Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-05


expenses have been incurred upon two only,
for which the total appropriation was S2l0,0OO
Inc present available balance Is disclosed by
the following table:
Amount of appropriation by act of
August 2 1882 --...... -..... SIS, ,73S, ,S75
Amount Of Appropriation by act of
June 10, 1882 ....... 10000
AmOunnt of APPROXIMATION for pav-
ment to J. b. Eads -. 3O4. 900
Unexpended balances of former ap-
preparations --.-...-.... .-....--..- 4,f5o,zo
$23, ,79l, ,l8s
Less amount drawn from the Treasu-
ry between July l, 1882, and No
vember 30. 1882 ........... 6,O56, 1874
Sl7, ,784, ,944
1t is apparent by this exhibit that 50 far as
1t concerns most Of the items to which the act
of August I'd. 1882. relates, there can be no
need of further appropriations until after the
close OF the present session. If, however, any
action should seem to be necessary in respect
to particular objects, ii viii be entirely feasl-
bic to provide for those objects by appropriate
legislation. 1t is possible, for example, that
a delay till the assembling Of the next Congress
to make additional provision for the Misss
sippi improvement might be attended with
serious consequence. If such should appear
to be the case, a Just bill relating to this you'd
command my approval.
This leads me to offer a suggestion, which,
| trust, Will commend itself to the wisdom of
Congress. Is it not advisable that grants of
considerable sums of money for divers and
independent schemes of internal improve
ment should DE made the subject of separate
and distinct legislative enactment? 1t swill
scarcely be galnsald, even by those who favor
the most liberal expenditures for such pur-
poses as are sought 10 be aceOmptisled by
what is commonly called the ''rfVeP and har=
Dor bill'' that the practice of grouping in
such bill appropriations for a
great diversity of objects widely
separated either in their nature or in the
locality with which they ere concerned or in
both, is one which is much to lie deprecated,
unless it is irremediable. 1t inevitably tepds
to secure the success of the bill as a whole,
though many of the items, if separately con-
sidered, could scarcely fail of rejection BY
the adoption of the course | have recommend
ed every member of Congress, TheneVer Op-
pOrtunity should arise for giving his inHueuce
be enabled co TO do without being called upon
to sanction others Gndeserving his approval
SO would the Executive be Afforded thereby
full opportunity to exercise his constitutional
prerOgatiye Of opposing whatever appro-
priatiOns seemed to him Objectionable
without imperiling the success of others
which commended themselves TO his judgment
1t may be urged in opposition to these sugges-
tOns that the number Of works of internal
improvement which are justly entitled TO
governmental aid Is so great as 70 render i'm
practicable separate appropriation bills there
for, even for such comparatively limited num-
Der as make disposition of large sums of
money. This objection may be well founded,
and. whether II be or not, the advantages
which would be likely to ensue from the adOp-
tiOn of the course I have recommended may,
perhaps, be more etfeetHaily attained by an
other, which respectfully submit to Congress
as an alternative proposition. 1t is provided
by the constitutions of fourteen of our States
that the Executive may dlsapprOVe of any item
or items OF 2 bill appropriating mOney,Where-
upon the part Of tue bill approved shall be a
law and the part disapprOVed shall fail to
become a law unless repassed according 10 the
provisions prescribed for the passage Of bills
over the veto Of the Executive. The States
wherein ns f0rppOinp is a
part of the fundamental law are Alabama,
California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louis
ian, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jer-
sey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and
West Virginia. l commend to your careful
consideration the question whether an amend
ment of the Federal Constitution in the par
ticular indicated would not offer the best
remedy for What often is a grave embarrass-
ment both to members of Congress and to the
Executive, and is sometimes a serious public
mischief.
ORR NAVAL ESTABLISHMENT.
The report or the Secretary Of the Navy
states the movement of the various sduadrOns
during the year in home and foreign waters,
where our officers and seamen, with such
ships as we possess, have continued to illus
trate the high character and excellent disci-
pline Of the naval organization.
THE JEANETTE EXPEDITION.
On the Dist of December, 1881, information
was received that the exploring steamer Jean
nette had been crushed and abandoned in the
AfcilC ocean. ne DiBCeTs ana crew. atter q
journey over the ice, embarked in three nQat5
for the coast of Siberia. One of the parties
under the command of Chief Engineer Geo
W. Melville, reached the land, and, fall
ing in with the natives, was saved. Another
under Lieut.. Commander De Long, landed
in barren region near the mouth of the Lena
river After six weeks had elapsed all but
two Of the number had died from fatigue and
starvation. 40 tldings have been received
from the party in the third boat under the
command OF Lieut.. Chipp, but long and
leaves 1or1lf fIaf
all its members periShed at sea. AS a slight
tribute to their heroism ] give in this com
munication the names Of the gallant men who
sacrificed their lives on this expedition; Lieut..
Commander Geo. W. Belong. Surgeon JAS
NJ. Amber Jerome j. Collins Hans Halmer
Erichsen, Heinrich IL. Kaacke, Geo. w. Boyd,
Walter Lee, AdOlph Dressler. Carl A. GOrtz,
Nelse Iverson, the cook, All Sam, and
the Indian AleXy. The officers and
men in the missing boat were Lieut.
Charles W. Chipp, recommending, William Dun
bar, Alfred Sweetman, Walter Shafwel, AL
bert G. Kuehne, Edward star, Henry u. War
ren and Peter E. johnson. Lieut.. Giles B.
Barber and Master William b. Scheutze are
now bringing home the remains of Lieutenant
De Long and his comrades, in pursuance of the
directions of Congress. The Rodgers. fitted
out for the relief of the Jeanette, in accord
ance with the act of Congress of March 3D.,
1881, sailed from san Francisco June Is, under
the command of Lieut.. Robert NJ. Berry.
On November 30 she was accidentally de-
strOyed by fire while IN winter quarters in st.
ceeded in escaping to the shore. Lieutenant
Berry and one of his officers, after making a
search for the Jeanette along the
coast of Siberia. fell in with
Chief Engineer MelviIie's party and returned
home by way of Europe. The other officers
and the cEeM If the Rodgers were brought
from ST. Lawrence Bay bl lhe whaling steam
er North Star. Master Charles q. s. Rumam.
who had been placed i'll charge of depot'of
supplies at Cape serdze, returning to his post
from st. Lawrence Bay across the ice in a
binding snow storm, was carried out 10 sea
and lost, Notwithstanding all efforts to rescue
hiR.
TIE STRENGTH OF THE NAVY,
1t appears by the SecEetagY's report that ti,C
available naval force of the LniIeG states
consists of thirty seven cruisers, fourteen sim
gle turreted monitors built during the rebel
lion, a large number ofsmooth-bore guns and
PaTrott rifles and eighty-seven rifed cannon.
The cruising vessels should be gradually
replaced by Iron Qr steel ships, the monitors
by modern armOred vessels aud the arma-
ment by high power rified guns. The recon
structOn of our navy, which was recommended
in my last message, was begun, Congress au-
thOriZng in its recent act the construction of
two iarge unarmOred steel vessels of the char
acter recomA4eIded by the late Naval Advi-
sorv Board, and subject to the final approval
of new Advisory Board 10 be organized as
provided by that act
] call your attention to the recommendation
of the Secretary and board, that authority be
given to construct two more cruisers of smaller
dimensions and ons aeet dispatch vessel, and
that appropriations be made for high power
rified cannon for the torpedo service and for
other harbOr defenses.
Pending the consideration by Congress of
the policy to be hereafter adopted in conduct
ing the eight large navy yards and their eX-
pensive establishments, the Secretary advO-
Gates the reduction of expenditures therefor
to the lowest possible amounts. For the pur-
pose of affOrding the officers and seamen of the
navy opportunity for exercise and discipline
in their profession ander appropriate control
and direction the Secretary advises that the
lighthouse service and coast survey be trans
ferred as now organized from the Treasury to
the Navy Department, and he also suggests,
fof the reasons which he assigns, that a similar
transfer n4Gv wisely be made of the cruising
revenue yessls.
DECLINE OF OUR OCEAN COMMERCE.
The Secretary forcibly depicts the intimate
and nter-dependence of the navy
and the commercial marine, and invites at
tentiOn to the continued decadence of the lat
ter and the corresponding tPapsfer of our
growing commerce to foreign bottoms. This
subject is one of the utmost importance to the
national welfare. Methods of reviving Amer
lean ship building and Of restoring the United
States flag on the ocean carrying trade would
receive the immediate attention OF Congress
We have the mechanical skill and abundant
material for the manufacture of modern iron
steamships in the face of competition with our
commercial rivals. One disadyaptage in
building ships is the greater cost of labor, and
in sailing them, higher taxes and the greater
interest on capital, while the ocean high
ways are already mOnopollzed by our for
midable competitors These obstacles should
communications with foreign lands we should
not continue to depend wholly upon vessels
built in the yards of other countries and sail
ing under foreign flags. With no United