The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-12-07

creased to SZ,ZoI ,oUU, anu WOrKs ar
now progressing rapidly on this basis
The improvement of the South Pas
of the Mississippi River, under J. B
Eads and his associates, is progress
ing favorably. At the present time
there is a channel of 20.9 feet il
depth between the jetties at the mouth
of the pass, and eighteen and one-hal
feet at the head of the pass. Neither
channel, however, has the width re
quired before the payment shall be made
by us. A commission of Engineers and
Officers is now examining these works
and their reports will be presented az
soon as received.
THE NAVY.
The report of the Secretary of the
Navy shows that he believes the service
be ina condition as effective as it IL
possible to keep it with the appropria-
tions given the Department. 1t is, of
course, impossible to rival the costly and
progressive establishments of the great
European powers with the old material
of our navy to which no increase has
been authorized since the war except
eight small cruisers built to supply the
place of others which lad gone to decay.
Yet the most has been done that was
possible with the means at command,
and by substantially rebuilding some of
our old ships with desirable material,
and completely repairing and reftting
our monitor fleet, the Navy has been
gradually SO brought up that, though it
int fo lot
among the progressive navies of the
world, it is now in a condition more
powerful and effective 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
inadequacy of the appropriation 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 en-
hanced price of labor and materials, and
the increase in the 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 provided at once, that they
may be completed without further
unnecessary delay and expense. When
this is done all the strength
that there is in the navy will be
developed, and will be useful to its
full capacity, and will be all-powerful
for the purpose of defense and also fol
offensive action should necessity for that
arise within a reasonable distance from
our shore.
The fact that our navy is not more
modern and powerful than it is has beer
made a cause of complaint against the
Secretary Of the Navy, by persons who
at the same time criticise and
complain of his endeavors to bring
up the navy that we have to its
best and most efficient condition. But
the good sense of the country will un.
derstand that it is really to his practical
action that we have at this time any eff
fectiye navy force at command.
THE PosT-oFFIcE.
The report of the Postmaster-General
shows the excess of expenditures, in
Guiding expenditures on account Of
years, over the receipts for the fscal
year ending June 80, 1876, tC
be $4,151, 1886. Estimated expendi.
lures for the fiscal year end.
ing June 80, 1878, are 1852, ,343.24
estimated revenues for the same peri.
cd is So, ,064, sic, 800, leaving an estimated
excess of expenditures to be S607 1926. "a
The Postmaster-Ge General, like his prede-
cessor, is convinced that a change in the
basis of adjusting the salaries of postmas.
ters of the fourth class is necessary fol
the good of the service, as well as for the
interests of the Government, and urgently
recommends that the compensation Oi
the class of postmasters above men.
toned be based upon the business
of their respective offices, as ascer.
tanned from the sworn returns
TO the Auditor of stamps cancelled. A
few postmaste1s in the Southern States
have expressed great apprehensiOns Of
their personal safety, on account of theil
connection with the postal service, and
have specially requested that their re-
ports of apprehended danger should not
be made public lest it should result il
the loss of their lives; but no positive
testimony or interference has been sub
mitted except in the case of mail mes
senger, at Spantanburg, in South Caro-
lima, who reported that he had beer
violently driven away, while il
charge, on account of his political affilia
tions. An Assistant Superintendent o
the Railway Mail Service investigated
this case, and reported that the messen
ger had disappeared from his post, leav
ing his work to Be performed by sub
stitute. The Postmaster-Ge thinks
this case is sufficiently suggestive tt
Justify him in recommending that ,
more severe punishment should be pro
vided for the offense of assaulting any
person in charge of the mails, or o
retarding or otherwise obstructing then
by threats of personal injury. A yer!
gratifying result is presented in the fac
that the deficiency of this department
during the last fiscal year was reduces
to 81, 1914, ,7101S, as against Sc, 1863, ,93S.S
of the preceding year. The diherenc
can be traced to the large increase in it
ordinary receipts, which greatly ex
ceeded the estimate therefor, and
slight decrease in its expenditures
The ordinary receipts OF tn
Postoffice Department for the past seve
fiscal years, have increased at an averag
of over eight per cent. per annum, Will
the increase of expenditures for the sam
period has been about five and half pc
cent. per annum, and the decrease c
deficiency, in the revenues, has bee
at the rate of nearly two per cent. pc
annum.
THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION
held in Philadelphia, this year, in con
memoration of the hundredth anniyel
sary of American independence, his
proved a great success, and will n
doubt be of enduring advantage to th
country. 1t has shown the great prt
gress in the arts, sciences, and mechar
ical skill made in a single century, an
demonstrated that we are but little b.
hind the older nations in any on
branch, while in some we scarcely bay
a rival. 1t has served, too, not onl
to bring people and products {
skill and labor from all parts of th
world together, but in bringing togethe
people from all sections of our countr,
which must prove a great benefit in il
formation imparted and pride of countr