National Republican., 1882-12-05

meit of such fund iuhnite intelligence cannot
be obtained tor fourth class clerks.
Postmnsters are enger for large allowances The
most iupOrtunate are apt to be best served. They
ask earliest aud oilenest They employ every
KIND of entTeaty AMI Uiler every sort of influence
personal and Iol,tical. The clerk must act upon
such case us the postmaster presents Hu'hns
therefore, that the recent investigation by the
First Assistant Postmaster General resulted In n
reduction at eight Offices amounting IN the aggre.
gate to S5453o. 1t is. not to be doubted that a
broader inquiry would result In still larger reduc
tions.
A table giving the salary, rent fuel. lights,
clerks, stationery, and miscellaneous ex-
penses, and the gross receipts of eighteen
post offices for n year is set forth showing
the Irregularities in the system of allowances
the expenditure for clerk hire varying from 8
to 1852 per cent, of the gross revenue. The
recommendations to simplify and euualize
these disbursements are for the government to
all the officers in the first and second class;
second the boxes and drawers to be supplied,
not by the postmaster, but by the department
or lesser of the building, and the partnership
of the government and the postmaster in the
use of the letter-Boxes he dissolved, except at
the pOst-otiiccs in New York and Washing
ton, for which special provision should be
made. In the matter of
THE STAR ROUTE SERVICE
there was decrease in the aggregate trans
portation during the year of 2,632 429 miles
and in cost of 81 ,403,5 ,506. The aggregate cost
OF railroad transportation is largely increas-
ing each year, which must continue to be the
case so long as the rapid expansion of the SER
vice shall continue. The report Of the gen
cral superintendent of the railway mail SER
vice is quoted from, making an interesting
exhibit of the magnitude to which that
branch of the service has attained Referring
to the item of $780, 900 in the estimates of the
Second Assistant Postmaster General, to be
expended in
EXPEDITING MAILS
on railways, the Postmaster General SAYS he
has not been able to make arrangements for
fast service out of similar existing appro-
prlatlOn upon terms which seemed reasonable.
Certain services which he found in operation
are still maintained at the rate of compensation
originally agreed upon. He endeavored to
organize II fast mail train between New'York
and san Francisco, and between New England
and New Orleans, but the railroad companies
declined to submit a proposition, and the
money is now i'll the Treasury. He refers to
THE NEW MONEY ORDER BUILDING,
into which the clerks of the Money Order
Office and the Sixth Auditors Office are now
established, and recommends the purchase of
the building, which can be bought for SS5, 900
If purchased within two months. The rent
is now $4,000 per annum, In reference to
THE RATES OF POSTAGE,
he thinks that the postage on second class mat
ter should be abolished and that the rate on
iourth-cass matter should be increased. He
refers to the post office collection system in
operation in Germany and France, and invites
Congress to consider if similar system would
not augment the revenues of the department
lie urges the engratting upon the postal service
SYSTEM OF DEPOSITS FOR SMALL SUMS,
making the pOst-oflice, not substitute for the
savings bank nor its rival, but its feeder: a
place where small deposits with slow uccretiOns
may slowly grow into large ones, then to be
transferred to savings banks on larger
terms, and with larger earnings. In refer
ence to the postal telegraph system, he
says that in almost all countries save this
telegraph service is conducted by the postal
authorities, and he believes the time has now
come when the telegraph and postal service
should be embraced under one management.
He summarizes the arguments in favor of this
action, refers to the power of the telegraph
for evil as well as good, believing its agency
much too dreadful to entrust in private hands,
and closes as fOllows 81 speak of its capa-
bilities not its history. 1t may be objected,
and has been, that the measure proposed
would largely extend the roll of Federal Off
GERS. That increase has doubtless been ex-
aggerated. At a very large percentage of the
offices the telegraph operator would not sup
plement the postmaster, but would supplant
him. Besides, know of no law but necessity
limiting the employment of officials"
ATTORNEY GENERAL BREWSTER.
The Attorney General, in his report, re-
fers to the delays which obstruct the ad-
of justice in the Supreme Court
and to some extent the circuit and district
courts of the United States, and the necessity
for speedy legislation ON this head. Since
the last report there have been brought in the
court Of claims 4s2 suits claiming $44s, 79O.37,
and the entire number of suits pending against
the United States is us, claiming $27 SOL 756 64
The humber pending against the District of
Columbia is PSI, claiming Sc, ,996, 80 80. The ex-
pericnce gained by the supervision and investi-
cation of United States marshals' accounts by
the Attorney General leads to the conviction
that the present fee bill might with propriety be
revised. The amount asked for to defray the
expenses of the United States courts for the
fiscal year 1884 is $3,260,000. He thinks the
appropriation now applicable to the investi-
CATION of the accounts of district attorneys,
marshals, clerks, and other officials should be
increased, and suggests that some thorough
system of local audits at short intervals be de-
vised to
RESTRAIN EXTRAvAGANcE
in some districts, and give in each ap assurance
that expenditures are not greater than public
interests require. He also recommends the re-
enactment of section Ii of the act approved
August 16, 1856, which provides that United
states attorneys may appoint substitute attor-
neys in certain cases to attend to the duties of
the office when they cannot attend to them
themselves. Respecting witnesses for an ac-
cused person not able to pay their attendance,
he repeats the suggestion in his last reports,
saying that the number which the United
States shall be required to summon and pay
Tor any defendant shall not exceed four lex
cept i'll capital cases), and only those should
be summoned when it is clearly shown by
affidavit that their testimony goes to the merits
of the case. He also recommends that the
maximum compensation of the several clerks
of the United States courts shall be uniformly
the same. That the Revised Statutes be SO
amended that all emolument returns of
district attorneys, clerks, and marshals shall
hereafter be settled for fiscal years. as other
accounts are settled. That
ADDITIONAL LEGISLATION
be had to protect executive civil officers of
the government in the performance of their
duties, and also against outrages committed
upon them because they have faithfully per-
formed them. There is no United States
punishment for the murder of one of these
officers while engaged in discharging his
duties, or because he has discharged them.
This is matter which should not be left to
the administration of justice in the State
courts.
In view of the cost of transporting United
States prisoners from Arizona and New Mexico
to an available penitentiary in the States the
Attorney-General submits to Congress the
propriety of building United States peni-
tentiary at suitable place, either in Arizona
or New Mexico, for the imprisonment of
United States prisoners in those Territories.