Huntsville gazette., 1881-12-10

a
est and effort for their instruction, but all
| that can be done by local legislation
and private generosity should be supple
mented by such aid as can be CONSTITUTIONAL
| w afforded bv the National Government
| If any fund be dedicated to this business it
may be wisely distributed in the different
| States according to the ratio of iliteracy, as
| BY this means those locations which are most
/ in need of such assistance will reap its es-
pecial benefit. w.
| The report of the Commissioner of Agrfcul-
ture exhibits results OF the experiments in
whicn that department has been engaged
| durinp the past year, and makes important
suggestions in reference to the agricultural
| development of the country. The steady in
crease of our population ana the conse4uent
addition to the number of those engaged in
| the pursuit of husbandry are giving to this
/ department growing dignity and import
| ance The Commissioners suggestions touch
| ing its capacity for greater usefulness deserve
| attention as it more and more commends it.
! self to the interest which it was created to
| promote.
1t appears from the report of the Commits
siOner of Pensions that since 1860 7S9, ,063 orig
| inal pension claims have been hled; 450,94
| of these have been allowed and inscribed on
the pension roll z, ,539 have been rejected and
abandoned. being 1873 per cent of the whole
| number of the claims settled. There now
| pending for settlement 265.575 original pension
claims 227 ,040 of which were filed prior to July
| /, 1881. These, when allowed, will involve the
| payment of arrears from the date ofdischarge,
! or in case of an invalid, from the date of
death or termination of q prior right IN ali
| other cases. From all the data Obtainable, it
! is estimated that Is per cent of the number of
claims now pending will be rejected or aban-
| doned. This would secure the probable re-
| lection of "a ,040 cases, and the probable ad-
mission of about II 300 claims, all OF which IN
! volvethe payment of arrears of pension. With
| the present force employed, the number OF ad-
indications remaining the same, and no new
/ business intervening, the number OF claims
| Q93OOO) could be acted upon in period
! of six years, and taking January / 1854,
! as period from which to estimate IN
| each case an average amount OF arrears, 1t Is
! found that every case allowed would require
FOR the first payment upon it the sum OF 81 ,5o0
Multiplying this amount by the whole num-
| Der of probable admissions gives S23O,0U0,0O0
| as the sum required for the first payments.
This represents the sum which must be paid
! upon claims which were filed before July l,
| $780, and are now pending and entitled to the
| benefits of the Arrears act. From this amount
| ($25O, 900 000) may be deducted from SlO,0OO,0O
| to SIS 100000 for cases where, the CLAIMANT
| dying, there is no person who under the law
| would be entitled to succeed to the pension,
| leaving S230000,000 Us the probable amount
| to be paid. In these estimates no account mas
| been taken of the $500 cases hled
since June 30, 1850, and now pending, which
| must receive attention in current business,
but which do not involve the payment OF any
| arrears beyond the date of filing the claim.
| Of this number it is estimated that SO per
cent. will be allowed. AS has been stated,
with the present force of the Pension Bureau
! $50 cler<S-it is estimated that 1t VIII take
six years to dispose of the claims now pend
ing. 1t is stated by the Commissioner of Pen
| sions that by an addition of 250 clerks On
creaSing the adjudicating force rather than
| the mechanically double the amount of work
| could be accomplished; so that these cases
| could be acted upon within three years.
Aside from the considerations OF justice which
/ may be urged for speedy settlement OF the
| claims now on the files of the Pension ONCE,
| it is no less important on the score OF econo-
my, inasmuch as fully ne-third OF the
clerical force of the office is now wholly
| occupied in giving attention to CORE
| spondence with the thousands OF claim
| ants whose claims have been on the
| files for the past eighteen years The fact
| that sum so enormous is to be expended by
| Government to meet demands for arrears OF
] pensions is an admOnitiOn to Congress ana
| the Executive to give continuous considera-
| ton to any similar project in the future. Inc
great temptation to the presentation OF nctl-
| tiOuS claims afforded by the fact that the av
erage sum obtained upon each application is
81 800, leads to suggest the propriety of making
some special appropriation for the preven-
ton of fraud
IMPROVING THE MISSISSIPPI
/ advise appropriations for such internal
improvements as the wisdom of Congress
may deem to be of public importance. The
necessity of improving the navigation OF the
Mississippi iustfies special allusion to that
| subject. | suggest the early adoption OF some
measure for the removal OF the distractions
which now impede the navigation OF that
great channel OF commerce. ..a.
THE CIVIL SERVICE. l t..s
In my letter of acceptance OF the nom1na-
| ton for the Vice Presidency, L stated that in
| my Judgment s'no man should be an incum-
| bent of an office the duties of which he is Tor
| any cause unfit to perform, who is lacking In
| the ability, fidelity or integrity which prop.
er administration of such office demands.
| This sentiment would doubtless meet with
| general acquiescence, but opinion has been
| widely divided upon the wisdom and practi-
cability OF the various reforlnatory schemeS
| which have been suggested, and OF certain
| proposed regulations governing the appolnt-
Inents to public office. The efficiency of such
regulations has been distrusted, mainly be-
! cause they have seemed to eXalt the mere
! educational and abstract tests above general
business capacity, andeven special fitness Tor
| the particular work in hand 1t seems TO me
the rule that should be applied to the man
agement of the public service may properly
conform in the main to such as regulate
the condition of successful private busl-
be based upon ascertained fitness.
The tenure of office should be stable. Posi-
tions of responsibility, so far as practicable,
! and efficient officers. The investigation OF
all complaints and the punishment of all Of
fetal misconduct should be prompt and thor
| ough. The views expressed in the foregoing
| letter are those which will govern my admin
istration of the executive office. They are
doubtless shared by all intelligent and patri-
otic citizens, however divergent i'll their
| opinion as to the best methods OF putting
them into practical operation.
Questions which concern the very exist
ence of the Government and the liberties oi
| the people were suggested by the prolonged
illness of the late President and his conse-
quent incapacity to perform the functions OF
his office. 1t is provided by the second artl-
Gle of the Constitution, i'll the fifth clause or
its first section, that in case of the removal OF
the President from office, or of his death,
resignation or ability to discharge the
powers and duties of said office. the same
shall devolve the Vice President
WHAT'S the intention of the Constitution in its
specification of ''inability" to discharge the
powers and duties of said officer, or of the
Contingencies which call the Vice President
to the exercise of Presidential functions?
Is the inability delegated in its nature tOlong-
continued intellectual incapacity, or has it q
broader import? What must be its extent and
duration? How must its existence be estab-
lished? Has the President whose inability is
the subject of inquiry any voicein determin-
ing whether or not it exists? Or is the decis-
ion of that momentous and delicate question
confined to the Vice President? Or is it con-
templated by the Constitution that Congress
should provide by law precisely what
should constitute inability, and how
and by what tribunal authority ii
should be ascertained? If the inability
proves to be temporary in its nature-and
during its continuance the Vice President
lawfully exercises the functions of the Exec
utive, by what tenure does he hold his office:
Does he continue as President for the remain
der of the four years term, or would he
elected President, if his inability should cease
| i,,+ n ipta ba n rpc n Is