Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-12-04

| 70 tneSo 1nuaanSs Tor the purpose OF AAksskuct
ing the adults as vel as such children "a
should be found there. Such permission wa
readily granted, accommodations were pro
vided for the teachers, and some portions OF
the buildings at the barracks were made
available for school purposes. The good work
contemplated has been commenced, and the
teachers engaged are paid by the ladies with
whom the plln originated
1 am not at all in sympathy with those be
neyolent but injudicious people who are con-
stantly insisting that theSe Indians should ~
returned to their reservation Their removal
| was an absolute necessity il the lives and
/ property of citizens upon the frontier are tc
be at all regarded by the government. Their
continued restraint at a distance from the
scene of their repeated and cruel murders and
outrages is still necessary. 1t is a mistaken
philanthropy, every way injurious, which
prompts the desire to see these savages re
turned TO their old haunts They are in theiI
present location as the result of the best jadg
ment OF those having official responsibility il
the matter and VINO are by no means lacking
in kind consideration for the Indians
number of these prisoners have forfeited their
lives to outraged law and humanity. Expert
ence has proved that they are dangerous and
cannot be trusted. This is true not only OF
those who on The war path have heretofore
Of their kindred and friends, who, while they
remained upon their reservation, furnished
aid and comfort TO those absent with bloody
intent.
These prisoners should be treated kindly
and kept in restraint far from the locality OF
their former reservation; they should be sub
jected to efforts calculated to lead TO their
improvement and the softening of their saw
age and cruel instincts, but their return t.
their old home should be persistently resisted
The secretary, in his report, gives graphic
history of these Indians, and recites, with
painful vividness, their bloody deeds and the
unhappy failure of the government to man
! age them by peaceful means Ii will be
amazing if a pcrusal of this history viii
allow the survival of a desire for the return
! of these prisoners to their reservation upor
sentimental or any other grounds.
/ OUR NAVAL FORCES.
The report of the secretary of the navy
demonstrates very intelligent management
in that important departma nt, and discloses
the most satisfactory progress in the work OF
! reconstrueting the navy made during the
| past year OF the ships in course of con-
struction, fve-viZ the Charleston, Balti-
more, Yorktown, Vesuvius and the Petrol
have in that time been launched and are rap
idly approaching completion; and in addition
+
cisco, the Newark, the Bennington, the Con-
cord and the Herreshoff torpedo boat are all
under contract for delivery TO the depart
ment during the next year. The progress
already made and being made gives good
ground Tor ~ expectation that these eleven
vessels will be incorporated as part of the
/ American navy within the next twelve
months
The report shows that notwithstanding the
large expenditures for new construction, and
the additional labor they involve the total
ordinary or current expenditures of the de-
partment for the three years ending June 30,
1888, are less by more than 20 per cent. than
such expenditures for the three years ending
/ June 80, 1884
The various steps which have b.en taken
| to improve the business methods of the de-
partment are reviewed by the secretary. The
purchasing of supplies has been consolidated
and placed under resp )nsible bureau head.
This has resulted i'll the curtailment of open
purchases which in the years 1884 and 1885
amounted to over so per cent of all the pur-
chases of the department, 10 less than Ii per
cent; so that Mt the present time about 90
per cent. of the total departmental purchases
/ are made by contract AMI after competition.
As the expenditures on this account exceed
an average of S2,00O,000 annually, it is evil
dent that an important Improvement in the
system has been inaugurated and substantial
economies introduced
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
The report of the postn e.ar General shows
| a marked increase of bust .eas in every branch
of the postal service.
The number of postoffices ON July l, 1888,
was 81 ,376, an increase of 6, l24 in three years
and of 2,2l9 for the last fiscal year. The
latter mentioned increase is classified as fol-
lows:
New England states. .............. .......... 5
Southern states and Indian territory (iD ,4O6
The states and territories of the Pacific coast 100
The ten states and territories of the west and
northwest. ...-...................... ABS
| District of Columbia. Observation-Disclosures. 3
Total. =. 800. .................... 2,210
Free delivery Offices have increased from
/ 1S9 in the Il ell year ended June 80, 1887 to
S5S in the year ended June 80, 1888
In the silway mail service there has been
/ an increass in one year of 16S routes, and in
/ the number of miles Travelled per annum an
increase Of Is, 49, l7.4S The estimated in
| crease of railroad service for the year was
5000 miles, but the amount of new railroad
service actually put on was II, 164. so miles.
The volume of business in the money order
division including transactions in postal
| notes. reached the sum of upwards of $143-
| GOO 900 for the year.
During the past year parcel post conven-
tions have been concluded with Barbados,
the Bahamas, British Honduras and Mexico,
and are now under negotiation with all the
| Central and South American states The in
crease of correspondence with foreign coun-
tries during the past three years is graft
!, flying, aud is especially notable and ex-
ceptional with the Central and South
American states and with Mexico. As
the gvgslter part of mail matter ex-
changed ssth these countries is commercial
in its character, this increase is evidcncs of
the improved business relations with them
The practical operation of the parcel post
/ conventions, so far as negotiated, has served