Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-12-15


drawalof United States Treasury notes OF
small denominations and the issuing OF
small silver certificates have been resorted
to in the endeayor to accomplish
this result, in obedience to the will and
sentiments OF the representatives Of the
people in the Congress. On the
nth day of November 1885, the people held
of these coins, or certificates representing
them, the nominal sum Of $lG6, Si3,Oil, and
we still had $7o,i6i,3i5 in the Treasury-as
| against about $ll2, S0i ,O55 so in the hands Of
the people, and S72,SGj, 3W remaining in the
Treasury one year ago. The director of the
mint again urges the necessity of more vault
room for the purpose of storing these silver
dollars which are not needed for circulation
by the people.
SUSPEND THE COINAGE OF SILVER.
have seen no reason to change the views
expressed in my last annual message on the
subject of this compulsory coinage; and |
again urge its suspension on all the grounds
contained in my former Recommendation,
reinforced by the significant increase
of our gold expectation during the
last year, rs appears Icy tho comparative
statement herewith pres ,nted, and for the
further reasons that the more this currency
is distributed among the people the greater
J becomes our duty to prote it from disaster;
that we now have Abundance for all our
needs; and that there seems hut little pro.
priety in building vaults to store such cur
| rency when the only p"etence for its coinage
Is the necessity Of iti use by tho people as a
circulating medium
THE WAR DEPARTMENT..
The rerort Of the Secretary of War gives
q detailed account Of the administration of
his Department, and contains suudry recon-
meniations for the improvement of tbs scr.
vice which fully approve.
The army consisted ut the date Of the last
olidated return, of p l0} officers and ~,
0id enlisted men,
The expenses of the department for the
last fiscal year were S3G 800, 90i.3S, including
5000, 3Oj. 43 for public works aud river and
harbor improvements.
| especially direct the attention OF the
| Congress to tho re recommendation that officers
berequired to submit to an examination as
preliminary to their promotion. ] see no
objection but many advantages in adopting
this feature, which has operated SO bene-
licitlly in our Navy Department, as well as
in some bran hes of the army.
The subject of tn, coast defen ant. rorti-
tiCatiOnS has boon fully and carefully treated
by the Board of FortiIcations VIII, re port
was submitted at the last SO sion of Congress,
but no coastlu ton work of the kind recon-
mended by the Boar has been possible dur
ing the last year from the Ia * of aprropria.
tons for ST h purpose.
The dcScncelesS condition of our sea coast
and lafe front cr is perfectly palpabe; the
| examinations ma lc must con incc us all that
certain Of our cities ma ned in III, report of
the Board should be fortified. and the work
on III, most important OF tho Q fortf ations
shocld he commenced at once; the work has
been thoroughly considered and laid out, the
Secretary OF War re, ,orts, but all is ii !ayed
in default of Congressional action.
| The absolute necessity, judged by oil stan
1ards of prudence AMI forest hit Ofour prep
aratiou for an ercrtual resistance against the
armored shi and steel guns aud mUrSars Of
modern construction which may threaten the
titles OF our coasts, is so apparent that / hope
effective steps will be taken in thas direction
Immediately.
The valuable and suggestive treatment Of
this question by the Secretary of War car
neStly commended to the considerat on of the
Congress.
In September and October last the hostile
| Apaches who, under the leadership of Geron-
mo, had for eighteen months been on the war
path, and during that time had committed
! many murders and been the cause of con-
slant terror to the settlers of Arizona, sur
rended to General Miles, the military COM
mander who su 'Ceedel General Crook in tho
management AMI dire ton Of Their pursuit.
Under the terms of til 1ir surrender as then
reTorted. and in view of the understanding
which these murderous savageS seemed to
entertain of the assurances given them, it
was considered be t to impri>on them in such
manner as to prevent their ever elgagiug in
such outragcS again instead of trying til m
for murder Fort Pickens having ho,n select.
ed asa safe place of confinement, all the al 1t
males were sent thithcr and will be closely
guarded as prisoners. In the meantime the
residue of thoband, who, thou III still remain
ing upon the res rvation, were re-
garded as unsafe, and suspected of furnish
ing aid to those on the war path, had been
removed to Fort Marion. Trc women and
larger children of the hostiles were also
taken there, aIl arrangements have been
made for ruttng the children of proper age
in Indian scl} ol'.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
The report Of the Sc Rotary of the Navy
contains n detailed exhibit of the condition
Of his department, with such statement of
| the action needed 10 improve the same as
| should challenge the earnest attention of the
Congress.
aside from the ships in course of construc
ton, consist of:
FIrst-Fourtecn single turreted monitors
none Of which are in commission nor at the
present time servcelblc. The batteries of
the sh ps are ob}olete, and they can only be
relied upon as auxi larry ships in harbor de-
fence, ard then after such an expenditure
Upon them as might not be deemed juStif
able.
Second-Five fourth-rato vessels of small
| tonnage, only one of which was designed as
war vessel, and all of which are auxiliary
merely.
Third. -Twenty.sey cruising ships, three
Of which are built Of iron, Of small tonnage
and twcnty-fonr of wood. Of these wooden
vessels it il estimated by the chief Constgu"-
tor of the navy that only three will be
,erviceable beyond periol OF six years, at
which time it may be said that of the present
naval force nothing worthy the name will
remain.
All tho vessels heretofore authorized are
| under contra or in course of construction,
except the arinored ships, the torpedo and
dynamite beats, and enc cruiser. AS to the
last Of tLsse. the bids were in excess of the
limit fixed ny Congress. The production in
the United states of almOr and guns eel isa
| question which it seems nc eSSary to settle
at an early day, if the armored We sells
are to be completed with those ma
terials of home manufacture. This
has been the subicct OF investigation
by two boards and by two special
committees of Congress within the last three
year. The report OF the gun foundry board
in 1884, Of the board on fort fications made
| III JANUARY ldSu, anu Jue TepOTJS OIL lne SeleCU
committees of tho two Houses made at the
last session Of Congress, have entirely ex-
hau ted the subject. SO far as preliminary in.
vestigatiou is involved, and in their recon-
mendations they are substantially agreed.
THE PosToFFICE DEPARTMENT.
.t,e reduction Of the rate of letter postage
IN lsSS, rendering the postal revenues made.
quate TO sustain tho expenditures, and husi-
ness depression also contributing, resulted in
an excess Of Cos for the tis al year en- led June
30, 1855, OF eight and one third millions Of
dollars An additional check upon receipts
by doubling the measure of weight in rating
scaled correspondent and diminishing
one half the charge for newspaper carriage,
was imposed by legislation, which took effect
with tho beginning of the past fiscal year;
while the constant demand of our territorial
dovelormont and growing population for the
extension and Increase of mail facilities and
machinery, ne ,essitatas steady annual adj
vance in outlay and the careful estimate OF
year ago upon the rates of expenditure then
existing, contemplated the unavoidable aug
mentaton of the def iedncy in the last fiscal
year by nearly $2,0OO,0jO The anticipated
revenue for the last year failed OF realization
by about $4,000; but proper measures of
economy have so satisfar torily limited the
growth of expenditure that the total def
cheney, in fact, fell below that OF 1855; and
at this time the increase of revenue is in q
gaining ratio over the in 'reaSe of cost de-
monstl ating the sutliciencY Of the present
rates OF no ,tage ultimately to sustain the ser
vi e. This is the more pleasing be alSo our
people enjoy now both cheaper hostage
proportionaIly to distances, and vaster and