The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-12-07

ton OF two large unarmored steel vessels of the
character recommended by the late Naval Advisory
Board, and subject to the hnal approval OF new
nd yisory board to organized provided by that
Act Icall your attention to the recommendation
OF the Secretary and the Board that authority be
given to construct two more cruisers of smaller di
mensions and one fleet dispatch vessel, and that
appropriations be made for hig power rihed can
non, for the torpedo service and fof othef harpof
defences.
Pending the consideration by Congress- of the
policy to be hereafter adopted In conducting the
eight large navy yards and their expensive estab
ltshments, the Secretary advocates the reduction
of expenditures therefor to the lowest possible
amounts.
For me purpose of afrording the officers and sea-
men of the Navy opportunities for exercise and dis
cipline In their profession under appropriate CON
troll and direction, the Secretary advises that the
Lighthouse Service and Coast Survey be trans
ferred now organized, from the Treasury to the
| Navy Department; and he also suggests for the
reasons which he assigns, thata similar transfer
| may wisely be made OF the cruising revenue yes
The Secretary forcibly depicts the intimate con-
nect1on and interdependence of the Navy and the
| commercial marine. and invites attention to the
continued decadence of the latter and correspond
| Ing transfer of our growing commerce to foreign
| This subject is one of the utmost Importance to
| the national welfare. Methods OF reviving Amer1
can shtpbuidng and of restoring the United States
Dag In the ocean carrying trade should receive the
| Immediate attention Of Congress. We have mechan-
icaI skill and abundant material for the manufac-
Of modern iron steamships in fair competition
with our commercial rivals. Onr 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 mo-
| nopolized by our formidable competitors. These
| obstacles should In some way be overcome, and for
our rapid communication with foreign lands we
should not continue to depend wholly upon vessels
built in the yards OF other countries and sailing
under foreign Hays. with no United states steam
ports, facilities for extending our commerce
| greatly restricted, while the nations which build
and sail the ships and carry the mails and pas
seugers obtain thereby conspicuous advantages in
increasing their trade.
The report of the Postmaster General gives evil
dence of the satisfactory condition of that Depart
| ment, and contains many valuable data and accom-
panying suggestions which cannot fail TO be OF In
| terest.
for the fiscal year have exceeded the expenditures
must be very gratifying To Congress and to the
pie Of the country
AS matters which may fairly claim particular at
tentiOn, refer his observations in reference
to the advtsability of changing the present basis
for fixing salaries and allowances, of extending the
money order SYSTEM and of enlarging the functions
OF the postal establishment so as to put under It's
control the telegraph system of the
from this last and most important recommendation
must withhold my concurrence.
At the last session of Congress several bills were
introduced into the House OF Representatives Tor
the reduction Of letter postage to the rate Of two
cents per half ounce.
1 have given much study and reflection to this
subject, and am thoroughly persuaded that such a
reduction would be for the best interests of the
| public.
1t has been the policy Of the government from its
foundation to defray far as possible the expenses
of carrying the mails by direct tax in the form Of
| postage 1t has never been claimed, however, that
this service ought to be productive of revenue
AS been stated already, the report of the Post
master General shows that there is now a very con-
| siderable surplus in his department. and that
henceforth the receipts are likely to increase at
much greater ratio than the necessary expendi-
| lures. Unless some change is made In the existing
laws profits of the postal service will in very
few years swell the revenues of the government
many millions Of dollars. TIE time seems auspic
ious therefore, for some reduction In the rates
postage. In what shall that reduction consist?
\ A review of the legislation which has been had
upon this subject during last thirty years dis
closes that domestic letters constitute the only class
substantial reduction of rates. am convinced that
the burden of maintaining the service falls most
unequally upon that class, and that more than any
other is entitled to present relief
| That such relief may be extended without detri-
ment to other public interests will be discovered
upon reviewing the results OF former reductions.
Immediately prior to the act OF 1915 the postage
upon letter composed of single sheet was as
follows
Cents.
Il II conveyed
Between 80 and so miles Observation-Disclosures 10
Between 80 and $50 miles OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 12H
Between $50 and 400 miles. 1871
BY the of 1s45 the postage upon single letter
conveyed for any distance under $40 miles was fixed
at Ave CENTS and for any greater distance at
cents.
BY the act of 1851 it was provided that a single
letter. II prepaid, should be carried any distance
exceeding three thousand miles for three cents
and any greater distance for six cents.
1t Will be noticed that both of these reductions
were Of radical character and relatively quite
important that which is now proposed.
In each there ensued temporary loss of
revenue, but sudden and large influx Of business
which substantially repaired that loss within three
Unless the experience of past legislation In this
country and elsewhere goes for naught 1t may be
safely predicted that the stimulus Of so centum
reduction in the tax for carriage would at once in
the number Of letters consigned to the mails.
The advantages of secrecy would lead to very
general substitution of sealed packets for postal
caros ana open eirculs, anu ~ uxors 3 o'ei Why's
the volume Of hrst-class matter would be enor-
mously augmented. such increase amounted In
England, in the first year after the adoption OF
| penny postage, to more than l25 per cent.
As result Of careful estimates, the details Of
which cannot be here set out, have become con-
WINGED that the deficiency for the first year after
| the proposed reduction would not exceed per
cent. of the expenditures, or $30O00O0, while the
| deficiency after the reduction of 1916
than IA per cent? and after that Of 1851 27 per
| cent.
statistics furnished me by the Post Office Depart
The act OF 1s45 was passed In the face of the fact
that there existed deficiency of that $780, 900
That of 1851 was encouraged by the slight surplus
of OOO The excess OF revenue in the next fiscal
| year is likely to be $3,5OO,0O0.
II Congress should approve these suggestions 1t
may be deemed desirable to supply to some extent
the deficiency which must for time result, by in
, | caeas1ng the charge for carrying merchandise,
which is now only sixteen cents per pound. But
/ even withoutsuch an Increase am confident that
the receipts under the diminished rates would
equal the expenditures after the lapse OF three or
|
The report of the Department of Justice brings
anew to your notice the necessity Of enlarging the
| present system of Federal Jurisprudence so as
erectually answer the requirements of the ever
increasing litigation with which 1t is called upon
| to deal. .--E.
The Attorney General renews the suggestions of
| his predecessor that In the interests Of justice
better provision than the existing laws afford
should be made in certain judicial districts for fix
ing the fees of witnesses and jurors.
/ In my message of December last | referred to
pending criminal proceedings growing out of al
|
service in the Post ONCE department, and advised
you that had enjoined upon the Attorney General
and associate COUNSEL whom the interests of the
government were entrusted, the duty OF prosecut-
ing with the utmost vigor of the law all persons
who might be found chargeable with those ofrenses
trial of one Of the cases has since occurred. 1t
| occun1ed FOR MANY weeks the attention of the gu
preme Court Of this District and was conducted
with great zeal and ability. 1t resulted In d1sa-
greement Of the jury, but the cause has been again
placed upon the calendar and will shortly be re-
| tried. If any guilty persons shall finally escape
punishment for their ofenses it will not be for lack
Of diltgent and earnest efforts on the part OF the
prosecution.
I trust that some agreement may be reached
1 which will speedily enable Congress, with the con-
currence OF the Executive, to afford the CONNER
| cial community the benefits OF national bank
rupt law.
The report Of the Secretary of the Interior, with
its accompanying documents, presents full state
ment of the varied operations OF that department
In respect to Indian affairs nothing has occurred
| which has changed or seriously modified the views
l to which devoted much space in a former commu
| nication to Congr renew the recommendation
therein contained to extending to the Indian the
protection of the law, allotting land in severalty
to desire 1t, and making su1tab lie provision
for the education of youth. Such provision, the
Secretary forctbly maintains, will prove unavailing
unless 1t Is broad enough to include all those who
are able and willing to make of it, and should
solely relate to Intellectual training, but also
to instruction in such manual labor and simple
Industrial arts be made practically avail
able.
| Among other important subjects which are in
cluded within the Secretary's report, and which
will doubtless furnish occasion for Congressional
| action, may be mentioned the neglect of the rail
Cd o,JaQ III Upr
by of 1862 and 1864 take title there
| to, and their consequent inequttable exemption
| from local taxation.
No survey OF our material condition can fail to
suggest inquiries to the moral and Intellectual
progress of the people.
l. The Census returns disclose an alarming state
of tll1teracy in certain portions Of the country
where the provision for schools is grossly made
quate 1t is momentous question for the decision
! Of Congress whether immediate and substantial
aid should not be extended by the general govern
ment for supplementing the efforts Of private be-
nehcence and Of State and Territorial legislation in
behalf of education.
The regulation of the Interstate commerce has
already been the subject of your deliberations One
Of the incidents Of the marvellous extension of the
railway syetem Of the country has been the adop
tfon OF such measures by the corporations which
own or control the roads has tended TO impair
the advantages of heathful competition and to make
hurtful determinations in adjustment of freigt
age.
These inequalities been corrected in several
OF the states by appropriate legislation, the effect of
l rfph 10