Mexico weekly ledger., 1881-12-08

- led to engage in the occupaton ol a.a.ins :"
TSs ~cil attested reports Of their Increasing III
tarest N hrsSardry Justify the hope and belief
that the enactment Of kueh statute az I isco -
memo ~y yesort to The aIlotment system would have
su ds..c4 and poyuerful influence IN dissolving the
tribal bond, which is . prominens lsat ~ nernetn-
se Il shefe. ! advise . liberal appropriation ior
the
st1ppoRr OF INDIAN SCHOOLS;
hecsnse of t.;y confident belief that such aeourse
is consistent with the " Uses Tns,,s eso ,ribes there Is
renorted to be q general and urgent desire on the
part of the chiefs and older members for the edtl-
oa For 1 Oa aSt years the sEEsecusivs, in his annusl.
message to congress, has caused tbs necessity OF
stringent legislation for
SUPPRESSION OF PoLYGAMY
in the territories, especially Utah; The existing
50 revolving to the moral and religious sense
q ohEis s1a,des.,x l hss : s even .ind pe IS eeaet,
ment. Indeed, in spite OF considerable efforts on
| the part Of the authorizes ~h6 represent tne
United stetes in that Territory, ane i aMa hs sor y !
cause e which reference refer 5s,,s win RE RTese faef nat ma ad,
! herents of the Mormon church, which
Rs-rs uptN roLyGAMY
os ;ts corner stone have recently been peopling,
i'm large numbers, Idaho, Arizoiis end other OF
onr western Territories, is well calculated 10 eI,
cite the iiveliest interest and apprehension ne ~
duty Of using against the barbarous system aI
the power which, under the constitution ana law
they can WELD ED. tor sa. its ae es royaGnmen. does not
conteTnSfate that the nstion should provide or
support a system fos the
EDUCATION OF ouR PEOPLE.
no measures calculated TO promote the general
| intelligence and virtue upon which the psrpe.n-
jty OF our institutions so greatly depends, have
ever been regarded with indifference by congress
..sso fIo tx1a, lrpS Tina 10 time donated 10 the
promotion OF edticatier. There Is now n speeial
reason why by setting apart The process OF m hs
government should aid the work of education.
MANY who now exercise the right of suffrage are
unable to read the ballot which they cast: , pom
slavery suddenly derolvedt the responsibilities of
citizenship, in that portion of the country most
imnoverjshed by war. I have been, pleased to
learn from the report of the commissioner Of ed
ucation that there has been lately a considerable
increase of interest and effort for their Instruction;
Hnf all that can be done by local legislation and
private generosity should he supplemented by
such aid as can be constitutionaliy
afforded by the national E1ysrnment
: this purpose it may be wisely distributed in diner
ent States according to ration OF ililteracy, as py
this means those locations which are most ~
need of such assistance will reap its especial
benefit.
The report Of the
s COMMISSIONER OF lGRiCtLTrRE
i. exhibits results of the experiment IN which that d
= pdftu1tit bus NCi 1911
) and makes important suggestions in reference
to the agricultural development OF the coilntr!
|, The steady increase of our population, and TN
. CONSEQUENT addition to the number of those en-
gaging In the pursuit Of husbantry, are giving u
i this department q growing dignity anu import
= ance. The Commissioners suggestions toucflnl
= its capacity for greater usefulness deserves atten
! ton as it more and more mme itself to tn
: interest which it was created to promote. Ii ap
pears from the report OF the
e COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS,
,ha, CHM. 1sSa $50 a62 original nensiou claim
have been flied: 45O,94s of these have have bee,
allowed and inscribed on the pension roll; I2r'S
n cent of the whole number of claims settled: ther
+ are now pending for settlement 1854 origina
o pension claims, 81 $40 OF which were filed PRO
volve the payment of arrears from date of dis
charge in case Of an invalid, and from date G
d death death or F teT,n III ,Ss d Sa = dIs 5lsiT slse' il II Is s est Guns
ed that Is per cent of the number of claims no.
pending will be rejected or abandoned. tbi
would show Sr the PR Prob ssm s%eIIeet'9 on 81 ab aI,ao , case ss
: claims, all OF which involve the payment of a.
rears of pensions. With the present force en-
pioyed, me number of adjudications renainin
the same and no new business intervening, TIL
, number of claims $4,000 could be acted upon i
l. a period OF six years, and taking June L, 1884. as
ia average amount of arrears, 1t is found that ever
re case allowed would require for the first paymeI
er upon it, the sum of S1,So; multiplying tn
j. amount by the whole number of probable admi
ar sions, gives SlSn,ODD,eo as the sum required f
of first payment. THIS represents the sum W bic
ST must be paid upon claims which were filed b
fore July l, 1870, and are now pending and e.
10 titled to the benefits of the arrears act. Fro
rs this amount lS25n.aa.0O0 may be deducted fro
ten to fifteen millions for cases where the clair
ant dying, there is no person who, under the la
nas would be entitled TO succeed othe pension, lea
u ing S25D,np0,tsD as the probable amount to
=, paid. In these estimates no account has bee
Ell taken of the $500 cases filed since June ~, Is,
ha and now pending, which must receive attentic
.r- as current business, but which do not inyol'
" payment ofany arrears beyond the date OF fill
on the claim; of this number ii is estimated that
s. s. per cent will be allowed: As has been state
40 it is cstimated that IL win take six years
sl dispose of the claims now pending. 1t is stat
a. by the commissioner of pensions that by an q
,iition OF 20 clerks increasing the adjudicaul
ac force rather than the mechanicalld double I
amount of work could be accomplished, so tn
these cases could be acted upon within thr
years. Aside from the considerations of JUST
70 which may be urged for a speedy settlement
e the claims nov on The files Of the Pension Off,
~ it is no less important on the score of econom
inasmuch D. as fully one third of the clerical for
in otthe Office is now wholly occupied in giving
Is tention TO correspondence with the thousands
,sI claimants whose cases have been on the files
the past eighteen years. The fact that a sum
IN enormous to be expended by the goyernme
,si. to meet demands for arrears of pensions is an
.Tt. monition to congress and the Executive to 81
" continuous consideration TO any similar projt
in the future. l advise appropriations tor such
ternal i'm provcmen;s as the wisdom of congr
ties may deem to be of pubiic Importance. The nee
in sity of improving the
a. NAVIGATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
~iustifies a special sllusion to that subject, Is
~. gest the adoption of some measure for the REM
I'VE al of the distractions which nov impede
OF navigation of that great channel of CONNER
ase In my letter accepting the nomination for
vice-Presidency / stated that. in my judgme
en- mo man should be the occupant of an office
iit- duties of which he is for any cause unfit TO 7
ray form; who is lacking in the
ice ABILITY, FIDELITY OR rNTEeRIry
sie which a proper administration of snch of
n demands. This sentiment would Doubt
Inbb meet With general acquiescence, but opinion
lssh been widely divided upon the wisdom and pr
"a t~icability of the various r~eformstory schen
which have been suggested. and of certain p
posed regulations governing appointments. I
ART efficiency of such regulations has been q
trusted mainly because they have seemed to
w alt mere educational and abstruct tests abe
sc general business capacity and even special fitn
fr the particular work in hand. II seems to
that the tests that should be applied to the m
SEGMENT OF ,he public service may properly c
to dition of successful, private business. 0rigi
of appointments should be based upon ascertain
.th y Positions of responsibility should, SO far as pr
m tieable, be filed by the promotion OF worthy q
all plants and the punishment of all official n
lay conduct
lief SHOULD BE PROMPT AND THOROUGH.
The views expressed in the foregoing letter
'e" those which will govern my administration
by ali intelligent and patriotic citizens, howe
divergent in their opinion as to the best meth
of putting them into practical operation. For
we ample, the assertion that Original appointing
a should be based on ascertained fitness" is
re- nractice s,,ch 6tneSs a NO most oea1,raiI-
ich eertsined is one which for yearS hos arc;tad
ent terest and discussion The means which W
irs. SLIGHT VARIATIONS in ire 1atails have 10,
,pie been urged on the attention of congress and
Executive, has as its principal feature the sche
'rts of
BUS,
hAAnieAiioS.
in Save for certain excenfinns which need moi b