Litchfield enquirer., 1878-12-12
POSTAL AFFAIRS.

The report or the postmaster general 0nlbEa-' ces detailed statement of the operations of l the postOfice department. The expenditures | l of that department for the fiscal year ended | June 30, 1S78 were $34, 165, ,064. .49. The re- 1 ceipts, including sales of stamps money or l der business and official stamps were $29,277, 51695 The sum of $29O, ,436 90, included in 1 the foregoing statement of expenditures, IS
 chargeable to proceeding years, so that the ac- tual expenditures for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878, are $33, STA, ,647.5O. The amount drawn from the treasury on approprl- ations, in addition to the revenues of the de- partment 5,307, ,652. 81. The expenditures 1 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 188O are estimated at $36 571 300, and the receipts from all sources at $30 664, ,023. 90, leaving deficiency to be appropriated out of the treas ury of $5, ,907, ,876 10. The report calls atten- tion to the fact that the compensation of post
 masters and of railroads for carrying the mail
 is regulated by law, and that the failure of Econgress to appropriate the amounts required for these purposes does not relieve the govern
 ment of responsibility, but necessarily increases
 the deficiency bills which congress will be call
 ed upon to pass In providing for the postal
 service the following questions are presented:
 Should congress annually appropriate sum for it's expenses largely in excess of it's reve-
 nues or should such rates of postage be estab- lshed as will make the department self sustain
 ing? Should the postal service be reduced by
 excluding from the mails matter which does
 not pay it's way? Should the number of post
 routes be diminished? Should other methods
 he adopted which will increase the revenues
 or diminish the expenses of the postal service?
 The international postal congress, which met
 at Paris, May i, 1878, and continued in session
 until June of the same year, was composed
 of delegates from nearly all the civilized coun-
 tries of the world. It adopted new conven-
 tion to take the place of the treaty concluded
 at Berne October 9, 1874 which goes into ef-
 feet on the 1st of April, 1879, between the
 countries whose delegates have signed it. It
 was ratified and approved by and with the ap-
 proval of the president August 13 1878. A
 synopsis of this universal postal convention
 will be found in the report of the postmaster
 general and the full text in the appendix there
 to. In it's origin the postal union comprised
 twenty three countries having population of
 $50, 900, 900 of people. On the 1st of April
 next it will comprise forty three countries and
 colonies with population of more than 65O,-
 GOO, 900 of people, and will soon by the acces-
 sion of the few remaining countries and colo
 nies which maintain organized postal service,
 constitute in fact as we'll as in name, as it's
 new title indicates universal union, regulat-
 ing upon uniform basis of cheap postage
 rates the postal intercourse between all clviliz-
 ed nations Some embarrassment has arisen
 out of the conflict between the customs laws
 of this country and the provisions of the postal
 convention, in regard to the transmission Of foreign books and newspapers to this country
 by mail It is hoped that congress will be 1 able to devise some means of recOncllng the
 difficulties which have thus been created, so as to do justice to all parties involved
 The business of the supreme court and of
 the courts in many of the circuits has lncreaS- ed to such an extent during the past years that additional legislation is imperative to relieve and prevent the delay of justice and possible } oppression to suitors which is thus occasioned. Int encumbered condition of these dOckets IS presented anew in the report of the attorney
 general, and the remedy suggested is earnestly urged for congressional action. The creation of additional circuit judges, as proposed, would afford complete remedy, and wauld involve
 an expense-at the present rate of saarles-of : not more than $60, 900 year.
 - l------.. THE INnIAN pDnDI IrN-~------------ f The annual reports of the secretary of the
 interior and of the commissioner of Indian af- fairs present an elaborate account of the pres F ent condition of the Indian tribes, and of that
 branch of the public service which ministers to their interests. While the conduct of the Indians generally has been orderly, and their relations with their neig ghbors friendly and
 peaceful, two local disturbances have occurred, , which were deplorabe in their character, but remained, happily, confined to comparative 7 ly small number of Indians The discontent , among the Bannocks, which led first to some
 acts of violence on the part of some members of the tribe and finally to the outbreak, appears to have been caused by an insufficiency of
 food on the reservation, and this insuf1ciency 7 to have been owing to the inadequacy of the appropriations made by congress to the wants of the Indians at time when the. Indians 3 were prevented from supplying the deficiency 7 by hunting. After an arduous pursuit by the
 troops of the United States and several en- agreements, the hostile Indians were reduced to subiection and the larger part surrendered
 themselves as prisoners la this connection : desire to call attention to the recommendation f made by u e secretary of the interior that a sufficient fund be placed at the disposal of
 the executive to be used with proper accounta- 7 bility, at discretion, in sudden emergencies of the Indian service.
 The other case of disturbance was that of a
 band of northern Cheyennes who suddenly
 left their reservation in the Indian Territory
 and marched rapidly through the states of s Kansas and Nebraska in the direction of their 7 old hunting grounds, committing murders and other crimes on their way. From documents accompanying the report of the secretary Of e the interior, it appears that this disorderly band was as fully supplied with the necessa- ries of life as the 4, 700 other Indians who re- I the disturbance was caused by men of rest : less and mischievous disposition among the In j. dians themselves Almost the whole of this !. band have surrendered to the military authOri ties, and it is gratifying fact that, when some
 of them had taken refuge in the camp of tht e Red Cloud Sioux, with whom they had beer ], in friendly relations the Sioux held them a!
 prisoners and readily gave them up to the off r cers of the United States, thus giving new 1 of fho criri IUh olo PI - mors to the contrary notwithstanding. they
 have uniformly shown ever since the wishes l. they expressed at the council of September, a 1877, had been complied with.
 l. Both the secretary of the interior and the t secretary of war unite in the recommendation
 that provision be made by congress for the or ganizatiOn of corps of mounted Indian aux v iIaries," to be under the control of the army, and to be used for the control of the army, and b to be used for the purpose of keeping the lndi- e ans on their reservations and preventing or re- ' pressing disturbance on their part 1 earnestly
 concur in this recommendation. It is believed l. that the organization of such body of Indian d cavalry, receiving moderate pay from the f government would considerably weaken the
 restless element among the Indians by with n drawing from it number of young men anC f giving them congenial employment under tho l. government, it being matter of experience
 that Indians in our service, almost without eX d ception, are faithful in the performance of th'
 duties assigned to them. Such an organization
 would materially aid the army in the accom-
 plishment of task for which its numerical
 strength is sometimes found insuf6 cient.
 s But, while the employment of force for the t prevention or repression of Indian troubles i' T. of occasional necessity, and wise preparation | should be made to that end, greater reliance o must be placed on humane and civiliZing agen l. cies for the ultimate solution of what is called g the Indian problem. It may be very difficult # and require much patient effort to curb the un ruly spirit of the savage Indian tothe restraint l. of civilized life. but experience shows that i ], is not impossible. Many of the tribes which art IS new quiet and orderly and self-supportine s were once as savage as any that at presen 1T roam over the plains or in the mountains O r the far west, and were then considered inac 'f cessible to civilizing influences. It may bt S l ;,,,s<>ss;ilG lls.