Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-12-14

tn this country and in Europe, 1t Is bor.d
that its report viii soon bc made and thar Con-
Rress will thereupOn be disposed to proyidc
suitable facilities and plans for the mapnfact.
ure OF such guns as are now imperatiyely
needed.
THE MILITIA or THE STATES
On several occasions during the past wear.
oiheers OF the army have, at the request of
state authorities, visited their military on
for the inspection of the troons
From the reports of these officers am induced
TO believe that tho encouragement of the Statc
militia organizations by the National Go,.cr,,-
ment would be followed 10y very gratifyin,, r,..
suits and would afford il, I'm sudden efi1orrcn4
cles, the aid OF large body of volunteers oil
ucated in the performance of military duties
THE NAVY.
The Secretary of the Navy reports that nm
DER the authority OF the acts of August \
nv, and March ., 1883, the work of strength
enlng our navy by the construction of mod
ern vessels has been auspiciously begun.
Ihree cruisers arc in process of Construction
the chicago OF $3.50 tons displacementand the
Boston and Atlantic. each of 800 tons They
are to be built of steel with the tcnsita
strength and ductility prescribed by Law and
IN combination of speed, endurance aud orna-
ment, are expected to compare favorably
with the best unarmcd war vessels of other
nations. fourth vessel. the Dolphin. is to
De constructed OF similar material and is in
tended 10 serve as n fleet dispatch boat The
double turreted monitors, Puritan Amnhi-
trite and Terror, have been launched on the
delaware River, and contract has been
made Tor the supply of their machinery A
similar monitor, the Monadnock, has been
launched in California. The Naval Advisory
Board and the Secretary recommend the
completion OF the monitors the construction
of four gun boats, and three additional steel
NesSels ike the Chicago, Boston and Dolphin,
as an important measure of defense The
secretary urges also the immediate creation
OF an interior coast line of water ways across
the Peninsula of Florida, along the coast from
Florida to Hampton Roads, between
t pi chesapeake Bay and Delaware
RIVER and through Cape Cod. | feel bound
TO impress upon the attention of Congress the
necessity of continued progress in the recon
structlon OF the navy; The condition of the
public Treasury, as | have already minated
makes the present an suspicious time for pat
ting this branch of service in a state of eff
cheney. 1t Is is no part of our policy to create
ana maintain navy able To- cope with that of
the other great powers of the world. We
have no wish for foreign conquest, and the
peace winch we have long enjoyed is in no
naval strength should be made adcQate for
the defense of OUR harbOrS, the protection of
our commercial interests and the maintenance
OF our national honor, is a proposition from
which no patriotic citizen can withhold his
assent.
THE POsT-oFFCE DEPARTMENT.
The report of the Postmaster-Cieneral con-
tains gratifying exhibit of the condition and
prospects of the interesting branch of the
public service committed to his care. 1t APP
?
OF post-offices was AZ ,S53, of which I,6Se were
established during the previous fiscal year.
Inc Inc number of offices operating under
the system of free delivery was l54. At
these latter offices the postage on local
matter amounted TO 81, 195, 2sb0.52, sum ex-
ceeding by $l,G2l, Sgi.0l, the eutire cost of the
carrier service OF the country. The rate of
postage on drop letters passing through these
offices Is now fixed by law at two cents per
half ounce or fraction thereof. In offices where
the carrier system has not been established
the rate is one-half as large. 1t will be re-
membered that in 1863, when free delivery was
nrst established 10y law, the uniform single
rate postage upon local letters was one cent,
and so IL remained till 1877 when in those
cities where carrier service was established il
was increased in order to defray the expense
OF such service. Ii seems to me that the old
rate may now with prOprety he restored and
that, too, even at the risk of diminishing for
a time at least, the receipts from postage upon
local letters. | can see no reason why that
particular class of mail matter should be held
accountable for the entire cost, of not only
It's own collection and delivery, hut the col
lection and delivery of all other classes and I
am confident, after full consideration of the
subject, that the reduction of the rate would be
followed by such growing accession of bust
ness as to occasion but slight and temporary
loss 10 the revenues of the pOst-office.
POSTAL TELEGBAPHS.
The Postmastcr-General devotes much of
MS report to the consideration, in its various
aspects, of the relation of the Government To
the telegraph. Such reflection as | have been
able to give to this subject since my last an
nudl message mas not led me to change the
Wow which i then expressed in dissenting
from the recommendation of the Postmaster
General, that the Government assume the
same control over the telegraph which il has
always exercised over the mail. Admitting
that its authority i'm the premises is as ample
as has been claimed for il, II would not in my
Judgment, be a wise use of that authority to
purchase or assume the control of existing
telegraph lines, or to construct others with a
view OF entering into general competition
with private enterprise. The objections
1IISflV IIryR6 f,F
these projects, and, indeed, against any sys-
TEN which would require an enormous in
crease in the civil service list, do not, how
ever, apply to some of the plans which have
lately provoked public comment and discus
sion. il has been claimed, for eXample that
Congress might wisely authorize the Postmas-
ter-General to contract with some private per-
sons or corporations for the transmission of
messages at specified rates and under
government supervision: Various such
schemes of the same general nature, but wide
~ differing in their special characteristics,
have been suggested in the publics prints
and the arguments by which they have, been
supported and opposed have doubtless at
tractcd your Socntion. 1t is likely that the
whole subject will be considered by YOU M the
present session. In the nature of things
IL involves so many questions of detail that
your elaboration would probably be aided
slightly, II Mt all, 10y any particular suggestion
which now submit. l avow my belief, how
ever. that the Government shall be authorized
by law To exercise some sort of supervision
over Interstate telegraph communication,
and l express the hope that for attaining that
end, some measure may be devised which will
receive your appreciation.
A NEEDED REFORM
The Attorney-General criticises in his report
the provisions of the existing law fixing the
ices OF jurors and witnesses in the Federal
courts. These provisions are chiefly con-
tanned in the act of February 20, 1853. though
some of them were introduced into that act
from statutes which had been passed many
years previous. Ii is manifest that such COM
Pensatlon as might, when these laws were en-
snNnA
IN many instances, be justly regarded at the
present day as inadequate. / concur with the
AttOrney-General, in the belief that the stat
uteS should he revised by which these fees are
regulated; so, too, of District Attorneys and
Marshals. They should be paid wholly by sala-
RES, instead of in part 10y fees, as is now the
case Inc change would prove to be a meas
ure OF economy, and would discourage the
institution of needless and oppressive legal
proceedings, which it is TO be feared have in
some instances been conducted for the mere
sake of personal gain.
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT..
Much interesting and varied information is
contained In the report of the Secretary of
the Interior. / particularly call your atten-
uon 10 MS presentation of certain phasts of
the lndian-question; to his Recommendations
Tor the repeal of the presumption and timber
culture acts, and for more stringent legisla
ton To prevent frauds under the pension laws.
nave previously referred to the alarming
state or llliteracy in certain portions of the
country, and again submit for the considera-
ton OF congress whether some Federal aid
should he extended TO public primary educa-
uOh wnere ever adequate provision therefor
has not already been made.
UTAH.
Inc Otah commission has submitted to the
secretary of the Interior its second annual re-
port. Asa result of its lahOrs in supervising
the recent election in the Territory pursuant
10 the act OF March -, lsS2, it appears that the
persons by THAT act diSguaified.to the number
:. about l2,OOO, were excluded from the polls.
lhis fact, however, affords little cause for
congratulation, and fear that il is far from
indicating any real and substantial progress
toward the eXtirpation of polygamy. Ali of
the members OF the Legislature are Mormons
and there is grave reason 10 believe that they
are In sympathy with the practices that this
Government is seeking 10 suppress, and that
It's Efforts in that regard will be more likely to
encounter their opposition than to receive
their announcement and support. Even if