The Portland daily press., 1876-12-06
The Centennial State.

vi mdICU, 1910, buO lbhADlldhlo VI
the territory of Colorado to form state gov
eminent with the name OF the state OF Colorado
and therein provided for the admission of said
state when formed into the Union upon an
equal footing with the original states. A con-
stltution having been adopted and accepted by
the people of the state, and the acting Cover
nor having certified to the facts as required by
said act together with a copy of such constitu-
ton and ordinances as provided for in said act,
and the provisions of the said act of Congress
having been duly complied with, issued
proclamation on the first of August, 1876,
copy OF which is hereto annexed
The Army.
The report of the Secretary of War shows
that the army has been actively employed dur
ing the year in subdung at the request OF the
Indian Bureau certain wild bands OF the Sioux
Indian nation, and in preserving the peace at
the South during election. The commission
constituted under the act OF July 24th, 1876 to
consider and report on the whole subject of re-
form and reorganization of the whole army,
began work in August last and has collected a
large mass of statistics and opinions bearing on
the subject before it,. These are now under
consideration aud their report is progressing. l
am advised though by the president of the
commission that it will be impracticable to
comply with the clause of the act requiring the
report to be presented through me to Congress
on the first day of this session, as there has not
yet been time for that mature delberation
WUlcU tluUUEbduCo vi Iut SuUItCb uesuauUS
The conferees ask that the time of making the
renort be extended to the 29th day of January,
1877, in accordance with the resolution of
August 18th, 1876. The army regulations pre-
pared under act of March LIST, 1875, have not
been FORMULATED, but held until after the report
of the above mentioned committee shall have
been received and acted upon.
By the act of August 18th, 1885, the cavalry
force of the army was Increased by $500 men
with the proviso that they should be DISCHARGED
r. H.
this authority the regiments have been
strengthened and portion of them are now in
the field pursuing the remnants of Indians with
whom they have been engaged during the sum-
mer.
The estimates of the War Department are
made no on the basis of the number of men
authorized by law, their requirements as shown
by gears of experience, and also With the pur-
pose on the part of the bureau officers to pro-
vide for all contingencies that may arise during
the time for which the estimates are made
exclusive OF engineer estimates, presented il
accordance with acts of Congress calling fol
surveys. aud estimates for Improvements al
various localities. The estimates now pre-
scented are about six millions 10 excess OF the
appropriations for the years 1874, 1875 and 1876.
This increase is asked in order to provide fol
tue increased cavalry force, should their ser
vices be necessary, to prosecute economic work
upon important public buildings, TO provide for
the armament of Notifications aud the manu-.
facture of small arms, and to replenish the
supply of departments. The appropriations
for these last natnei have for the past few
years beeu 50 limited that the accumulation il
store will be entirely exhausted during the
present year, and it will be necessary to at once
begin to repleDish them
| invite your special attention to the follow
ing recommendations of the Secretary of War
First-That the claims under the act of July
4th, 1864, for supplies taken by the army during
the war be removed from the offices of the
Quartermaeter and COmmissary Generals anc
transferred to the Southern Claims Commits
sion.
These claims are of precisely similar nature
to those now before the Southern Claims Com
mission aud the War Department bureaus have
not the clerical force for their examination, MOI
proper machinery for investigating the loyalty
of claimants.
Second-That Congress sanction the schem,
of an annuity, for the benefit of the fami
lies of deceased officers, and that it also pro
vide for the permanent organization of thu
signal service, both of which were recommended
in my last annual message.
Third-That the manufacturing operation
of the Ordnance Department be concentrated
at three arsenas and an armory, and that thu
remaining arsenals be sold and the proceeds
applied to the object by the Ordnance Depart
ment.
River and Harbor Improvement.
The appropriations for river and harbor i'm
provements for the current year were $5,015,
600. With my. approval the Secretary of Wal
directed that OF this amount $2,000,000 should
be expended and no new work should be bee III
and none prosecuted which was not of natioua
importances. Subsequently this amount wa
increased So, 237 500 and the works are now
progressing on this basis. The improvement
OF the south pass of the Mississippi river, un
der James b. Fades and his associates, is pro
crossing favorably; at the present time there
is channel of 20 $40 feet in depth between
the jetties at the mouth of the pass and eight
cen and one. half feet at the head of the pass
Neither channel, however, has the width re
CURED before payments can be made by the
United States. An army com mission of erg
neer's officers is now examining the sea works
and their reports will be presented as soon as
received.
The Navy.
The report of the Secretary of the Navy
shows that branch of the service to be in con-
dltloH as effective as it is possible to keep it
with the means and authority given the depart
ment. It Is of course not possible to rival the
European powers with the old material Of ou1
navy, ta, which no increase has been authorized
since the war, except the eight small cruisers
built to supply the places of those which haG
gone to decay, yet the most has been done thai
was possible with the means at command, and
by substantially rebuilding some Of our ole
ships with durable material and completely re-
pairing and reftting our monitor fleet our navy
has been gradually brought up, so that though
it does not maintain its relative position among
the progressive navies of the world, it is now
in condition more powerful and effective thar
it ever has been in time of peace. The com
plete repairs of our five heavy iron-clads art
only delayed on account of the inadeQuacy Of
the appropriations made last year for the work
ing bureau of the department, which were act
ualiy less in amount than those made before
the war, Notwithstanding the greatly en-
HANGED price OF labor and materials and the in
crease in the cost OF naval service growing ou
OF the universal use and great expense of steam
machinery. The money necessary for these re.
pairs should be provided at once that they NAV
be completed without further unnecessary de-
lay and expense. When this is done, ali the
strength that there is in our navy will be deyeI
oped and useful to its full capacity, and it will
be powerful for purposes of defence and also fol
offensive action, should the necessity for tina,
arise within reasonable distance from our shores
The fact that our navy is not more modern and
powerful than it is bias been made cause OF
complaint against the Secretary of the Nayy BY
persons who, at the same time critcise and
CT nplain of his endeavors to bring the navy
that we have to its best and most efficient con.
dition, 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 effective
naval force at command.
The Postomce.
The report of the Postmaster General shows
the excess of expenditures excluding expendi-
lures on account of previous years receipts for
the hscaI year ending June 80, 1876 to be
S4,151 1888 &c; estimated expenditures for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1873, are So. 672. 343
243; estimated revenue for the same period ia
$30, 645, l65. 90, leaving an estimated excess of
expenditure to be appropriated as deficiencv
of $607 1926, 743. The Postmaster General like
his predecessor is convinced that chanpe in
the basis of adjusting the salaries of the most.
masters of the fourth class is necessary for the
good OF the service as we'll as for the interests
of the government and urgently recommends
that the compensation of the class of post.
masters above mentioned be based upon the
business OF their respective offices as ascertain
ed from the sworn returns to the Auditor of
the stamps cancelled
A few postmasters in the Southern states
have expressed great apprehension of their per
sonal safety on account of their copnection
with the postal service, and have specially re-
quested that their reports of apprehended dan
ger should not be made public lest it should
result in the loss OF lives, but no positive testi
mony OF interference has been submitted ex
cope in the case of mail messenger at Snar-
tasburg in South Carolina, who reported that
ne mad been violently driven away while in
charge OF the mails on account of his polJtical
Affiliations. An assistant superintendent of
the railway mail service investigated this case
and reported that the messenger had disan.
peared from his post leaving his work to be
performed by substitute The Postmaster
General thinks this case is sufficiently supoes-
IN NTafn In L.