Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-12-08

necessity OF legislation concerning the
marriages OF American citizsns contracted
abroad and concerning the status OF Amer
lean women who may marry foreigners and
of children born of American parents in a
foreign country. The delicate and compli-
Gated questions continually occurring with
reference to naturalization, expatriation
and the status of such persons as l have
above referred to induce me to earnestly
direct your attention again to these sub
jets.
THE CLAIMS OF ALIENS.
In like manner repeat my reeommerda
ton that some means be provided for the
hearing and determination of the just and
subsistlng claims of aliens upon the Gov
eminent of the United States within rea-
sonable limitation and of such as may here
after arise While by existing provisions
OF law the court of claims nav in GER
tain cases be resorted to by an alien claim
ant, the absence of any general provisions
| governing all such cases and the want OF
tribunal skilled in the disposition Of
such cases upon recognized, fixed
and settled principles either provides
no remedy in many deserving cases or COM
pols consideration of such claims by Con-
gress or the executive departments of the
government 1t is believed that other
governments are in advance of the United
States upon this question and that the
practice now adopted is entirely unsatis-
factory.
COLORADO
Congress bv an act approved the 81 day
Of March, 1875, 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 ad-
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 having
certified to all the facts as provided by said
act, together with copy of such constitu-
ton and ordinances as provided for In the
said act, and the provisions OF the said act
of Congress having been duly complied
with, | issued proclamation upon the LIST
Of August, 1876, a copy Of which is hereto
annexed.
THE ARMY.
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. certain wild bands oil
the Sioux Indian natives and in preserving
peace at the South during the election. The
]
| July 81, 1876. to consider and report on
the whole subject of the reform and the
reorganization of the whole army, in Aug
ust last. has collected large mass OF sta
tistics and opinions bearing on the subject
! before it. These are now uLder cOnsldera-
| ton and their report II progressing. |
am advised, though, by the president of the
commission that 1t will be impracticable 10
comply with the clause Of the act requiring
the report to be presented through me 10
! Congress en- the first day OF this session. as
/ there has not been time for that mature
/ delberati0n which the importance Of the
subject demands. Therefore, ask that the
time OF making the report be extended to
the 29,h day Of January. 1877. 10 ac-
/ cordance with the resolution Of August 18th,
! 1876, the army regulations prepared under
the act of March LIST, 1875, have not been
promulg gated, bat are held until after the
report aforementioned shall have been re-
celyed and acted on.
BY the act Of August 18Th, 1876, the
| cavalry force Of the army was increased by
/ , 500 men, with the pToyiso that they
should be discharged on the expiration Of
| hostlllties. Under this authority the cav
/ airy regiments have been trengthened, and
/ a portion OF them are now in the field pur-
suing the remnants of the Indians with
whom they have been engaged during the
summer.
The estimates OF the War Department are
made I'D on the basis Of the number Of men
/ authorized by law and their requirements
a. shown by years Of experience, and also
with the purpose on the part of the Bureau
1 officers to provide for all contingencies that
may arise during the time Tor which the
estimates are made. Exclusive of engineer
estimates, presented in accordance with acts
Of Congress calling for surveys and est
mates for Improvements at various local-
ties, the estimates now presented are about
six millions IN excess of the appropriations
for the years ls74-75 and 1856 This
increase Is asked, in order to provide for
the increased cavalry force, should their
services be necessary to prosecute ecOnom-
lcally work upon important public build
lngs 10 provide Tor the armament Of tJrtl-
hcatI0ns and the manufacture OF snail arms,
and to replenish the working stock IN the
supply depots. The appropriations for these
last named have for the past few years been
50 limited that the accnmulations in store
will be entirely exhausted during the pres
ent year. and it will be necessary to at once
begin to replenish them.
invite your special attention to the fol-
lowing recommendations ot the Secretary
of War First. That claims under the ac:
Of July 4, 1864. for supplies taken by the
army during the war be removed from the
fhces Of the Quartermaster and Commis-
Generals and transferred to the SJuth-
ern claims commission. These claims are
Of precisely similar nature to those now
before the Southern claims commission and
the War Department bureaus have not the
clerical force for their examination nor the
proper machinery Tor investigating the
loyalty OF the claimants Second, That
Congress sanction the scheme OF an annuity
fund for the benefit OF the families Of de-
ceased ofhcers, and that II also provide for
the permanent organization Of the signal
service. Both OF these steps were recon-
mended in my last annual message. Third.
That the manufacturing operations of the
ordnance department be concentrated at
.hree arsenals and an armory. and that the
remaining arsenals be sold and the proceeds
applied to tais obiec: by the ordnance
department.
RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS.
The appropriations tor river and harbor
improvements for the current year were
S5,0l5 900. With my approval the Secre-
tary OF War directed that Of this amount
s. GOO ,OO0 should be expended and no new
work should be begun and none promul-
gated which were not Of national Impor
lance. Suh>oq uently this amount was in
creased to 8, 237 600. and the works are
now progressing on this basis. The i'm
prosement OF the south pass of the Missis-
sippi river under James B. Eads and his
associates Is progressing favOrably. At the
present time there IL channel of twenty
and three-tcnths feet in depth between the
jetties al the mouth of the pass, and eigh-
teen and one half feet at the head of the
pass Neither lchanne4 however. has the
width required before payments can be
made by the United States commission
Of engineer Cticers Is now examining these
works and their reports will be presented
as 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 as it is possible to
keep it with the means and authority given |
the department. Ii Is, of course, not posi- |
bic to rival the establishments OF the great |
European powers with the old material Of /
our navy, TO which no increase has been |
authorized since the war, except the eight |
small cruisers built to 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 by substantially |
rebuilding some of our old ships with dura-
bic material and completely repairing and |
reftting our monitor fleet. the navy has
been gradually so brought up that though it
does not msintsin,ts relative position among
the progressive nsyies of the word it IS now
in a condition more powerful and effective
than it ever has been in time Of peace. The
complete repairing Of our five heavy IRON
cads was not possible from the appropria-
tiOns 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 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 our navy will be developed and
useful to its full capacity. twill be power
fuI for nnrnoses of deience and also for