St. Landry democrat., 1882-12-16

mended, every member OF CoHsiesS "t; a
ever opportunity should arise for giving ms
influence and vote for merlto11ous appIoggia..
lions, would be enabled to so do without pe.
ing called upon to sanction others unues s.;ra
ing his approval; so also would the eAecusIyo
be afforded thereby full opportunity 70 eA-
ercise his constitutional prerogatlYe VI op
posing whatever appropriations seemed 40 70
him objectionable without Importing tne
success of others which commented them-
selves to his Judgment 1t may be urged All
opposition to these suggestions thatthe num-
Der of works of internal improvement when
are justly entitled to Government aid IS so
great ns to render impracticable separate ap-
preparation bills therefor, or even for such
comparatively limited number as make JUS
position of large sums of money. This obJec-
ton may be well founded, and whether It pc
OF not the advantages which would be likely
to ensue from the adoption of the course l
have recommended may perhaps be more
effectually attained by another which re-
spectfully submit to Congress
ASIAN ALTERNATIVE PROPOSITION.
1t is provided by the Constitutions of four
teen Of our States that the Executive may
disapprove any item or items OF bill appro-A
priating money Whereupon the e. part part OF the
proved shall fail to become law, unless re-,
passed, according to the provisions pre-,
scribed for the passage OF bills over the veto,
such provision as the foregoing is part OF
the fundamental law are: Alabama, Ca!tfor- g
MIA, colorado, Florida, Georsia; Louisiana Isrta
New York, Pennsylvania, Texas ana west
Virginia I commend to your careful con-
sideration the question whether an Amends
ment of the Federal Constitution, in the par
ticular Indicated, would not afford the best
remedy for what is Often a grave embar-
| rassment, both to members of Congress ana
to the Executive, and is sometimes serious
public mischief. .s i IA 4 54 :gt-s
THE NAVY.
The report of the Secretary of the Navy
states the movements of the various squad
rons during the year. in home and foreign
waters, where our officers and seaman, with
such ships as we possess, have continued to
illustrate the high character and excellent
discipline of the naval organization
| THE j tANNETTE. @t35t
On the 21st of December, 1881, information
was received that the. exploring steamer Je-f
annette had been crushed and abandoned in
a journey over the ice, embarked in three
| boats for the coast of. Siberia. One of the
parties, under the command of Chief Engi-t
neer Melville, reached the land. and falling in
with natives was saved Another under
Lieut.. Commander De Long, landed in a barr
rem 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
| No tidings have been received of the party in
| the third boat, under the command Of Lieu
tenant Chipp, but long and fruitless inyesti-
CATION leaves little doubt that all it's members
| persisted at sea. As a slight tribute to their
| heroism, give in this commemoration the
names of the gallant men who sacrificed
| their lives in the expedition: Lieutenant
Commander George W. De Long Surgeon
/ M. u.
| Aalmer. Erickson Heinrich, Fl. Kaacke George
1 w. Boyd Walter Lee, Adolph Dressler, Carl
| A. Gortz, Nelse Iverson, and the cook. Sam
Andechien Alexy. The officers and men in
the missing boat were Lieut.. Charles w.
| Chipp, commanding, William Dunbar, Alfred
Sweetman. Walter spartell, Albert e.
Peter L. johnson. Lieut. Giles B. HARDER and
| Master VIM. III. SeheutZe are now bringing
home the remains of Lieut. De Long and his
| comrades.
| THE RoDcEPs n
In pursuance of the directions of Congress
the Rodgers, fitted out for the relief of the
Jeannette. in accordance with the act OF
/ Congress OF March 3, 1881, sailed from San
Francisco June l6, under command of Lieut.
/ Robert NJ. Berry. On November 30 she was
! accidentally DESTROYED by fire while in winter
/ quarters in ST. Lawrence Bay, but the officers
| and crew succeeded in escaping to the shore.
Lient. Berry and one OF his officers, after
coast of Siberia, fell in with Chief Engineer
| Alelville's party and returned home by way of
/! Europe. The other officers and the crew of
/ the Rodgers were brought from st. Lawrence
| Bay by the whaling steamer North Star.
i Master Charles f. Putnam, who had been
4 placed in charge of depot of supplies at
! Lawrence Bay across the ice in binding
1 snow storm, was carried out to sea and lost,
notwithstanding all efforts to rescue him.
/ NAVAL RECONSTRUCTION.
1t appears by the secretary's report that the
| available naval force of the United States
4 consists of thirty-seyen cruisers, fourteen
single turreted monitors, built during the re-
bellion, a large number of smooth bore guns
and parrot rifles, and eighty seven riied
cannon The cruising vessels should be gradu-
ally replaced by iron or steel ships the moni-
tors by modern armored vessels, and the or /
4 mament by high power rifed guns. The re-
construction of our navy which was recon-
mended in my last message, was begun by.
| Congress authorizing, i'll its recent act, the
construction of two large unarmored steel
vessels of the character recomme aded by the!
late navy advisory board and subject to the
final approval of new advisory board, to be
organized as provided by that act. call
Il your attention to the recommendation of the
Secretary and the board, that authority be
given to- construct two more cruisers Of
smaller dimensions, and one feet dispatch
vessel, and that appropriations be made for
high power rifled cannon, for the torpedo
service, and for other: harbor defenses =
Pending the consideration by Congress OF
the policy to be hereafter adopted in con-.
ducthg the eight large navy yards and their
expensive establishment, the Secretary ad-
vocates the reduction of expenditures there
for to the lowest possible amounts.
Forthe purpose of affording the officers and
81 the IA q exercise
propriate control and direction, the Secretary
advises that the Lighthouse Service and
Coast Survey be transferred, as now organ,
| lied, from the Treasury to the Navy Depart
ment, and he also. suggests, for the reasons
which me assigns, that a similar transfer may
4 Wisely be made OF the cruising revenue ves
sells. The Secretary. forcibly depicts the init
mate connection and interdependence of the
navy and the commercial marine and attracts
attention to the continued deeadence of the
, latter and the corresponding transfer of our
growing commerce to foreign batteries. This
, subject is one of the utmost importance to
the national welfare.
, | METHODS OF REvIyING AMERICAN SHIP
I'd BUILDING,
and of restoring the United States flag in the
| ocean carrying trade. should receive the Inn
mediate attention Of Congress We haye me.
chanical skill and abundant material for Sha
manufacture of modern iron steamships in
! fair competition with our commercial rivals.
Our disadvantage in building ships is the
, greater cost of labor and in sailing them;
higher taxes and greater interest on capital.
while the ocean highways are already monop-