordinary nam
tenance Of the navy, but be - be- Oh pressing
iulportante At ihis time il would, in my opinion
be wise at once afford sufficient means Tor the
immediate completion Of the i've double-iurretted
monitors now undergoing repairs which must other-
wise advance slowly, and only az money can De
SHARED from current eXpen8rs. supplemented 10y
these our navy aimed With the destructye weapons
of modern warfare, manned by our seaAcn anu IN
charge of instructed officers, viii present a force
powerful for the home purposes OF re'lonsible
though peaceful nation
The report Of the Po,tmaster-General, herewith
transmitted gives full history of the workings If
the department for the year just passed. IL viii lie
obsery that the deficiency to be supplied from the
general Treasury is increased over the amount re-
funded for the preceding year. In country 30
vast in area the United States, with large pur-
tons eparsey settled, IL must be expected that this
important service Will be more or less burden
! upon the Treasury for many years TO come, but
there is no branch Of the public service which in
terests the whole people more han that Of cheap
and rapid trausmission OF the malls - every III
| habited part of our territory.
Next 10 the free school, the Postotce IL the great
educator of tine people, and it may well receive the
| q, cport of the General Government.
The subsidy Of $l50,OOo per annum, given the
vessels of the United States for rying the mails
between New York and Rio de Japeiro. having
ceased on the 3oth day OF September last,
without direct mail facilities with the South Ameri-
can states. This is greatly TO be regretted, and
a hpait IN Of
renewal Of that contract, and also thai the service
may be increased from monthly TO semi-monthly
trips. The commercial advantages TO be gained by
| direct line OF American steamers TO the South
American States will far outweigh the expense Of
the service.
BY an act o. Congress, approved March s. 1878, al
most all matter, whether pro- erly mail matter or
not. may be sent any distance throughout the mails
in packages. not exceeding four POUNDS IN weight,
| for the sum q sixteen cents per pound. SO far
the transmission Of real mail matter goes, this
would seem entirely proper. But suggest that the
Law be so amended as 10 exclude FROM the mails
merchandise oi all crplons, ana liinit this trans
porIation TO all articles enumerated, and which may
be CHASED as mail matter proper
The discovery Of gold III the Black Hills, portion
of the Sioux reservation has had the effect induce
large emigration Of miners to that point. bus far
the effort To protect the treaty rights Of the Indians
Of that section has been successful but the next year
will certainly witness a large increase OF such emf
grafton. The negotiations for the raiuquishment Of
tue gold fell having failed, 1t Will be necessary
for Congress 10 adopt some measures to relieve the
/ embarrassment growing out OF the causes named
The Secretary OF the Interior suggests that the sup
pines now appropriated tor the sustenanCe OF that
ople being no longer obligatory under the treaty
I OF 1865. but simply q Rratuity, may be issued
| withheld at his discretion.
The condition of the Indian Territory 20 which
have referred in several of my former annual mes
sages, remains practically unchanged. The Secre-
tary OF the Interior has taken measures to obtain a
fun report Of the condition Of that Territory, and
will make IL the subject of special report at an
early day. IL may then be necessary to make some
further recommendation in regard 10 legislation for
! the Government of that Territory.
The STEADY growth and increase of the business OF
the Patent ONCE indicates in some measure the
progress OF the industrial prosperity Of the country
The receipts of the Office in of its e1-
pendures, and the office generally is IN prosper
GUS and satisfactory condition.
The report of the General Land Office shows that
there were 2,459,60 acres less disposed OF during
this than during the last year. More THAI ononalf
OF this decrease was in land disposed OF under
homestead and timber culture laws. The causes
Of this decrease are supposed to be found in the
grasshopper scourge, and the drouths which pre-
vailed so extensively in some of the frontier States
and Territories during that time, to discourage
and deter entries 10y actual settlers. The cash
ceipts were less by sG9U3, 220 than during the pre-
ceding year. The entire surveyed area OF the pub
lie domain ~ go ,O94 acres, Of which 2GO77.5Ji
were surveyed during the past year, leaving LEA
All, 762 acres still uusurveyed
The report of the Commissioner Of Pensions makes
| interesting suggestions in regard 10 the manage
ment and disposition of the public domain, and the
modification Of existing laws, the apparent import
ance Of which should insure for them the careful
! consideration Of Congress. The number of pen
sloners still continues TO decrease. the
| highest number having been reached during
the year ending June 80 1872 During the last year
II ,557 names were added to the rolls, and l2,977
were dropped therefrom, showing q net decrease Of
1,420; but while the number of pensioners has de-
creased, the annual amount due the pension
rolls has increased S4473,3l3 This is caused by the
greatly increased average rate of pensions which.
the liberal legislation Of Congress. has increased
from 9026 in 1872 to $l02 in 1876 to each invalid
pensoneran increase in the average rate of 10 per
cent. in the three years. During the year ending
June 80, 1885, there was paid account Of pen
sions, including the expenses of disbursements,
| $29,6s31l6, being 1910 632 less than was paid the
| preceding year. This reduction i'll the amount Of
! expenditures was produced by the decrease in the
amount Of averages due on allowed claims and on
pensions, the rate Of which was increased by the
legislation of the preceding session of Congress.
At the cldAe Of the last fiscal year there were on
the pension rolls 23s, SN persons of whom 2l0363
army pensioners, 105 AIS being invalids and
l0i sS5 widows and dependent relatives; B. 40 navy
pensioners, Of whom ,635 invalids and ,7s4
widows and dependent relatives; 81 ,03S were PEN
sioners Of the of 1912, 49, 75 of whom
yivors and 5,l63 OF whom are widows. IL is esti-
mated that 500 535. 900 will be required for the pay
ment Of pensions for the ext fiscal year, amount
S955 900 less than the estimate for the present year
| The geographical explorations have been prose
| cutsd with energy during the year, covering an
of about 10000 square miles in the Territories
of Colorado, Utah, and New Me xico, developing the
agricultural and mineral resources, aud furnishing
interesting scientific and topographical details ~