Arizona weekly miner., 1876-12-15

, cases. and the want of a tribunal skilled in , in the disposition of such cases upon recog-
 nized, fixed and settled principles, either
 prevents q remedy in many deserving cases, or compels a consideration of such claims
 by Congress or the Executive departments
 of the Government.
 COLORADO.
 Congress by an Act approved the Sd day
 of March, 1875, authorized the inhabitants
 of the Territory of Colorado to form State
 Government with the name of the "State ot
 Colorado.n and therein provided for the ad-
 mission of said State, when formed into the
 Union, upon an equal footing with the orig
 inal States A Constitution having been adop-
 ted and ratified by the people of the State and the acting Governor having certified to me the facts as provided for in said Act, to- gether with q copy of such Constitution and ordinances as provided for in said Act, and the provisions of said Act of Congress hav- ing been duly complied with, I issued a proclamation upon the lst day of Aug 1876 copy of which is hereunto annexed.
 WAR DEPARTMENT.
 The report of the Secretary of War shows that the army has been actively employed during the year subduing, at the request of the Indian Bureau, certain wlld bands of the ! peace at the South during the late election. THE COMMISSION TO REoRGANIzE THE ARMY.
 The Commission constituted under the Act of July 24, 1876, to consider and report on the whole subject of reform and reor- 1 ganization of the whole army in August last has created a large mass of statistics and opinions bearing on the subject before it. | These are now under consideration, and that | iS I a.lrt 10Th the President of the Commission that it will i be impracticable to comply with the clause of the act requiring the report to Joe preScn- ted through me to Congress on the first day ofthis session, as there has not been sufficient 1 time for that ma ture deIiberation which the subject demands; therefore I ask that the time of making the report be extended to the 29th day of Jan. 1877.
 In accordance with the resolution of Aug. 15, 1876, the army regulations prepared un- der the Act of March 1875, have not been promulgated, but are held until after the re- port of the above mentioned Commission shall have been received and acted upon. By the Act of Agust 10th 1876, the cavalry force of the army was increased by 2.5G0 men, with the provision that they should be dis charged on the expiration of hostilities. On this authority the cavalry regiments have been strengthened, and portion of them are now in the field pursuing the remnants of the Indians with whom they have been engaged during the summer.
 Estimates of the War Department are made upon the basis of the number of men authorized by law and their require ments. as shown by years of experience and also with the purpose on the part of the bureau officers, to provide for all contin- gencies that may arise during the time for which the estimates are made, exclusive | of the engineers estimates, which are pre- ] sented in accordance with the Acts of | Congress calling for surveys and csti- mates for improvements at various lOcali- ! ties. The estimates now presented are about six millions in excess of appropria- tions for the years 1S74-75 and 1S75-76. This increase is asked in order to provide 1 for the increased cavalry force, should their services be necessary; to prosecute economical work upon important public buildings; to provide for the armament of Qualifications; the manufacture of small arms and to replenish the working stock in the Supply Department. The appro- priation for these last named have for the past ten years been so limited that the accumulations in store will be entirely exhausted during the present year, and it will be necessary to at once replenish them.
 SOUTHERN CLAIMS
 l invite your special attention to the following recommendations of the Secre- tary of War:
 First-That the claims under the Act of the 4;h of July, 1864, for supplies taken by the army during the war. be re- moved from the offices of the Quarter master and Commissary-Generals and to the Southern Claims Com ( mission. These claims are of precisely similar nature to those now before the Southern Claims Commission, and the War Department Bureau has not the ,lerical forces for their examination, nor he proper machinery for Investigating the oyalty of the claimants.
 Second-That Congress sanction the z cheme of an annuity fund for the benefit i # families of deceased officers, and that C Ilso provides for the permanent organiza- I T.. we're recommended in my annual message. .. Third-That the manufacturing opera | ions of the Ordnance Department be con- f entrated at three arsenals and an armory f nd that the remaining arsenals be sold, n nd the proceeds applied to this object by | he Ordnance Department. RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENT The appropriations for river and harbor V improvements fir the current year were tI 5,O15,0OO. With my approval the Sec ii etary of War directed that of this amount O 100000 should be expended, no new a Tork should be begun, and none prose Ii uted which were not of national impor- g lnce. Subsequently this amount was in- U U reased to S2,237 ,OOO, and works are now '; '; on this basis The improve oot o lent of the south pass of the Mississippi al yer, under James B. Eads and his assO-