The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1876-12-09

$ OLE, 200. With my approval the Score
i tary Of War directed that, of this amount
! works should be begun, and none pr0secut
ed which were not Of national importance
Subsequently this amount was increased :,
1928, 100, and works are now progressing Of
this basis. The improvement of the Soutl
Pass Of the Mississippi River, under j. B
Eads and his associates, IL progressing IA
yorably. At the present time there is ,
channel of 20 3-10 feet in depth between tn,
jetties at the mouth of the pass, and 49,
feet at the head of the pass. Neither chan
mel, however, has the width required be
| fore payment shall be made by the United
States. A commission of engineers ant
officers Is now examining these works, ant
their reports will be presented as soon a.
received.
THE NAVY.
The report Of the Secretary of the Nav
shows that he believes the service to be in
condition as effective as 1t is possible to keel
it with the means and appropriations giyer
the Department. 1t Is not, Of course, pos.
sible to riyA the costly and progressive es'
adjustments Of the great European power.
with the old material Of our Navy, to which
no increase has been authorized since the
War, except eight small cruisers, built Il
supply the place Of others which had gone
to decay. Yet the most has been done that
was possible with the means at command,
and they are substantially rebuilding some
of our old ships with durable material, and
completely repairing and refitting our mon
itor fleet. the Navy has been gradually
so brought up that, though 1t does not
maintain its relative position among
the progressive nxvies Of the world, it il
now in = condition more powerful and ef-
fective than it ever has been in time of
peace. The complete repairs of our five
heavy iron. clads are only delayed on account
of the insdequacy Of the appropriations
made last year for the working bureaus OF
the Department, which were actually less
in amount than those made before the War,
Notwithstanding the greatly enhanced price
Of labor and materials, and the increase inthe
cost Of the naval service growing out of the
universal use and great expense OF steam
machinery. The money necessary
for these repairs should be pro-
vided at once, that they may be
completed without further unneces-
sary delay and expense. When this is done,
all the strength that there is in the Navy
will be developed and useful to its full ca
pacity, and all will be powerful for the pur-
pose Of defense, and also for offensive ac-
lion, should necessity for that arise, within
reasonable distance from our shores. The
fact that our Navy is not more modern and
powerful than il is has been made cause
OF complaint against the Secretary of the
Navy by persons who at the same time criti-
else and complain Of his endeavors to bring
the Navy that we have to its best and most
efficient condition. But the good sense of
the country will understand that it is really
to his practised action that we have at this
time any effective navy force at command.
POSTAL AFFAIRS.
The report Of the Postmaster General
shows an excess of expenditures, including
expenditures on account Of previous years.
Receipts for the fiscal year ending June 30,
1876, estimated to be 81, Isl, 1888. Sc esti-
mated expenditures for the fiscal year end
ing jane 80, 1876, are $3.50, 723, 432 .43; esti.
mated revenue for the same period is $50, =
645, 165, leaving an estimated excess of eX.
Of IT, OIS, 250. 43. The Postmaster General,
like his predecessor, is convinced that =
change in the basis Of adjusting salaries of
POstmasters of the fourth class is necessary
for the good Of the service as well as for the
interests of the Government, and urgently
recommends that consideration Of the class
of P0stmasters above mentioned be
based on the business Of their respective
offices as ascertalned from sworn returns to
the Auditor of stamps cancelled. A few
Postmasters in the Southern States have ex-
pressed great apprehensiOns of their per-
sonal safety on account of their connection
with the Postal Service, and have specially
requested that their reports of apprehend-
ed danger should not be made public, lest
it should result in the loss Of their lives;
but no positive testimony of interference
has been submitted, except in the case of
mail messenger at Spartanburg, in South
Carolina, who reported that he had been
violently driven away on the charge of his
political utilization. The Assistant Super.
intendent of the Railway Service investi-
gated this case, and reported that a mes
senger has disappeared from his post, leav-
ing his work to be performed by substi-
tute. The Postmaster General thinks this
case is sufficiently suggestive to JUS
tify him in recommending that q more Sc
we're punishment should be provided for the
otfense Of assaulting any person in charge
OF mails, or OF retarding or otherwise OBJ
structing them by thr eats of personal injury.
A very gratifying result is presented in the
fact that the deficiencies Of this Department
during the last fiscal year were reduced to
81 OSl Is, as against So, 169, 93S So of the
preceding year. The difference can be
traced to the large increase in its ordinary
receipts, which greatly exceeded estimates
therefor, and slight increase in its eXpend-
itures. The ordinary receipts Of the
Post-oftice Department for the past
seven fiscal years have increased at
per annum, while the increase Of eXpend-
lures for the same period has been about
80 per cent. per annum, and decrease of
deficiency in the revenues has been at the
rate OF nearly two per cent. per annum.
AGRICULTURE.
The report Of the Commissioner of Agri. |
culture accompanying the message will be |
lound one Of great interest, marking, as |
t does, the great progress of the last cen. |
fury in the increase Of the products OF the |
soil and in the knowledge and skill iii the |
abor of producing, saving and manipulst.
ing the same to prepare them for the use of |
man; in the improvements in machinery |
70 aid the agriculturalist in his labor, and |
Of those scientific subjects
nece ssary to thorough system Of economy
IN agricultural production, namely, chem
stry, botany and entomology. This re.
port, by those interested in agriculture and |
deriving their support from it, will be found
,f value in pointing out those articles
needs Of the world require, and must sell
therefore, for less than the cost of produc.
ion, and those which command q profit
,ver cost Of production, because there is
rot an over.pr0ductiOn. 1 call special at.
ention to the need Of the Department for
! new gallery for the reception of the ex-
libits returned from the Centennial EXhi-
'ition, including the exhibits donated by
cry many foreign nations, and to the rec
mel dstiOns of the Commissioner of Agri-
ulture generally.
THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.
The international Exhibition held in
this year in cOmmemoration
4 the one hundredth anniversary of Amer.
ian Independence has proven q great
uccess and will no doubt be of endur.
ng advantage to the country. 1t has shown
reat progress in the arts, sciences and
skill made 10 a single century,
nd demonstrated that we are but little be.
ind the older nations in any one branch.
7hile in some we scarcely have q rival. 1t
as served not only to bring the people and
roducts Of skill and labor from all parts of
be world together, but In bringing togeth-
r people from all sections of our own cOun-
~, which must prove Of great benefit,