The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-15
WASHINGTON.
Naval Reports and Es,imate..

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14.-CommOdOre Shu-
feldt reports to Secretary Thompson that dur
ing the past year 63 vessels have been wholly
or partially equipped at an expenditure of
S7l7, 010; sc, $50 tons Of coal bave been purchas-
cd for the navy costing S2S8, 222.
Commodore r. S Law, cbiuf of the bureau
of YARDS and dock, submits the following est
mates for the fiscal year: For support of the
bureau, L., $50; general maintenance of yards
and docks and contingent $460, 900; support of
naval asylum S60,S09; repairs and preservation
of navy 'rds $300,000; Improvement at navy
Yards, S75 600; civil establishment, $37, 906.
Total, $945, 1876
Commodore Jeffers chief of the bureau of
ordinance submits the following estimates:
Labor. material and fuel used in fitting ships
for service and preservation of ordinance stores,
$175,0OO; repairs of buildings, magazines,
whsrves, gun parks, tugs. lighters and boats,
tems freight kilograms postage, advertising,
etc $4,000; civil esty bishment at navy yards.
$11,S86. Total 1924, 1886.
W. III Shock, chief of the bureau of steam
engineering gives an exhibit showing that the
bureau is free of debt with small uDexpended
balance of the appropriation. BE thinks that
the PEI sAcola navy yard should be placed 10
the highest state of efficiency and makes an
earnest app al for the mechanics employed in
our yards and stations, for whom there is no
provision in case of death or disability while in
the discharge of their duties.
SuIg eon General aylOr, chief of the bureau
of medicine and surgery says: The continu-
snce of the Daval hospital establishment re-
10 $40, 600 is received annually from the officers
and men of the navy, consequently an appro-
priation of $50 900 will be required
w. Easily, chief of the bureau of con-
struction and repairs, gives in his annual report
the list of vessels on which work in repairing
or completion was performed during the wear.
OOe OF the large monitors now rebuilding, the
MiantOnomah, can be completed with the
funds already In hand. The Others, viz:
Monsdeock. Terror, Amphitrite and Puritan
cannot bs flushed without an additional ap-
preparation. The service requires fast, armed
cruising ships, and also one more powerful
ram. Believing that Congress will not long
delay an appropriation for vessels of this
character, directions have been given to have
plans prepared by naval constructors for iron
cruising vessels OF $500 tons displacement and
IRON rsms OF 1000 tons dlsplacements. 1t is
estimated that 81 500 900 will b. REQUIRED the
next fiscal year to keep 10 good order ships
needing but slight repairs aud completing or
extensively repairing the following vessels:
Mohican, Brooklyn, Ossipee. Hartford, Cam
andsigua, MonAcacy, Lancaster and Ashaelot
Col. McCauley, Commander of the marine
corps, reports that there are 1850 men in the
marine corps, of whom ,053 are on ships in
commission and 889 at shore ations He Sub.
mits estimates for 5000 additional privates,
Ibe number allowed by law 1900 being in
sufficient.
The Utah P"Iygamy Gases.
The first Of the Utah polygamv cases which
stand on the calendar of the U Supreme
Court for the October term came up today on
assignment and was argued by Ben Sheeks of
Utah for the prisoner, Geo. Reynolds, aud by
Attorney General Devens for the United
States. Reynolds, who is a Mormon, was To-
dicted by the grand jury in 1875 for having
contracted polygamous marriage. Upon his
plea of not guilty he was tried 10 the District
tssnNf f.,Vf hn DG l.
Upon on appeal to the territorial Supreme
Court the judgment of the lower tribunal was
affirmed and the prisoner ther-upUn appealed
o The Supreme Court of the United States on
writ of trror The errors assigned are very
numerous, but one only involves a question of
general pubic lntsrest-namely, whether the
U. 8. Congress has constitutional right to
prohibit polygamous marriages in the terrific
ries. r-Ftes
1t was eontended by the counsel for the pris-
duty and held as an article of faith by the sect
to VIII 'ch the latter belongs, and that Congress
is foi hidden by the first amendment to the
Constitution to make any law respecting an
establishment of religion or. to prohibit the
fee exercise thereof.
Attorney General Dsvens, of the counsel for
int United States, urged in reply that an in-
depreciation of the Constitution which would
restrain Congress from attaching penalty to
the crime OF polyeamy on account of its being
~ "htiCiO VI AOAiSlUuS ldlu, WOulu ALSO restrain
it from attaching penalty to any other crime
which might be sanctioned by religion; that
under this rigid Interpretation of the Constitu-
tion sect of East India Thugs, who should
settle in the territories might commit murders
with impunity on the ground that it was sane
toned and enjoined By the system of religious
belief. he closed with an eloquent and i'm
pressive reference to the well known Mountain
Meadow massacre by the Mormon "Avengipg
Angels" as an illustration of the fanatical ex-
wi 0Frnnf n NH .trvk% hn s@I
mistaken conviction Of religious duty.
Report of the Third Assistant Postmaster
General.
The report of A. d. Hazen, Third Assistant
Postmaster General, shows that in the division
proper the APPROPRIATION for the service during
the year was 81, 151, $50 and the Expenditures
only $752, 232, leaving an unexpended balance
of 344 per Cent. This large saving is due to
the fact that shortly after the appropriation
was made new contracts were entered into for
adhesive postage stamps, postal cards, &c., at a
the appropriation was based.