Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-12-15

We present to our readers the fol-
lowing editorial synopsis from the
inter- Ocean of the able and lengthy
report OF General Belknap, Secretary
of War:
We print elsewhere the annual re.
port OF the Secretary OF War. 1t is a
straighttorward.paper, reviewing sue
cinctly the operations of the War De-
partment The year has been une-
yentfnl SO far as the army is concerned,
and the report does not seek to mag
Nifty the Office of the Secretary during
this period of profound peace. Ac-
cording to the report we have barely
$4,000 soldiers, and these, in large
part, are employed in the Indian
country. AS compared with the year
preceding, assertions have greatly
fallen of, there having been but 1881
IA against A,606 for the fiscal year
1874. The Secretary rightly con-
strues this to be evidence of an i'm
proved condition of the service. The
army 10 badly off for music, there be-
ing only one authorized "band" in the
service, that at the Military Academy
at West Point. The Secretary recon-
mends the repeal of the act OF March
3, 1869, under which all "bandsI were
mustered out of the service: and that
military band of twenty-five must
clans be allowed to each regiment He
also recommends the enlistment and
organization OF men for transportation
service exclusively, as in the German
army, and gives good reasons tor the
recommendation. He also recon-
mends the still further discourage
ment OF cnlistments of men of family
into the army, by providing more
stringent oath for that purpose. The
signal service has been kept up and
extended, showing good results,as the
veriication of 81 $40 per cent. of pre-
dictiops is an improvement on pre-
vious years. Special attention is
called to tho recommendation of the
chief signal officer that the signal
corps be constituted bureau of the
department The interments to June
Both last numbered 3O6,053. Tn
der the act of February 10, 1875, for
the relief of grasshopper sufferers,
adults and 1892 children under IL
years of age in the States Of Minneso-
ia, Nebraska, Iowa, kansas and the
Territories OF Dakota and Colorado.
The enactment of a system of annni-
ties for the families of deceased Off
GERS by voluntary deductions from the
monthly pay Of those holding COM
lnissions in tho army is recommended
and urged. The restoration of the
mileage system for the expenses OF
officers while travelling is recommend
ed, and enforced by an argument
showing that the present. system OF
paying actual expenses is impractical
BILE aud even less economical than
fair mileage allowance, Tho estimates
Of the Chief Of Engineers for the en-
suing year in the aggregate arc ST.
29S,S74. or this sum, $2,0i4,000 are
for Notifications and other works of
defense, and $l4,3Ol, 100 are for i'm
provement of rivers and harbors. An
increase ofthe appropriation for arm
ing and cquipping the militia is again
recommended. Ii was 100000 in
1868, and still Remains at that figure.
The present organized strength of the
| militia ia S4.72i, while the unorgani-
zed strength is 3.70l,977. The Secre-
tary thinks, were arms and equip
inents forthcoming, the organized
force would DO greatly augmented.
Tho Secretary argues forcibly, and at
some length, in favor of a greater con-
centration Of ordnance manufactures.
There ia no evidence in the report that
the Secretary npprehends any serious
trouble with Mexico on the claims
question. The difficulties are dis
missed in paragraphs. Nor does the
Black hills controversary take much
more space. The expenditures of the
department Gncluding river and har-
Dor improyements) foot mp S4l,277,-
315.2 %. against reduction of $l,04S,-
93o.43 from the total of lS73-74. The
estimates for the ensuing year arc
S33, 452, $500. The Secretary EVIL
IDENTIFY desires 10 be relieved from the
annoyance and svcxation of the ap.
p0intment of post traders, for he rec
ommends the restoration of the old
system of appointment by department
commanders. These are some of the
more important features of the report.
II will pay perussl az showing The i'm.
mense amount Of detail necessary to
keep even an Amy of $4,000 men in
j fighting trim.