The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-12-16

patriotic citizens that the dav is not far dis
tant when our navy will be such as BELTS
our standing among the nations OF the
earth. anu reJoiced ar every step that leads
in the direction of sueh consummatiOn, l
deem I my duty to especially direct the at
tentlon OF Congress to the close OF the re-
port of the Secretary of the Navy. in which
the humiilatlng features of the present or
ganlzation OF this department is exhibited,
and the startling abuses aud the waste of
its present methods are exposed. The con-
yiction IS forced upon US with the certainty
OF mathematical demonstration that before
we roceed further in the restoration OF a
navy we need thoroughly reorganiZed
Navy Department.
( The fact thai with seventeen years more
than $500 % Q have been spent in con-
struction. repair, equipment and armament Z
OF vessels. and the further fact that, instead 4
of an effective and creditable fleet, we have
only the dlScOnt NJ and apprehension of (
nation undefended by war vessels added to 1
+ the disclosures now made, do not permit US 4
10 doubt that every attempt 10 revive our
navy has tlus far, for the most part. been +
misdirected, and all our eff iris in that di- 4
rection have been little better than blind.
grnpings, and expensive. aimless folies.
UHque~tlonabiy II we are content with 4
the maintenance of Navy Department {
SIMPLY as an ornament to the Government, |
Instant WatcilfulneSS nav ID vent some /
of the scandal and abuse which have found ;
their way into our present organization. /
and its incurable waste may be reduce to
the minimum. But if we desire to build
slips r present usefulness instead of
nava reminders of the davs that are past
we must have a department organized for
the work. suppl ed with all the latest and
/ best ingenuity our country Affords and pre-
pared TO take advantage of the experience
/ OF other nations. systrnatiZed SO that all
i effort shall unite AMI lead in one direction
! and IN ~ imbued with the conviction that
/ war vessels now are useless unless they
combine all that the ingenuity of man has
up 10 this day brought forth rel lting to
their construction. | earnestly commend
the portion OF the Secretary'S report de-
voted TO this subject to the action of Con-
| gress, IN the hope that the suggestions
! touching the reorganization of his depart
ment may be adopted as the first step to-
ward the reconstruction OF our navy.
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
! The affairs of the postal service are ex-
hibited by the report of the Postmaster
General, which will be laid before you. The
postal revenue, whose rates OF gain up IN
the rising prosperity of 1882 and 1881 out
stripped the increasing expense of our
growing service, was checked by the reduc-
ton IN the rate of letter postage, which
took effect with the beginning of October
in the lat er year, and il diminished during
the two past fiscal years s., 1900 in the
proportion o. -, 20, 900 in 1881 to s 2000l
III 1850 Natural growth and development
! have, IN the meantime, increased eXpendi-
ture, resulting i'll deficiency in the rev.
enue to the expenses of the department of
i've and quarter millions for the year
1888, and eight and one-third milIi ms in
I the last fiscal year. The anticipated and
/ natural revival of the revenue has been op-
I pressed and retarded by the unfavoTlbe
business condition of the country of which
the pos al service is a faithal Indicator. The
gratifying fact is shown, however. by the
/ report tlat our retarding prosperity is
| marked by gain of S3S0, 600 in the revenue
/ of the latter half of the last year over the
/ corr spending period of the preceding
| year. The change in the weight of first
| class matter which may be carried for
| single rate of postage. from half ounce to
! hN~ al Of
| the rate Gf newspaper postage, which, un-
/ der recent legislation begun with the cur
rent year. will operate TO restrain the aug
| mentatiOn OF receipts Which otherwise
might have been expected to such a degree
! than the scale OF eX HenSe may gam upon
| the revenue and cause an increased def
| cheney TO be shown at its close; Yet after no
| long period of reweakened prosperity, by
! proper economy il is conf ently antcl-
pated that even the present low rates now
| as favorable as any country affords, viii
| be adequate to sustain the cost OF the ser
| vice.
The operation of the Post Office Depart-
| ment is for the convenience and benefit OF
| the people, and the method by which they
| pay the charges of this uSettu arm OF their
! public service, SO that it be just and impair
tial, is of less Importance TO them than the
| economical expenditure of the means they
| provide for its maintenance and the due
| improvement of it's az ncies, so that tney
| may enjoy its highest usefulness. A proper
! attention has be II directed to the preven-
ton of vase or extravaganza, and good re-
suits appear from the reports to have al
| ready been accomplished.
DOMESTIC MONEY ORD DERs.
| | appro,e the recommendation of the
| Postmaster Gsheral To reduce the charges
on domestic money orders of s. and less
from to 5 cents. This change Will mater
tally aid those of our people whO most of
all, avail themselves of this Instrumental
ity, but to whom the element of cheapness
is of the greatest Importance. With this
reduction the system would still remain
Self-SuppOrting.
THE FREE DEIIv RY sYs EN-
has been extended to min teen addit Onal
cities during the year. and l IS now enjoy its
conveniences. Experience has commented
ii TO those who enjoy its benefits, anu tur-
ther enlargement of its facilities is due to
o her communities to which it is adapted.
In the cites where it has been estab iShed,
taken together, the local postage exceeds its
maintenance by nearly Si,3OO000 Tne
limit to when this system is now conf ed
by law has been nearly reached, and the
reasons given justify its extension, which is
proposed
FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
1t was decide |, with my appreciation
after a suffi rIent examination. to be inexpe-
dent for the Post Office ID partment to con-
tract for carrying our foreign mails under
the additional authority Civ by the last
Congress. The amount limited was inad-
equate to pay all within the purview of the
law e full rate of ~ cents per mile, and
ii would have been unjust and unwise to
have given it to some and denied it to
others. Nor could contracts have been let
under the law to all at rate to have
brought the aggregate within the appropria-
ton without such practical pre-arranSement
of terms as would have violated lt. The
rate of sea and inland postage, which was
pr ffered under another statute clearly APP
pears to he fair compensation for the de
sired service, being three times the price
neceSS lry to secure transp0r alton by other
vessels upon amy route and much beyond
the charges made to private persons for
, services not less burdensome. Some of the
steamship companies, upon the refusal of
the Postmas er General to tempt. by the
j means provided, the distribution of the sum
. appropriated, an extra compensation, with
drew the services of their vessels, and
thereby oecasiOned slight Inconvenience,
: though no considerable injury. Tue mails
have been dispatched by other means.
t Whatever may be thought of the policy of
subsidiZing any line of public conveyance
or travel. am satisfied that it should not
be done under cover of an expenditure / :
cident 10 the administration of a depart
ment, nor should there be any uncertainty
as to the recipients of the subsidy or any
: discretion left to an executive officer as TO
its distribution, If such gifts of public
money are 10 be made for the purpose of
aiding any enterprise in the supposed In
) terest of the public, can not but think that
the amount to be paid and the beneficiary
) might better be Diet .rmined by Congress
I than III any other way.
: DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
{ The report of the Attorney General con-
| tains Il history of the conduct of the De-
, | partment of Justice during the last year,
and number of valuable suggestions as to
needed legislation, and invite your careful
! attention to the same, The condition OF
!. business in the courts of the United States
/ is such that there seems to be an Imperative
necessity for remedial legislation on the
: subject. Some of these courts are so over
: burdened with pending causes that the de-
!, lays on determining litigation amount often
!, to a denial of justice. Among the plans
suggested for relief is one submitted by the
e Attorney General. Its main features are
the transfer OF all original jurisdiction OF
2 the Circuit Courts to the District Courts
: and an increase of Judges Tor the latter
o where necessary; an addition of Judges to
o the Circuit Courts and co Stiiutln- them
!, exclusively courts of appeal and reasonably
u limiting appeals thereto; further restrlc-
/ tions of the right to rem ye causes from
e the State to Federal courts; permitting ap-
S peals to the Supreme Court from the
l. courts of the District OF Columbia and the
S Territories only in the same cases as they
are allowed from State courts and gu srd-
in AGAINST stn unnecessary NUMBER OF ap-
peals from the Circuit Courts. | approve
e the plan thus outlined. and recommend the
s Iegislat on necessary for its application to
J. our judicial system.
g The present mode OF compromising United
? States Marshals and District Attorneys
4 should. In my opinion, be changed. They
!, ar allowed to charge against the Govern
Il nlent certain fees for service. their incomes
is being measured by amount OF such fee:
lg within a fixed limit as to their annu Il aggre
10 gate. This IS siirect inducement for them
r u make their fees in criminal c iseS as
larg. as possible i'm an effort to reach the
= maximum sum permitted As an entirely
natural consequence oSerupuious Mir
~ silals are found encouraging frivolous pros
iii