Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-12-28

| per cent. DOnQS may ALL NC ISucCuIeu d0 iCaoe
Gun be called i'll. The latter, at tho same
rate of accumulation of surplus, can be
for the redemption of the four per cents. will
be in the Treasury many years before those
obligations become payable.
THB TRADE DOLLAR.
The trade dollar was coined for the purpose
of traffic in countries where silver passed at
its value, ascertained by its weight and fine
Large numbers of these coins entered, howev-
er, into the volume of our currency by COM
mon consent. Their circulation in domestic
United States become q disturbing element.
They hould not be longer permitted to EN-:
barr barras : our currency r system yynaaaa;o re eS m amend
ury and mints as bullion at q small percentage
above the current market price of silver of
like f1neneSs be made.
CONSOLIDATION OF e DISTRICTS.
The Secretary of the Treasury advises a con.
solidation of certain of the custom districts of
the country, and spggests that the President
us Is now given him BY Section 3,l4l Of the Re-
vised Statutes. The statistics on this subject
t Haans i've se q stronS IN arF rls eeRo IN DEFENSE Of Of
his views. At the adjournment of Congress
the number Of internal revenue collection dis.
June %, 1883, / directed that certain Of the dis
tricts be consolidated. The result has been q,
reduction of one-third their number, which at
present is but eighty-three.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
From the report of the Secretary of War it
will be seen that in only q single instance has
dition of our Indian tribes-p raid from Mexi-
GO into Arizona by a small PARTY Of Indians,
I shich was pursued by Ganl Crook into the
1t is confidently hoped that serious outbreaks
will not again occur, and that the Indian
tribes, which have for so many years disturbed
the West, will hereafter remain in peaceaDle
submission.
CoAsr EXPENSES.
| again call your attention to the present
condition Of our extended sea coast, upon
which are SO many large cities whose wealth
and Importance to the country would in time
ships, against which our existing defensive
Those works were built before the introduce
afacidht condition we may easily be subjected
to humiliation by a hostile power greatly in
ToRpEDo DEFENsEs.
t t9Pti9% to the 1ar imaPordt sfsnse Of R Esa S6nrg our oar
thorized by the last Congress to report on the
method which should be adapted for the man
ufacture of heavy ordnance adopted to mod
ern warfare has visited the principal iron and
steel works in this country and in Europe. 1t
is hoped that its report will be SO made and that
S@in 9 fs VIII thsr er1 n pc disposed ae to- TO- pr @sn,e,
facture OF such guns as are now imperatively
needed.
The ARM
On several occasions during the past year
officers OF the army have, at the request of
the State authorities. visited their military
From the reports Of these officers i am in.
duced to believe that the announcement of
the State militia organization by the National
flying results, and would afford. in sudden
emergencies, the aid of a large body Of volun-
teers educated in the performance of military
duties.
NAVAL FFAIRS &
The Secretary of the Navy reports. that, un-
der the authority, OF the acts of August 8,
ening ournavy by the construction OF modern
vessels has been auspicfously begun: Three
cruisers are in progress OF construction-the
Chicago, OF 1850 tons displacement, and the
Boston and Atlanta, each OF 1850 tons. They
are to be built OF steel, with the tensile
i saTsnsta and and in d1 cJmbInatl gresoe ri spoe ~
endurance and armament, are eX:
pected to compare tavorably. with
l nasio oes. u 4 ao@pfS vessel Maf t Iess Dolp IF 9 s to
be constructed of similar material, aud is in
tended to serve as a tieet dispatch boat. Tho
double tnrreted monitors, Puritan, Ample
rite and Terror, have been laui- ched on the
Delaware River, and . contract has been
made for the supply OF their machinery. A
launched IN California. The Naval Advisory
Board and the Secretary recommend the
completion of the monitors, the construction
OF four gunboats, and also Of three additional
steel vessels, like the Chicago. Boston and
Dolphin, as an important moasure of materi-
WATERWAYS.
The Secretary urges, also, tho immediate
creation OF an internal fast line Of waterways;
acre aese O. s,e the peninsula EN- III ;Sf Flo, Flori Easa along ON .d the
the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River, and
through Cape Cod. ~
i feel bound to impress upon the attention
OF Congress the necessity of continued prog
ress in the reconstruction of the navy.
The condition Of the public treasury, as
1 nre have -. already intims ted. makes mi, a the
this branch of the service in a state
of efficiency. 1t is no part of our policy to
t fhsas Of the the % other great q h poyo asle Of 70 the Sep So %1tn
We have no wish for foreign conquest, and
the peace which We have long enjoyed is in
our naval strength should be made adequate
for the defense OF our harbors, the protection
OF our commercial interests and the mainte-
nance OF our national honor, is a proposition
from which no patriotic citizen can withhold
his assent.
POSTAL MATTERS.
tains q gratifying exhibit OF the condition and
prospects OF the interesting branch of the
public service committed to his care. 1t APP
OF post-ofiices was ~ 1853, Of which 1882 were
established during the previous fiscal year.
The nnnber Of offices operating under the
ed 70 s. ,ig5,sO.G. a sum exceeding by
SA,VSl,oa4.Ul the enCre cost OIL the carrier
service OF tho country. The rate OF postage
On drop lettors passing through these Of
hces Is now fixed by law ut 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-
lnembered that in 1860, when free-delivery
was first established by law, the uniform
single rate postage upon local letters
was one cent, and SO it remained until
1879. when in those cities where carrier
service was established it was increased,
to defray the expense of such service. 1t
seems to me shat the old rate may now with
propriety be restored, and that, too, even Mt
the risk of diminishing, for a time ~atleast, the
receipts from postage upon local letters. 1
can see no reason why that particular class Of
mail matter should be hold accountable for
the entire cost of not only its own collection
and delivery, but the collection and delivery
OF all other CLASSES, and ] am confident, after
Gull consideration Of the subject, that the re.
Au0tiOn of the rate would be followed by such
&growing accession Of business as to occa-
sion but slight and temporary loss to the rev.
enues OF the pOst-Ofice.
POSTAL
The Postmaster General devOtes much of
his report to the consideration, in its various
aspects, of the relations of the Government
to the telegraph. Such reflection as i have
boon able to give to this subject since my
last annual message has not led me to change
the view which l there expressed in dis
sentihg from the recommendation of the
Postmaster General, that the Government
l NSslIunn tho ar oNnfro 0~.o~ <la III