Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-12-05

1
/ In Offices where the carrier system has not
| been established the rate is only half as large.
! 1t will be remembered that III 1863, when free
| delivery was first established by law, the uni
| form single rate of postage upon local letters
was one cent, and SO it remained until 1872,
| when, in those cities where the carrier service
was established, it was increased to defray the
expense of such service. It seems to me that
the old rate may now, with prOpriety, be re-
stored, and that too, even at the risk Of dimin-
ishing, for a time, at least, the receipts from
postage upon local letters. ] can see no rea-
son why that particular class of mail matter
should be held accountable for the entire cost
of not only its own collection and delivery, but
the collection and delivery Of all other classes.
and l am confident after full consideration of
the subject that the reduction of the rate
would be followed by such growing accession
of business as to occasion but slight and tenn
pOrarY loss to the revenue Of the postOffice,
The postmaster general devotes much Of his
report to the consideration in its various as
poets of the relations of the government to the
telegraph. Such reflections as have been able
to give to the subject since my last annual
| message has not led me to change the view
which then expressed in dissenting from the
| recommendation of the postmaster general
that the government assume the same control
over the telegraph which it has always. occu-
pied over the mail. Admitting that its author
! ity in the premises is as ample as
has ever been claimed for it, it would
| not, In my judgment, be a wise step
| to give authority to purchase or assume the
| control of existing telegraph lines on to con
| struct Others with view Of entering into gen.
eral competition with private enterprise. The
objections wffACn may be justly urged against
this project, and, indeed,s against any system
| which would require On enormous increase IN
the civil service list, do not, haEeyer, apply to
some of the plans which have lately provoked
public comment and discussion. It has been
! ole for roF1ln hot ofr,Iof
wisely authorize the postmaster to cone
tract with some private person or corporation
| for the transmission of messages at
specified rates and under government
supervision. Various schemes of the
same general nature, but widely differing in
their special characteristics, have been sug-
gested IN the public prints and the arguments
| by which they have been supported and OPP
| posed have doubtless attracted your attention.
| 1t is likely that the whole subject Will be con-
| sidered by you at the present session. In the
nature of things it involves so many questions
of detail that your deliberations would prob
ably be aided slightly, if at all, by any part1cu-
lar suggestions which 1 might now submit.
avosv my belief, however, that the government
| should be authorized by law to exercise court
supervision over Interstate telegraph COM
| Ihunication and express the hope that for at
| tanning that end some measure be devised
which will receive your appreciation.
The Department of Justice. -.
The attorney general critcises in his report
| the provision of the existing law fix
ing the fees Of jurors and witnesses in
| the federal courts. These provisions are chiefly
contained IN the act of February 26, 1853,
| though some of them were introduced into the
act from statutes which had been passed
many years previous. 1t Is manifest that such
| compensations as might when these laws were
enacted have been just and reasonable would in
many instances be justly regarded at thepresent
| day inadequate. | concur with the attorney
geneTalin the belief that the statutes should be
revised by which these fees are regulated; so too
should be the laws regulating the compensa-
| ton of district attorneys and marBhals. They
should be paid wholly by salary instead in part
| by fees, as Is now the case. The change would
prove to be measure Of economy and would
| discourage the institution of needless and Op-
pressive legal proceedings which it is to be
feared have in some instances been conducted
| for the mere sake of personal gain
"t The Interior Department..
Much interest and varied informationi is con-
tanned in the report of the secretary of the in
terror. particularly call your attention to
| his presentation of Gel tain phases of the In
| dian question, to his recommendation for the
| repeal of the presumption and timber culture
| acts and for more stringent legislation to pre-
! vent frauds under the pension laws. The stat
utes which prescribe the definition and pun
ishments Of crimes relating TO pensions could
amendments and additions which are pointed
out in the secretary's report.
| have previously referred to the alarming
| state of iliteracy in certain portions of the
| country, and again submit for the consideration
| of congress whether some federal aid should
| be extended to public primary education
wherever adequate provision therefor has not
already been made. fa
The Mormon Question.
The Utah Commission has submitted to the
| secretary of the interior its second annual re-
| port as a result of its labors in supervising the
recent election in that territory pursuant to the
| act of March %, 1882. 1t appears that the
persons by that act disqualified to the number
| of about Il, 600 were excluded from the polls.
This fact, however, affords little cause for con-
graduation and I fear that it is far from indi-
| eating any real and substantial progress toward
the extirpation of polygamy. All of the mem
| bers of the legislature af6 Mormons. There is
| grave reason to believe that they are i'll SYM
| pathy with the practices that this government
IS seeking to suppress and that its efforts in
| that regard will be more likely to encounter
their opposition to than receive their encour-
| agement and support. Even if this view
should happily be erroneous, the law under
which the commissioners have been acting
should be made more effective by the incorpor-
| alton of some such measures as they recon-
mend. as were included in bill No. q 238 on the
calendar of the senate at its last session, lam
convinced that polyga has become so strongly
intre1lched in the territory of Utah. that it is
proftless to attack it with any but the state
weapons which constitutional legislation can
form. I favor, therefore, the repeal of the act
upon which the government depends, the as
sumption by the national legislation of the en-
| tire political control of the territory, and the
establishment of commission with such DOW
ers and duties as shall be delegated to it by law.
Agriculture
The department of agriculture is accomplish
ing much in the direction of the agricultural de-
velopments of the country. and the report of the
commissioner giving the results of his 1nvesti-
cations and experiments will be found interest
ing aud valuable. at his instance q con7en-
tion of those interested in the cattle industry
of the country was lately held at Chicago. The
prevalence of peuro- pneumonia and other con
tagious diseases of animals was one of the
chief topics of discussion. committee of the
convention will invite your cooperation in the
investigation of the causes of these diseases
and the providing of methods for their proven
ton and cure.
Alaska.
I trust that congress will not fail at its
present session to put Alaska under the pro-
lection of laws. It's people have repeatedly re-