Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-12-01

Number Of bushels of vegetables raised... 595, 900
Number Of bales of cotton raised. LOCO
Number of tons of hay cut. t................ 4,000
Number of cattle owned. 297,U4O
Number OF swine owned. 40O,28O
During the year sixty boarding and one
hundred and ten day schools have been i'll
operation among the different Indian tribes,
exclusive Of the five civilized tribes in the
over seven thousand children, and taught by
316 teachers. The educational work of the
bureau could have been enlarged to a much
greater extent but for the inadequate appro-
priations made by congress for the support of
schools. Fifty thousand Indi ms at the seven
teen agencies have no treaty school funds what
| ever, and educational facilities must depend
entirely Oh the general appropriation for educa-
ton. Among these tribes there are at Leaf seven
thousand children of school age. Reports
from the schools On the various reservations are
full Of encouragement, showing increased and
more regular attendance Of pupils, and grow
ing interest in education on part Of the parents.
In compliance with appeals from neglected
agencies the bureau has made arrangements for
erecting eleven boarding school buildings dur
ing the coming season and for the establish
ment of thirteen new boarding schools. These
will be the first schools Of any kind ever pro-
vided for the eight thousand San Carlos Apaches
and Western Shoshones, and the first boarding
schools opened for twenty-five thousand In
dams, at nine other agencies, where small,
mregularly attended day schools have hitherto
met with Indifferent success and made little i'm
preston on the tribes among whom they were
located. The condition Of the Poncas in the
Indian territory continues to be prosperous.
They have now from seventy to ninety houses,
and since the LIST of January last over seventy
families have moved into those houses. Med
desome persons are still endeavoring to induce
and return to Dakota, hut the leading men of
the tribe have frequently assured the agent that
they are satisfied and do not desire to return.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
WASHINGTON, November 21.-The annual re-
port OF the secretary Of war gives general re-
view of the various subordinate reports calls
attention to their several recommendations, and
! ment during the year. Upon the subject Of ex-
penditurcs, appropriations and estimates the
secretary SAYS: "1he expenditures for all af-
fairs under control of this department for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1880, were $39, ,924,-
773. Congress appropriated for the ser7ice for
mates for the service Of the fiscal year ending
juno 80, 1882, are $40, ,055. The estimates
in detail were originally submitted to me for
$62, 429, 40; but one revision of the same omis-
sions or reductions were made as follows: In
the civil establishment, $13,585; military
1923; and in the miscellaneous class, $25, 900;
making total of revisory reductions of
1902, ia. Some increase in the amount of
the estimates for the year 1882 over tue year
1881, appears in the civil establishment, and
miscellaneous. For public works I have re-
duced the estimates 10 accord Wlth wnat l
understand to be the amount required for the
absolute necessities of tue service; in order to
prevent waste of property and damage to COM
mercal interests. Beyond such necessities it
is submitted that the wisdom of congress may
perceive that as valuable improvements sur
the commerce Of the county advances in growth
and prosperity, so should appropriations to cover
expenses be apport1oned. The Mlsslssippi
River Commissioners, operating in accordance
with an act approved June %, 1879, submitted
q report which was duly transmitted to congress
last March. and was published by order Of the
house OF representatives. That report exhibi-
ted for tie first time estimates of the appropria-
ton required for the works of improvement
therein described, amounting to So, 600,
and it awaited further consideration when the
session ceased. The commission has communi-
eated TO me its desire to renew those estimates,
and this communication will be transmitted to
congress as Of special Importance included,
however, in the annual estimates of expendi-
lures for the service of this department"
In regard to the south pass, Mississippi river,
the secretary says: "The .permanency of this
important work seems to be assured from the
fact that there has been 70 failure whatever in
the maintenance of maximum channel during
the six months ending August 8. last. Thisin.
provement has opened, through sands and
shoals, broad, deep highway to the ocean. and
is one upon the permanent success of which
congratula. ions may be exchanged among peo-
pie abroad and at home, and especially among
the communities of the Mississippi valley,
whose commercial exchanges float in an unob-
structed channel, safely to and from the sea-"
Secretary Ramsey cOncurs in the recomnlen-
dation Of Gen. Sherman that congress be asked
to give $4,000 enlisted men specifically to troops
of the line of tho army. and favors the aban-
donment of many small posts and the concen-
tration Of large forces at strategic points. The
absence of large number of officers from the
regiments is alluded to-, and action recommended
looking to the relief Of the service in this re-
spect.
Secretary Ramsey endorses the recommends
ton of the adjutant general in relation to plac-
Dg the unif orn1ed militia upon tho same foot
ing in respect to its rules and forming AS the
regular forces, and calls attention to the
necessity of providing by legislation for the
organization, arming and discipline of the mil
tia.
The affairs of the Leavenwortn military pris-
on, the secretary says, have been capably man
aged during the year. He suggests, however,
that in order to be entirely successful and to
carry out as far as possible the original design
of making the institution self sustaining, an i'm
portland measure of legislation is necessary,
earnings of the prison to its maintenance.
The secretary says: ':From personal inspec-
ton Of many of the Notifications referred to by
the chief of engineers, am able to emphasize
his recommendations, and beg to state that
their incompetent and defenceless Condition is
discreditable to the country. Judging from the
history of all other nations and the experience
OF our own, the United States will, notwith.
standing our traditional policy, find itself
sooner or later at war with mari
time power. When that war comes
1t will come suddenly. There will be no time
after it's declaration to construct defenses,
either fixed or floating. Other nations have
been for some years and are now constructing
fast steamers of enormous size, encased in iron
armor up to five feet in thickness, and armed
| with ritaed guns weighing up to one hundred
tons, carving shot of tons weight, fired with
is feared that the country does not appreciate
tile fact that after declaration Of war a, few
days, or even hours, might bring these great
engines Of destruction to our coast-it may be
to New York or Boston, or Portland, or Balti-
J more; Or New Orleans. or San Francisco. or 10