The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-12-05

which are so many large cities whose wealth
and importance to the country would in time
of war invite attack from modern armored
ships, against which our existing defensive
works could give no adequate protection.
Those works were built before the introduc-
ton of modern heavy rihed guns into mari
time warfare, and IL they are not put in an
efficient condition we may easily be subjected
to humiliation by hostile power greatly in
ferior to ourselves.
As gerrnane to this subject, call your at
tention to the importance of perfecting our
Submarine torpedo defenses. The board au-
thoriZed by the last congress to report on the
method which should be adapted for the
manufacture Of heavy ordinance adapted TO
modern warfare has visited the principal icon
and steel works in this country and in
Europe. Ii is hoped that lis report will be so
made and that congress vii; therefore be dis
POSED to provide suitable facili ties and places
"fJr the manufacture OF Sucn guns as are now
imperatiyely needed.
On several occasions during the past year
officers OF the army have, at the request of
the STATE authorities, visited their military
encampments for the Inspection of the troops.
From the reports OF these officers, | am in
oltced To believe that the encouragement of
the state militia organization by the national
government would be followed by very graft
t.in.. results, and wuud afford, in sudden
unleers eGar..tel III the performance of mill
t2ly duties.
ne secretary Of the navy reports that, un
der the authority OF the acts of Aug. 5, 1882
| and March 8, 1888 the work of strengthening
our navy by the construction Of modern yes
sells has been auspiciously begun. Three
cruisers are in progress of construction-the
Chicago, Of 1870 tons displacement, and the
Boston and Atlanta each Of :, 500 tons They
! ., Ia t,,iI ~ with the tapCJln
strength aud GuctiliJy prescribed by law,
and lu combination OF speed, endurance and
armament, are expected to compare tavorably
with the best unaImored war vessels of other
nations A fourth vessel, the Dolphin, is to
| ie constructed of similar material and is in
tended to serve a. Il fleet dispatch boat. The
! double tuTreted monitors, Puritan, Amplerite
and Terror, have been launched on the Della
| ware river, and a contract has been made for
the supply of their machinery. A similar
monitor, the MOnadnock, has been launched
I in California. The Naval Advisory board
/ and the secretary recommended the compile
ton OF the monitors, the construction of four
/ gllIltOats AMI also ui three additional steel
/ vessels ike the Chicago, Boston and Dolphin,
Is ansimpbrtaut nl'.>ai'e Of material defense.
The secretary lu.-gs, also, the immediate
creation Il ~, Iu.e. lpI last line II waterways
across the peninsula vi Florida, along the
coast from FlOridt tu hampton roads, and
| through Cape Cod.
feel bound to int,ras upon the attention
| OF congress the necessity OF continued
/ progress in the reconstruction of the navy.
! The condition of tie public treasury, as
| have already inilaatr,,, makes the present
au auspic.ous tins for putting this
| braHch OF the %'ryice in state
OF eiiici"I'y. i Is II" iriit Of our policy to
create and maintain Aavy able to cope with
| that of other great powers of tae wOril, We
have no wish Tor foreign conquest, and the
/ peace which we have long enjoyed is in no
seeming danger OF Interruption. But that
/ our naval strength suuUit be maze adequate
| for the defense oi oar harbols, the pro
| lection of our commercial interests and the
| maintenance Of oar national honor, is prop
! osit0n from which no patriotic citizen can
/ withhold his assent.
/ The report Of the postmaster general con-
! tI.ns a gratifying exhibit of tue condition
/ aud prospects OF the interesting branch of the
/ public service committed to his care 1t APP
| pears that on June so, 1888, the whole number
! Of postotIices was 41, SG3. of which / ,932 were
established during the previous fiscal year.
/ The number OF Offices operating under the
system Of free delivery, was l54 At these
/ latter offices the postage on local matter
amounted to 81 i@5.23G5?, a sum exceeding
! hv 81 ,U21 ,S9tOi the euttre cost of the carrier
/ service Of tie country. The rate Of
/ postage Ii drop letters passing through these
/ Offices is nov fixed by law at two cents per
/ half ounce or fraction thereof In offices
1 where the carrier system has not been -
! tabli>.,-rta n rate is 0nc-half as large II
I VIII b. remembered that in 1868, WneH Tree
! delivery was FIRST established by law, the
| uniform single rate postage upon local letters
| was one Cons, an 50 1t remained until 49,
| when in thos. cite; where carrier service
| was established 1t was increased, tc
| defray the expense Of such service. Ii
| seems To M that the old rate may now viii
| propriety Ike restored, and that, too, even al
| 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 accounta ble fol-
the entire cost Of not only its own collection
| and delivery, but the collection and delivery
OF all OTHER classes, and am confident, after
! full consideration of the subject, that the re
duction of the rate would be followed by sucl
| a growing accession OF business as to occasion
but slight and temporary loss to the revenues
| of tho DostOfiice. ~s>
The postmaster general devotes much of his
| report to the consideration, in its various
aspects, Of the relations of the government t.
the telegraph. Such reflection as l have
been able to give to this subject since my
last annual message has not led me to change
the view which | there expressed, in dissent
ing from the recommendation of the post
master general that the government ASSUME
the same control over the telegraph which
it has always exercised over the mail
Admitting that its authority il
| the premises is rs ample as hai
ever been claimed for it, it wOulC
not in my Judgment, be a wise use of that
authority to purchase or assume the contTo
of existing telegraph lines or to construc
others with view Of entering into genera
competition with private enterprise. The oh
iectionS which may he justly urged againS
either of these projects, and, indeed, agains
any system which would require an enormous
increase in the civil service list, do not
however apply to some Of the plan
which have lately provoked public com
ment and discussion. 1t has beer
claimed, for example, that congress
might wisely authorize the postmaster gen
eTal to contract with some private person OF
corporation for the transmission OF message
at specified rates and under government Sll-
perviSion Various such schemes of the SAINT
general nature, but widely differing in thsil
special characteristics have been Suggested
in the public prints, and the arguments 10y
which they have been supported and op
posed have doubtless attracted yonr at
tention. 1t is likely that the whole subject
will be considered by You at the pres
ent session. Ia the nature of things, il
involves so many questions Of detail that youl
| uelDefdblOhS Nould pIcOdbly De dluSt
slightly, if at all, by any particular sugges
tions which | might submit. / avow my
belief. however, that the government shouli
he authorized by law to exercise some sort oil
supervision over interstate telegraph com
munication, and | express the hope thai
for attaining that end some measure may
he devised which viii receive your approba
ton.
The attorney general criticizes. in his re
port, the provisions of the existing law fixins
the fees of jurors and witnesses in the fedora
courts The provisions are chiefly contained
in the act of February 90 1853, though somt
of them were introduced into that action from
statutes which had been passed many year
previous 1t is manifest that such compensa
ton as might when these laws werV
enacted, have been just and reasonable
would in many instances be Justly re
garded Mt the present day as mad
equate | concur with the attorney genera
in the belief that the statutes should be re
vised by which these fees are regulated 81
too should the laws which regulate the com
peasant on of district attorney and narshals
They should be paid wholly by salaries, in
stead of part by fees, as is now the case
The change would prove to be a measure q
&c, nomy and would discourage the institu
ton of needless and oppressive legal pro
ooo1ipc-c which II ic tn he faarad bava /,