The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-12-14

|
vdcd Tor the admission Of snid State when formed
into the Union upon an equal footing with the orig
ma lnal states; constitution having been adopted
aud ratified by the people OF that State and the act
| ing governor having certified TO me the facts as
provided by said act, together with copy of such
constitution and ordinances as provided for IN the
said act and the provisions of the said act Of Con-
gress having been duly complied with, issued a
proclamation upon the first of August, is7G, copy
OF which Ia hereto annexed
rns REPORT OF rnR SECRETARY OF WAR
shows that the army has been actively employed
during the year in subduing, at the request OF the
Indian bureau, certain wild bands of the Sioux In-
dinn nation and Ia preserving the peace at the
| South during the election. The commission consti-
report ON the whole subject of reform and reorgan-
Sation OF the whole army In August laat, has col
lcetcd large mass of statistMe aud opinions bear
ing on the subject before II. These are now under
consideration and their report ia progressing In
accordance with the resolutions of August is, 1875
| the army regulations prepared under the act of
March I, 1878, have not been promulgated but are
held until after the report of the above mentioned
commission shall have been received and acted on
SECRETARY OF WAR.
invite your special attention TO the following re-
sommendrtons OF the secretary of war: First
That the claims under the act OF July L. 1864, for
supplies taken by the army during the war be re-
moved from the Offices of the quartermaster and
conmssary generals, and transferred to the South
ern claina commission. These claims are of pre-
cisely similar nature TO those now before the South
ern claims commission and the War department
bureaus Have not the clerical force for their exam
ination no proper machinery for investigating the
loyalty Of the clamants9 Second--That Congress
sanction the scheme of an annuity fund for the
benefit of the families Of deceased officers and that
1t also provide for the permanent organization of
THE SIGNAL SERVICE,
both Of which were recommended iu my last annual
| message. Third-That the manufacturing opera
| tons OF the Ordnance department be concentrated
at three arsenas and armory, and that the re-
manning arsenals be sold and the proceeds applied
to this object by the Ordnance department.
RIVER AND HARDoR APPROPRIATIONS.
The appropriations for river and barbor improve
ments for the current year were five million and
| fifteen thousand dollars. With my approval the
secretary of directed that of this amount two
million dollars should be expended, and no new
work should be begun and none prosecuted, which
were not of national Importance. Subsequently this
amount WAS increased to s., ,237600, and the works
| are now progressing on this lrsis. The improve
ment of the south pass of the Mississippi river un-
der james b. Eads and his associates is progress
ing tavorably AT the present time there IS cham
| mel Of twenty and three-tenths feet In depth be-
| tween the jetties OF the mouth of the pass, and
eighteen and one half feet at the head of the pass
| Neither channel, however, HAS the width required
| before payments can be made by the United States
A commission of engineer officers is now examining
these works, and their reports will be presented
soon as received.
| TIE NAVY.
| The report Of the secretary of the navy shows
that branch OF the service TO be in a condition as
effective it is possible to keep it with the means
and authority given the department 1t is, of
course, not possible TO rival the costly and progress
sive establishments OF great European powers with
the old material Of our navy TO which no crease
has been authorized since the except the eight
small eEusers built to supply the place of others
| winch had gone to decay. Yet the most has been
| done that was possible with the means at command
aud by substantially rebuilding some of our old
ships with durable material, and completely repair
ing our monitor feet, the navy has been gradually
SO brought up that though it does maintain its
relative position among the progressive navies of
the world, it is now IN q condition more powerful
| cnd effective than II has iepD in n lima If
peace, The complete repairs of five heavy IRON
elads are only delayed on account of the inadequa
! cy o. 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 IN the cost of
the nava! service growing out Of the universal
ana 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 il our navy will be de-
veloped aud useful to it's full capacity and it will
be powerful FOR purposes of defense, and also for
offensive action, should the necessity for that arise
within u reasonable distance from shores. The
fact that our navy is not more modern and power
| full than it is has been made cause of complaint
against the secretary Of the navy by persons who
the same time crticise and complain of his endeav-
ors 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 due to his
practical action that We have at this time any sec-
| tive navy force at command
THE Posr-oFFIcB DEPARTMENT.,
| The report of the postma ster-general shows the
excess of expenditures, including expenditures on
account OF previous years, over receipts for the s
cal year ended June so, 1876, to be Sl151 ,958.C6
Estimated expenditures for the f7ca year ending
June 80, 1878, are s3G 1928 49249. Estimated revenue
for period is 500 6I5,lG leaving an estimated
excess of expenditure to be appropriated as a de-
feiency of s6,075,26743. The postmaster general,
like his predecessors is convinced that change in
the basis of adjusting the salaries of postmasters of
the fourth class is necessary for the good OF the SER
vice as well for the interest Of the government,
and urgently recommend that the compensation OF
the class of postmesters above mentioned be based
upon the business of their respective offices, as as
certained from the sworn returns to the auditor OF
stamps Cancelled.
FEARs OF PERSONAL SAFETY.
| A few postmasters in the Southern States have
expressed great apprehcpsions of their personal
safety on account OF their cton with the postal
service, and have specially requested that their re-
| ports Of apprehended danger should not be made
public lest 1t should result in the loss OF Their lives
But no positive testimony of their interference has
been submitted except ia the case Of a mail messen-
ger at Spartanburg, in South Carolina, who report
ell that he lad been violently driven away while in
charge of the mails on account OF his political aia-
| tions as assistant superintendent of the railway
maj! service. Invest gated the and reported
that the messenger had disappeared from his post,
| leaving his work to be performed by u substitute
The postmaster general thinks this case is sufficient.
ly suggestive to justify him in recommending that
more severe punishment should be pr 'vded for the
| otense OF assauting any person III charge of the
mails, or of retardug or otherwise ohstructing
them by threats Of personal injury. very grati-
Tying Result is presented III the TACT That the de-
fciency OF this department during the last fiscal
year was reduced TO "a 0Sl, ,90lS against &C. l69
93e.S8 of the preceding year. The difference can be
traced to large increase in its ordinary receipts
(Which greatly exceeded the estimates terefor) and
slight decrease in its expenditures. The ordinary
receipts OF tie Post-ofice department for the past
seven fiscal years lave increased at average of
over eight per cent. per annum, while the increase
OF expe ditures for the period has been about
nfty.hv per cent per annum, aud the decrease of
deficiency in the revenues has been at the rate OF
nearly two per cent. per annuin.
| COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE
The report of the commissioner of agriculture ao-
companying this message will be found one of great
interest, marking, as 1t does, the great progress of
the last century il the variety OF products of the soil
increased knowledge and skill in the labor of pro-
ducing, saving and manipulating the same to pre-
pare them for the use Of man, in the improvements
in machinery TO aid the agrculturist in his labors
| and In the knowledge of those scientific subjects
necessary to thorough system of economy in agri-
| cultural production, namely: Chemistry, botany,
entomology etc. study of this report by those In
terested in agriculture, and deriving their support
from 1t, will find it of value. In pointing out those
articles which are raised in greater quantity than
| the needs of the world require, aud must SELL
therefore, for less than the cost of production and
| those which command profit over cost of produc-
| ton because there is not an over production, ]
call special attention to the need of the department
Tor new gallery for the reception of the exhibits
returned from the Centennial Exhibition inc uding
the exhibits donated by very many foreign nations
ana 10. the recommepd dations OF the commissioner
of agriculture generally. The reports OF the district
| commissions and the board of health are lust re-
eeved-too late to read them and to make recom-
mendations thereon-and are herewith submitted
TIE CENTENNIAL ExHIDITIoN.
The International Exhibition held in PHILADELPHIA
| this year in commemoration OF the one hundreath
anniversary 81 American independence, has proven
| n nd urU