St. Landry democrat., 1881-12-17
Secretary Lincoln's Report

WASHINGTON, December 2.
The annual report OF the Secretary OF Wa
IS chiefly devoted to the consideration of tn
important recommendations contained i,
the annual report Of the army chiefs. Gen
eral Sherman's recommendation that tn,
army be increased to $4,000 men receive
Secretary Lincoln's earnest Endorsement
The attention OF Congress is called to tn,
need Of legislation to prevent an intrusion
upon Indian lands, especially from Kansas
into the Indian Territory Secretary Lin.
coin invites special attention to that part Of
the report Of General Wright, Chief Of En-.
gineers, which refers to our seacoast de.
lenses, and on this subject says:
The Chief OF Engineers shows that dc.
Tense by Notifications and torpedoes is the
only one which is at all practicable for :
| coast rs extended as ours. comprising 81
many rich martini, cities, extensive nav
yards, and depots of supply; that any attemn
enormously expensive, both for first COS
and maintenance, and it is the only mod
adopted by maritime nations. EXperienc
shows modern wars come on suddenly: thai
serious international disputes occur be
tween nations the relations of which az
apparently most unlikely to be otherwie
than friendly, and condition Of readiness
are sometimes the best preventives of actual
war. We know that the necessary new
works and the proper notifications of tie
old works will require many years for thar
completion, and it seems simply,a matterof
common prudence that we commence viii.
out delay, and, under liberal appropra-
tiOns, put our coasts in an effective cOnd-
ton OF Defense
Referring to the subject OF the standardef
requirements necessary for admission to he
Military Academy at West Point, the Sc
Rotary says:
81 concur in the views of my predecessor,
that it would not be well to raise the staid-
ard Of admission. The result OF the last *.
animation, in which 40 out of 1lS candidates
were rejected, shows the standard is so igh
as to prevent the admission of many rho
would undoubtedly, ii they had been sosit-
uated as to receive the proper preliminary
training, prove valuable officers. It hasre-
Gently been recommended to me by the
Academic Board to permit the discontinue
ance OF certain prescribed studies In the
course for the purpose of giving tim, for
others, the Importance Of which was a,par-
ent. A consideration Of the subject sug-
gested by this recommendation leads ne 10
believe 1t would be best to extend the curse
so as to cover five years. 1t is believed that
by so doing not only would the benefits of
the academy be more widely EXTENDED, but |
tnat the graduates would be prepaed to
render better service to the country
The actual expenditures under tie War
Department for the fiscal year endel June
80, 1881, were $42, p, POI: The appopria-
tions for 1892 were $44 $3.50, 725, and tie esti-
mates for 1888 call for s44,54l, 27G. The es. |
Inmates presented to the Secretary for re-
vision included. for the armament offortii-
cations, $220,OoO; Notifications AM other
works of defense, $4,isG, 500; improving
rivers and harbors, 500, 101 800; improving
the Mississippi River by the Commission,
"A 1925 600; public buildings and crumbs in
and near Washington, $749, 900; surveys
amount has been reduced on nv reTision to
an aggregate Of $40, 6s9, 600, which sum, il
judiciously allotted by Congress. will be, in
my Judgment, reasonable allowance for
this class Of expense during the mkt fiscal
year."