The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-12-08
Tho War Department.

The report is made up of short, pungent
paragraphs.
The expenditures by requisition under the
direction of the War Department during the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1883, were as fol
Salaries, contingent expenses and
Military establishment Army ~''''''' ~
and Military Academy.......... q, 7,S3O9T6 10
Public works, including river and
harbOr improvements. 15,659337 81
Miscellaneous obJects............. 4,ljI,736 Sc
Total. Observation-Disclosures. 49.7ol, ,O55 AZ
and the sum of SlG63. 30 was credited un-
der the act Of March 3, 1879 go Statutes, 420
to the subsidized Pacific railroads. for trans
pOrtation services rendered the War Depart
mcnt during the fiscal year 1888, and prior
years.
The appropriations for the fiscal year 1884
Salaries, contingent expenses. ...
Military establishment . Army my ~'-'''l-- ~
and Military Academy.......... 2405l,557 so
Miscellaneous objects, including
Signal Service. 2Gn,92s OF
The estimates for the fiscal year ending
June 30, los1, as revised by me are Us follows:
Salaries, contingent expenses,
and postage, including one
third of the estimate of the
superintendent of the State,
War, and Navy Department
MilitaS% Establishment -Army' -''-"''''' %
and Military Academy. .:.......; 27,136,15s Al
Public works, including river and
harbor improvements: -. n,sl9,Oi9 62
Signal Service. e.............,...., 3,a7s,o26 -
Total. .............. ......... : A 3S6 BOG TS
The principal items of increase of the esti,
mates for salaries over the appropriations for
the present fiscal year are for two clerks and
three labOrers in the office of the Secretary,
nifty additional clerks in the Signal Office,
four clerks in the Ordnance office, and two
clerks in the Bureau of Military Justice. An
increase of compensation is again recon-
mended for the chief clerk, disbursiug clerk,
chiefs of divisions, and stenographer in the
office of the Secretary, and it is thought emf
nently just that these officers should receive
the moderate compensation requested for the
responsible and arduous duties per.
clerks and three labOrers for the office
& OF the the Secretary of war are ire required
of miscellaneous supplies, and the library.
A large reduction has been made in purchas-
ing the stationery and supplies required for
this Office and the bureaus of the department
by making contracts with the lowest bidder
upon each article. The distribution of the
official records of the rebellion, devolved upon
the Seoretary's office by the act of August Z,
1852, ~ Statutes, 32OD, has also greatly in
creased the labor of the Office, particularly of
the librarian, who during the past year has
received 10000 volumes of these records, and
has mailed to separate addresses over 800
volumes, keeping record of each volume so
sent.
The appropriations for the support of the
Signal Service for the fiscal year ending June
30 1888, have been found insufficient and esti-
mates will be submitted to supply the de-
ticiencies. Some difficulty was experienced
in carrying out the provisions of the act of
August 7, 1882 81 Statutes, 3l9), which limited
the expenditures to S.UO,OO0 from apprOpri-
ations for support of the army, in addition to
the specific appropriations for that service.
Thirty-eight days of the fiscal year had al
ready expired, and, although the best efforts
of the department were exercised to keep the
expenditures within the limit of the appro-
priatiOns, its endeavOrs were not completely
successful.
THE ARMY.
OF the army the Secretary says: The report
of the General of the Army has special inter
est in being the last annual report that Gen
eral Sherman will make. At his own request
he has been relieved from the command of the
army, preparatory to his retirement from ac-
tive service under the act of lSS2 He has
therefore thought It best to refrain from
making any new recommendations in his re-
port, leaving that duty to his successor in the
command of the army, Lieutenant General
sheridan. He, however, calls attention
to and renews former recommendn-
ton that a new organization be adopted
for the regiments of infantry so that
each shall be composed of twelve COM
pantes, making three battalions of four COM
panies each, each company having one hun
dred men; and that in time of peace two of
these battalions shall be maintained on q per-