The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-12-06

vestgation and decision than are possessed
by these officers.
5. That Congress provide for an annuity
fund fer the families of deceased soldiers, as
recommended by the Paymaster- General OF
the Army.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
The report of the Secretary of the Ntvv
shows that we have six squadrons now en-
gagged in the protection of our foreign COM
merce and other duties pertaining to the ma
val service. The total expenditures for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1877, were Sl6,077.-
974. There are unpaid claims against the
Department chargeable TO last year, which
are presented TO the consideration of Con
gress by the report of the Secretary. The es
Inmates for the fiscal year commencing July
l. 1873 are SD. 23g,2 go, exclusive of the sum
of S2,S14,25l, submitted for new buildings, re-
pairs and improvements at the several navy
yards. The appropriations for the present
fiscal year commencing July, ls77,are $780,
932. The amount drawn from the Treasu-
ry from July to November J, IS77, is $3.50,
-031 OF which there Is estimated to be yet avail
able 81 G29, j2S showing TIE amount of actual
expenditures during the first four months of
the present fiscal year to have been $685.,
5es. -..l
THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
The report of the Postmaster General con-
tains in full, the condition of the Post office
Department. The ordinary revenues of the
department for the fiscal year ending June
| 20, 1877, including receipts from the money
order business and from official stamps and
stamped envelopes, amounted to the sum of
81, Sjl : -. The additional sum of S7,Ol3,000
| was realized from appropriations from the
General Treasury for various purposes, max
| ing the receipts from all sources S4.544 .6Sj
| The total expenditures during the fiscal year
amounted to SIS, 1856 .322, leaving an excess; of
| total receipts over total expenditures of
Il 05S, 1852, and an excess of total expenditures
| over ordinary receipts of $ 954, 737
/ Deducting from the total receipts the sum
| of S63, 2Gl, received for international money
| orders of the preceding fiscal year, and de-
| Quoting from the total expenditure the sum
| previous fiscal year, the expenditures andre
ceipts appertaining to the business of the
! last fiscal year were rs follows: EXpendi
lures, 81, 800 300; receipts ordinary from mon
| ey- order business and from official postage
| stamps, s27, 46S, 3i2; excess of expenditures,
| "a S54, l62. The ordinary revenues of the POST
| office Department for the year ending June
| 80, 1879, are estimated at an increase Of 3 per
| cent. over those of 1871, making S29,0i9 O9S,
| and the expenditures for same year are esti-
mated at S'6,427,77l, leaving an estimated de-
| ficiency for 1879 of s. ,}93, 1872.
The additional legislation recommended by
! the Postmaster General, for Improvement OF
the mail service and to protect the postal
| revenues from the abuses practlccu under
| existing laws, is respectfully commended to
the careful consideration of Congress.
| DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
| The report of the Attorney General con
| tains several suggestions as to the admins
1
| tention. The pressure OF business in the Su-
| preme Court of the United States and certain
| Circuit Courts of the UnitedJStates is now
| such that serious delays, to the great injury
| and even oppression of suitors, occurs, and Il
| remedy should be sought for this condition OF
| affairs. Whether it will be found in the plan
| briefly Sketched in the report, of increasing
| the number of Judges of Circuit Courts, and
| by means of this addition to the judicial
| force, or by creating an intermediate Court
| of Errors and Appeals, or whether some other
| mr. 90 he nhNi3finU l.
| Guilty which now exists, leave to your ma
| ture deliberation. ...... ...... ..-
| THE INDIANS.
The present condition of the Indian tribes
| on the territory of the United States, and our
| relations with them, are fully set forth in the
| reports of the Secretary of the Interior ana
| the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. After a
| series of most deplorable conflicts the sue
| cessful termination of which, while rejecting
| honor upon the brave soldiers who accom-
| plished it, can not lessen Our regret at their
| occurrence, we are now at peace with all
| the Indian tribes in our borders. To preserve
| that peace by a just and humane policy, VIII
| he the object of my earnest endeavOrs. What
| ever may be said of their character and saw
| age propensities, of the difficulties of intro
| ducing among them the habits of civilized
| life and the obstacles they have offered to
| the progress of settling in certain parts Ofthe
| country the Indians are certainly entitled
| to our sympathy and TO n conscientious
| respect on our part for their claims upon our
| sense of Justice. They were the aboriginal Oc-
|
| have been driven from place to place; the
| purchase money paid to them in some cases
| for what they call their own, has still left
| them poor. In many instances, when they
| had settled down upon land assigned them
| by compact, and began to support themselves
| by their own labor, they were rudey jOstled
| off and thrust into the wilderness again. The
| most of our Indian wars have had their origin
| in broken promises and acts of injustice upon
| our part, and the advance of the Indians i'll
| civilization has been slow because the treat
a r.
| gain faster. We can not expect them to i'm
| prove and follow our guidance unless We keep
faith with them respecting the rights they
possess, and unless, Instead OF deprlNlne
| them of opportunities, we lend them Il help
ing hand. l cordially approve of tho
| policy regarding the management OF In
dian affairs outlined in the report OF
| the Secretary of the Interior, and OF
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs
The faithful performance of our promises is
the first condition of good understanding
with the Indians | can not too urgently
| recommend to Congress that prompt and lib.
eI1l provision be made for the conscientious
fulfllment of all engagements entered into
by the Government with Indian tribes. To
withhold the means necessary for the per
Torrance of q promise is always false econO
my, and is apt TO prove disastrous in its con
| SEQUENCES Especial care is recommended &C
provide for Indians settled on their rescrva
lions cattle and agricultural implements, &c
| aid them in whatever efforts they make tC
| support themselves, and by the re-CstabliSh
| ment and maintenance OF schools to bring
them under the control of civilized infiuen
ces. L see no reason why Indians who car
| give satisfactory proof of having by theu
| own labor supported their families for a mum
Der of years, and are willing to dctach them
selves from their tribal relations, should not
be admitted to the benefit of the homestead
act and the privileges of citizenship
and recommend the passage of a law to that
effect. 1t will be an act of Justice, as well a.
| IL measure of encouragement.
Earnest efforts are being made to purify
| Indian
propriated by Congress shall rebound to the
benefit of the Indians to be benefited. These
efforts will have my firm support. With n
improved service and every possible encour
agement held out to the Indians to better
their condition and TO elevate themselves IL
the scale of civilization, we may hope to do al
the same time Il great work for them and fol
ourselves.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTE
- RIOR. .r
l invite the attention of Congress to the
Importance of statements and suggestions
made by the Secretary of the Interior con
corning depredations committed upon tim
Der lands of the United States, and the ne
ccSSity for the preservation of forests. 1t Is
Il believed that the measures taken, in purSu
ance of existing law, to arrest these depre-
dations, will be entirely successful, if Con
gress, by an appropriation for that purpose
renders their continued enforcement possible
The experience OF other nations teaches Us
that a country can not be stripped of its for
ests with impunity, and we shall expose our
selves to the gravest consequences unless the
wasteful and improvident manner in which
the forests in the United States are destroyed
| be effectually checked. earnestly recon
mend that the measures suggested by the
Secretary of the Interior for the suppression
of depreciation on the public Understands Of
the United States, for the selling of timber
from the public lands and for the preserva
ton of forests, be embodied in
law and that considering the urgent neces-
sity of enabling people of certain States and
Territories to purchase timber from the pub
lie lands i'll legal manner, which at present
they can not do such law be passed without
unavoidable delay. | would also call the
attention of Congress to statements made by
the Secretary of the Interior concerning the
| disposition that might be made of the desert
lands not irrigated, west of the one hundredth
meridian. These lands are practically un-
saleable under existing laws, and the sug&es-
ton is worthy of consideration, that a sys-
| TEN of leasehold tenure would make them a
source of profit to the United States, while at
the same time legaliZing the business OF
cattle raising, which is at present carried on
upon them.
| OUR AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES.
The report of the Commissioner of Agri-
culture contains the gratifying announce
ment of the extraordinary success which has
rewarded the agricultural industry of the
lcn 1tr.xrf for tha n=F