Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-12-09
you to earnestly direct your attention to

you TO earnestly direct your attention t
the subject.
In like manner, repeat my recommends
ton that some means be provided for tn
hearing and determination of the just an,
existing claims of aliens upon the govern
ment of the United States with reason
BILE limitation of such as may hereto
arise. Under existing provisions of law
the court of claims may in certain cases b.
resorted to by our aliens, but the absence
of any general provisions governing al
such cases and the want of tribunals skilled
in the disposition of such cases upon recog
nized, fixed and settled principles, either
provide no remedy in many deserving cases
or compel consideration of such claims
by, Congress or the executive department
Of the government. l believed that Other
governments are in advance of the United
States upon this question, and that the
practice now adopted is entirely unsatfac-
tory. ADMISSION OF COLORADO.
Congress, by an act approved the Sd of
March, 1915, authorized the inhabitants of
the Territory of Colorado to form State
government, with the name of the State of
Colorado, and therein provided for the adj
MISSION of said State, when formed into
the Union upon an equal footing with the
original States. A constitution having
been adopted and ratified by the people
of that State, and the acting Governor hav-
ing certified to me the facts as provided
by said act, together with a copy of the
constitution and ordinances, as provided
for in said act, and the provisions of such
act of Congress having been duly complied
with, issued a proclamation upon the 1st
of August, 1876, u copy of which is hereto
annexed,
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR.
The report of the Secretary of War
shows that the army has been actively
employed during the year in subduing,
at the request of the Indian Bureau, Ger
tain wild bands of the Sioux Indian ma
ton and in preserving peace at the South
during the election.
The commission constituted under the
act of July "a, 1876, to consider and report
on the whole subject of reform and reor-
ganization of the whole army i'll August
last, has called large mass of statistics
and opinions bearing on the suLject be-
fore it. These are are now under consid-
Grafton, and that spirit is progressing. |
am advised, though, by the president of
the commission that it will be impractical
|
quiring the report to be presented through
me to Congress on the first day of this ses-
! sion, as there has not yet been time for that
| mature delibcration which the Importance
| of the subject demands Therefore ask
the time of making a report be extended
to the 29th day of January, 1877. In &C
| cordance with the resolution Of August Is,
1876, the army regulations prepared under
| act OF March |, 1875, have not been pro-
mulgatcd, but are held until after the re-
port of the above mentioned commission
| shall have been received and acted upon
BY the act of August 10, 1876, the cavalry
force of the army was increased by $500
men, with proviso that they should be
discharged on the expiration of the hosti-
liics. On this authority the cavalry regi-
meats have been strengthened, and q pOr-
ton of them are now in the field pursuing
the remnants of the Indians with whom
they have been engaged during the sum.
mer. The estimates OF the war debt are
made upon the basis of the number of
men authorized by law, and their equip.
ments Us shown by years of experience,
and also with the purpose, on the part of
the bureau officers, to provide for all con-
tingencies that may arise during the time
for which the estimates are made, exclu-
in accordance with acts of Congress call
ing for surveys and estimates for, i'm
prOvements at various localities. The es-
Inmates now presented are about six mil.
lions in excess of the appropriations for
the years 1874, 1915 and 1876. This in
crease IS asked in order to provide for the
increased cavalry force should their servi-
ccs, be necessary to prosecute economical
work upon important public buildings,
to provide for armament of Notifications
and manufacture of small arms, and to re-
plenish the working stock in the supply
department. The appropriations for these
last named have for the past ten wears
hecn ) : distributed that the Accommodations
in store will be entirely exhausted during
the present year, and it will lie necessary
to at once begin to replenish them.
invite your special attention to the fol-
lowing recommendations of the Secretary
of War:
First-That the claims under the act of
July 4, 1864. for supplies taken by the
| army during the war, be reissued from the
| office of the Quartermaster and Commits
sary Generals, and transferred to the
claims commissioners. These claims are
| of precisely similar nature to those now
| before the southern claims commission,
|
the clerical force for their examination
nor the proper machinery or Investigating
the loyalty of the claimants:
SecOnd-That Congress sanction the
scheme Of an annuity fund for the benefit
of the families of deceased officers, and
that it also provide for the permanent or.
ganization of the regular service, both OF
which were recommended in my last an.
nual message
Third-That the manufacturing one
rations of the ordnance, be conccn.
tratod at an armory, and that the remain.
ing he sold and the proceeds applied to
this object by the ordance department.
RIVER AND HAnBoR IMPROVEMENTS.
The appropriation for river and harbo,
improvements for the present wear was
5000, zoo o., With Tiny my approval, the secre
s2,00O,OO0 should be expended, and nc
works should be begun and none prose
cuted which were not of national inlpOrt
ance. subsequently this amount was in
creased to $2,237, 900. and works are now
ment of the South Pass of the MISSISSIPPI
river under James b. Eads and his associ
ateS is progressing favorably. At the
present time there Is u channel of 20 alt
feet in depth between the jetties at the
| mouth of the pass and 1871 feet at the head
| of the pass. Neither channel, however
has the width required before payments
can be made by the United States. A com
mission Of engineer officers is now exam
| lining these works, and their reports will bt
| presented as soon as received.
THE NAVY.
The report of the Secretary of the Navy
| shows that branch of service to be in q
condition as effective as it is possible tf
keep it with the means appropriated to the
department. 1t is, of course, impossible t(
rival the costly and progressive establish
ments Of great European powers, with the
crease has been authorized since the war
except the eight small cruisers built tc
supply the place of others which had gone
to decay vet the most has been done thai