The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-12-09

evidences, and prevent the preparation necessary
IN defeat unjust and fictitious claims, while con-
SANITY occurring interest threatens ~ double the
demands inv.,lved. In the present c,ndti0p of
the dOckets of the courts well Oiled with private
suts and Of the force allowed the District After
ney no greater than is necessary for the ordinary
and current business Of his ofiice. these revenue
litiyaii0ns cannot be considered.
| In default Of the adoption Ivy Congress OF .
plan for the general reorganization of the Fed
serai courts a. has been heretofore n commended.
| l urgre the pr'priety of passing law permit
| ting the appointment IL an additional Federal
Judge 10 the District where these Government
| suits have accumulated that by continuous
sessions OF the devoted the trial OF these
Gases they may be determined II 10 entirely
plain that great saving tO the Government
would be acc mpiished by such remedy. and
| the suitms who have honest claims would NOT
be deaied justice through delay.
OUR ARMY.
The report of the Secretary Of War gives a de-
tailed account Of the ADMINISTRATION Oi his De.
partmeni, and contains sundry recommendations
for the improvement Of the service which fully
approve. The army consisted at the date Of the
last consolidated return OF i03 officers aud a.
9z6 enlisted men. The expenses OF the Depart
ment for the las, fiscal year were $50 900 $685.
ircluding t6,s94 S0643 for public works and
river and harbr improvements / especially
direct the attention Of Cs,ngr; s. to the recom
mendation that Officers be required TO submit 10
an examination preliminary their pro
motion. see no objection, bur many advan.
tages, in adopting this feature, which has uper-
ated so bene6cially in our N IVY Departm mt rs
well as In some branches of The Army.
OUR COAST DEFENcEs
The subject Of coast decences and fortifcations
has been fully and carefully treated by the ard
OF FOFtihcaliOns, whose report was submitted mt
the last session OF Congress. but no construction
work of the kind recommended by the Board has
been possible during the last year irnin the lack
oil appropriations Tor such purposes. The de-
fenceless condition of our Sea cnast and frontier
is perfectly palpable. The examinations made
must convince US all that certain Of our cities
named in the report Of the Board should be- iort-
fed, and that woik the most important of
these Notifications should be commenced al once
The work has been thoroughly considered and
laidsUui, the Secretary Of War reports but all is
delayed in default OF Congressional action. The
absolute necessity judged by all standards Of
prudence and foresight, OF our preparation tor An
ehectual resistance against the armored ships,
and steel guns and moriars Of modern cOnstruc-
tion which may threaten the cities ON our coa>ts.
Is % apparent that hope eff 'ctive STEPS will te
t. .en in that direction imme lately The valu-
able and suggestive treatment of tins question w
the Secretary OF War is earnestly recommended
to the consideration of Congress.
THE APACHE WAR.
In September and October last the hostile
Apaches who, under the leadership OF Geron-
imO, had for eighteen months been on the war
path, and during that time had committed many
murders and been the cause of constant terror TO
the settlers of Arizona, surrendered to General
Miles, the military commander who succeeded
General Crook in the management and direction
OF their p insult. Under the terms of their sur
render rs then reported, and in view of the un-
derstandlng which these murderOus savages
seemed To entertain of the assurances given
them it was considered best TO imprison them in
such manner as to prevent their ever engaging
in such Outrages again instead of trying them
for murder Fort Pickens having been selected
as safe place of confinement, all the adult
males were sent thither and will be closely
guarded as prisoners. In the meantime the res
idue of the band who, though still remaining
upon the reservation, were regarded as unsafe
and suspected of furnishing aid to those ON the
warpath, had been removed to Fort Marion
The women and larger children OF the hostiles
were also taken there and arrangements have
been made tor putting the children of proper aye
in Indian schools.
NAVAL REPORT
The report of the Secretary of the NAVY con-
tains detailed exhibit of The condition of his
Department with such a statement of the action
needed 10 improve the same rs should challenge
the earnest attention OF Cong.ess The present
navy OF the United States, aside from the shps in
course OF construction, cons s,> of first fourteen
single turretted monitors none of W hich are ip
commission, nor at the pre-, ent time serviceabe.
The batteries OF these shps are 0b olete aud they
can only be relied upon as auxiliary s.,ips in har
Dor defence, and then after such an expenditure
upon them as might not be deemed justifiabe
second, five fOurth-rate vessels of Small tonnage
only one OF which was des med rs n war vessel.
and all OF which are auxiliary merely third.
twenty seven cruising ships, three OF which are
~ iran Cfos
wood. Or these wooden vessels it is estimated
oy the Chief Constructor of the Navy that only
three will he serviceable beyond period of six
years, at which time it may be said that of the
present naval force nothing worth the name will
remain.
All the vessels heretofore authorized are under
contract or IN course of construction except the
armored ships The torpedo and dynamite beats,
and one cruiser. As 10 the last of these the bids
were in excess OF the limit fixed by Congress
Inc production in the United States Of armor
and gun steel is question which il seems nee.
essary 10 settle at an early day, if The armored
war vessels are to Ike completed with these ma
teriais oil home manufacture. This has been the
SUBJECT OF lnves igatiOn by two boards and by
Two special 'Ommittees OF Congress within the
last three years. The report of the Gun Foun-
dry Board IN 1884 OF the Board on For'ifications
MADE In January last, auG The reports of the Sc
iect committee Of the two houses made at the
last session OF Congress, have entirely exhausted
the subject, so far preliminary Investigation is
involved, and in their Recommendations tIey are
ibstantially agreed. In tie event that the pres.
1t invi' ton of the department for bids to
iurnsh such OF this material as is now authorized
shell fail TO induce domestic manufacturers 10
undert :re the lar e expe Ili.ures required to be
mace Tor this new manufacture, and NO other
steps are a.en by Congress al its coming session.
secretary contemplate with dissatisfaction,
u cessi,y OF obtaining abrn d the armor and
&c gun steel Tor the authorized ship. 1t would
seem desirable that the wants of the a. nv and
navy IN this regard should be reasonably met,
ana Dy uniting their contracts such induce
ment might be offered as would result in secur-
ing the domestication Of these important inter
esta
TIE P0STOFFICE DEPAETNENT
The affairs of the pos.al service show marked |
and gratiiying improvement during the past
year. particular account of lis transactions |
and condition is given in the reprt of the Post
mf er-5cneral, which will be laid before you.
Inc me reduction OF the rate of letter postage in |
1858, rendering the postal revenues inadequate |
10 sustain the expenditures, and business de- |
pression also contributing. resulted in an excess |
OF cost for the fiscal year ended June 80. 1883 of
eight and one-l third millions nf dollars An ad- |
ditionai check upon receipts by doubling the |
measure OF weight in rating sealed correspond |
ence and diminishing half The charge for news |
paper carriage was imposed by legislation which |
look eject with the beginning of the past fiscal |
year. While the constant demands of our Ter
ritorlal development and growing population,
Tor the extension and increase OF mail facilities
ana machinery necesstates a steady annual ad-
vance in outlay, and the careful estimate of Q |
year ago upon the rates of expenditure then ex-