Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-15

would now be open TO serious obiecti,r In
| addition to that which was urged upon vonr
| atten ion BY the Secretary of War. that the
quarter portion OF the sum appropriated for
! the various items specific in that act remain
unexpended. OF The new works which n an.
| thorized, expenses have been Incurred mr.,
two onlv, for which the total appropriate
was S2lO,OOO.
concerns most OF the items to which the act
of August 2, 1882, relates, there can be no
need OF further appropriations until after the
close OF the present session. II, however. anv
action should seem to be necessary in respect
| to particular objects, it will be entirely feast
BILE to provide for those objects by appropriate
| legislation. 1t is probable, for example. that
| delay until the assembling OF the next Com
gress to make additional provision for the
Mississippi river improvements might be at
tended with serious consequences. II such
should to be the case just bill relating to
! that subject would command my approval
| This leads me to offer a suggestion, which I
trust will commend itself to the wisdom of
Congress.
1t is not advisable that grants of consider
able sums of money for diverse and indie
pendent schemes of internal Improvement
should be made the subject of separate and
distinct legislative enactments. 1t will scarce
| Nv be gainsaid even BY those who favor the
most liberal expenditures for such purposes
as are sought to be accomplished by what is
c mmonly called the River and Harbor Bill
| that the practice Of grouping i'm such a bill
| appropriations for great diversity of objects
widely sci ara ed, either in their nature, in the
! LOCALITY which they are concerned or In both.
| is one VIII CHI Is much to be deprecated unless
IL is irremediable, it inevitably tends to secure
the success of the bill as q whole, though
many OF the items, If separately considered,
could scarcely fail of rejection by the adoption
OF the course l have recommended. Every
member OF Congress, when any opportunity
should arise for giving his influence and vote
for meritorious appropriations would be
enabled so to do without being called upon to
SO also would the Executive be afforded there
oy full opportunity to exercise his constitu-
tional prerogative OF opposing whatever ap-
preparations seemed to him Objectionable,
without imperl ling the success of others
which commended themselves to his judg-
suggestions, that the number of works of
internal improvement which are Justly en-
titled TO Government aid, is so great as to
render impract.cable separate appropriation
bills, or even for such a comparatively limited
number as make the disposition of large sums
OF mOney.
This objection may be well founded, and
whether IL be or not, the advantages which
would be likely to ensue from the adoption OF
the course have recommended NAV, perhaps
be more effectually attained by another, which
i respect. ully submit to Congress as an alter
native proposition.
1t is provided by the constitutions of four
teen of our States that the Executive may dis
approve an item or items OF a bill appropriate
| ing money, whereupon the part of the bill APP
| proved shall be law and the part disapproved
shall fail to become a law, unless repassed ac-
| cording to the provisions prescribed Tor the
passage Of bills over the veto OF the Executive.
| i submit to your careful consideration the
question whether an amendment of the
Federal Constitution, in the particular indi-
Gated, would not afford the best remedy for
what is often a grave embarrassment both
TO members OF Congress and to the Executive
| and is sometimes a serious public mischief.
| THE NAVY.
The report OF the Secretary OF the Navy
| states the movements OF the various sQuadrOnS
during the year in home and foreign waters
where our officers and seamen with such ships
! as We possess, have continued TO illustrate the
high character and excellent discipline OF the
naval organization.
The President here calls attention to the
cruise and loss OF the Jeanette aud portion
| of her crew in the arctic regions.
1t appears by the Secretary's report that the
available naval force of the United States con-
sists of thirty-seven cruisers, fourteen single
turreted monitors built during the REBEL on,
a la gre number of smooth bore guns and Par
rott rifles, and eighty sevenrifed cannon. The
| cruising vessels should be gradually replaced
by iron or steel ships, the monitors by modern
| a mOred vessels, and the armament bv high
powered riIed guns. The reconstruction of
| our navy, VIII ch was recommended in nv last
| message was begun by Congress, authorizing
| in its recent act, the construction of two
| large tnarmored steel vessels of he character
recommended by the late Navy Advisory Board,
and subject to the fnal approval of a new
advisory board to be organized as provide by
that act. call your attention to the recon-
mendation of the Secretary and the board,
that authority to be given to construct two
more cruisers of smaller dimensions and one
fleet o. dispatch vessels and hat appropriations
be made for bigh power riied canno for the
| torpedo service and for other harbOr defences
Pend ng the consideration Cong ess of
the policyt be hereafter adopted in conduct
| ing the eight large navy yards and their ex-
pensive establishment, the Secretary advo-
Gated the reduction Of exi endtures to the
| lowest possible amounts. For the purpose of
alto ding the officers and seamen of the navy
opportunities OF exercise and ,iiscipl ne in
their profession under the appropriate cont oil
| and rection, the Secretary advises that the
lighthouse service and coast survey be trans
! 1erred, as now Organi ed, from the treasury
to the Navy Department, and he also suggests,
Tor the reasons which he assigns, that SIM
liar transfer may wisely be made of the cruis-
| ing revenue vessels.
The Secretary fOrcibly depicts the intimate
connection and inter dependence OF the navy
and the commercial marine, and attracts at
tentiOn to the continued decadence of the lat
ter and the corresponding trans er o. our
growing commerce TO foreign batteries. This
subject Is one OF tue utmost Importance to the
national welfare. Methods o. reviving Amer
lean ship-bu lding, of restoring the United
States flag in the can carrying trade should
receive the imm,d ate attention of Congress.
We have mechanical skill and abundant ma
terial for the manufacture OF modern iron
steamships in fair competition with our com
mercIal rivals. Our disadvantage I'm building
ships is the greater cost of labor and in rating
them higher, taxes and the greater interest on
capital, while the Dream highways are already
moLopoliZed by our formidable compel tors.
These obstacles should I'm some way be over
come, and for our rapid communication with
foreign lands, we shOnld not continue to de-
pend wholly upon vessels built in the yards of
other countries and sailing under foreign
flags. With no United States steamers on
the principal ocean lines for any foreign ports,
our facilities for extending our commerce are
greatly restricted, while the nations which
build an sail the ships and carry the mails
and passengers obtain thereby conspicuous
advantages for inc easing their trade.
THE PosToFFICE DEPARTMENT.
The report of the Postmaster General gives
evidence of the satisfactory condition of that
department, and contains many valuable data
and accompanying suggestions, which cannot
fail to be OF interest The information which
1t affords that the receipts for the fiscal yeal
| have exceeded the expenditures must be very