Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-12-09
Free Library

year, ana S4,5i5,3 9I9i IN excess
Of the estimate made two years
ago, before the present period
Of business prosperity had fairly begun
The whole number Ol letters mailed il
This country in the last fiscal year eX
ceedcd 900 100000 The registry
system is reported to be in excellent
condition having been remodelcd during
the past four years with good results
The amount Of registration fees col
tectcd during the last fiscal year was
S7l2, $500, an increase over the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1877, of S34j, 4l3,-
10. The entire number of letters and
packages registered during the year was
S,33S,9l9 of which only 2,06l were lost
or destroyed in transit
The operations of the moucv-ordcr
system are multiplying yearly under the
impulse of emigration, of the rapid
development Of the newer States and
Territories, and the consequent demand
Tor additional means of intcrcommuni.
cation and exchange. During the past
year 33S additional moncy-ordcr offices
have been established, making a total
of 3 400 in operation at the date of this
report. During the year the domestic
nun ''l'A'l - NAtlNNAA III Ntllut lODs-
075.7Gg.3j.
A modification of the system is sue
gestcd, reducing the fees for money
orders not exceeding ~ from ten cents
10 five cents, and making the maximum
limit 500 in place of $50. Legislation
Tor the disposition of unclaimed money
orders in the possession of the postotlice
department is recommended, in view Of
the fact that their total value now cX-
cceds one million dollars.
The attention of Congress is again
invited to the subject of establishing a
system of savings repositories in CON
nection with the postoflice department.
The statistics of mail transportation
show that during the past year railroad
routes have been increased in length
6,249 miles, and in cost S1lI4.3S2. while
steamboat routes have been decreased
in length 2,lS2 miles, and in cost Sl3i..
O54. The so-called star routes have been
decreased in length 3,940 miles. and in
cost S3G4,l44 Nearly all Of the more
expensive routes havo been SUPER
scdcd by railroad service. The cost of
the star service must therefore rapidly
decrease in the Western States and
Territories. The postmaster general,
however, calls attention to the con.
stantly increasing cost of the railway
mail service as a serious difficulty in the
way of making the department self
sustaining.
Our postal intercourse with foreign
countries has kept pace with the growth
of the domestic service. Within the
past year several countries and colonies
have declared their adhesion to the
postal union. 1t now includes all those
which have an organized postal service,
except Bolivia, Costa Rica. New Zea-
land, and the British colonies in Aus
lralia.
THE STAR ROUTE CASES.
As has been already stated, great re-
auctions have recently been made in
the expense of the star route service.
The investigations of the department of
Justice and the postoflicc department
have resulted in the presentation of in
dlctmentS against persons formerly con-
nectcd with that service, accusing them
of ofiense5 against the United States.
| have enioincd upon the officials who
are charged with the conduct of the
cases on the part of the government
and upon the eminent counsel. who.
before my accession to the presidency,
were called to their assistance. the duty
OF prosecuting with the utmost vigor Of
the law all persons who may be found
chargeable with frauds upon the postal
service.
The acting encouragement calls at
ton to the necessity of modifying the
present system of the courts of the
United States, necessity due to the
large increase of business. especially in
the supreme court. Litigation in our
Federal tribunals became greatly cy.
banded after the close of the late war.
So long as that expansion might be at
tributable to the abnormal condition in
which the community found itself i'm
mediately after the return Of peace,
prudence required that no change
be made in the constitu-
ton of our judicial tribunals.
But it has now become apparent that
an immense increase of litigation has
directly resulted from the wonderful
growth and development of the country.
There is no ground for belief that the
business of the United States courts will
ever be less in volume than at present.
Indeed, that it is likely to be much
greater is generally recognized by the
bench and bar. In view of the
fact that Congress has already given
much consideration to this subject l
make no suggestion as to detail but ex-
press the hope that yo,ir deliberations
may result in such legislation as will
give early relief to our over-burdened
courts. The acting attorncy-general
also calls attention to the disturbance of
the public tranquility during the past
year in tho Territory of Arizona. A
band of armed desperadoes, known
as " cowboys" probably numbering
from fifty to one hundred men, have
been engaged for months in committing
acts of lawlcssness and brutality which
the local authorities have been unable
to repress. The depredations of these
".cowboys ~ have also extended into
Mexico, which the maraudcrs reach
from the Arizona frontier. With every
disposition to meet the cXigcncics Of the
case, | am embarrassed by lack of au-
thOrity to deal with them eficctuallv. The
punishment of crimes committed within
Arizona should ordinarily, of course, be
left to the Territorial authorities. But
1t is worthy Of consideration whether
acts which necessarily tend to cmbroil
the United States with ncighboring
governments should not be declared
crimes against the United States. Some
of the incursions alluded to NAV perhaps
be within the scope of the law (Reviscd
Atnf1nG 4, I -.