The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-12-04

to the reservation. Their removal
was an absolute necessity. If the lives
and property of citizens of the trontier
are to De at all regarded by government,
their continued restraint At distance
from the scene of their reputed and
cruel murders ana outrages. is still
necessary. 1t is mistaken ohilanl hropy,
in every way injurious, which prompts
the desire to see these savages returned
to their old haunts. They are in
tn ir present location as the result
of the best judgment of those having
official response oility in the matter and
who are by no means talking in XII d
consideration for the Indians num-
Der OF these prisoners have forfeited
their lives to outraged law and hum
anity Experience had proved they
are dangerous and cannot be trusted
This is true not only of those on the
war path who have heretofore been
actually guilty of atrocious murders,
but of their kindred and friends who,
while they rmained 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 subjected to efforts cal
culated to lead to their improvement
and to the softening of their savage and
evil instincts; but their return to their
old home should be persisiently respec
ted. 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 manage them by
peaceful means. It VII be amazing if
a persual of this history will allow the
survival OF desire for turn of these
prisoners to their reservation upon SEN
timental or any othergrounds.
THE NAVAL DEPARTMENT.
The report of the Secretary of the
Navy demonstrates very intelligent
management IN that important depart
ment and dIscloses the most satisfactory
progress iIl the work of reconstructing
the navy during the past year. OF the
ships in coarse of construction five, viz.
the Charleston, Baltimore, Yorktown.
VeSuvius and the Petrol, have IN that
time been launched and are rapidly
approaching completion, and in add
ton to the above the Philadelphia, the
SIN Francisco, the Newark, the Btnninq
ton, Concord and the Herresshof torpedo
boat are all under contract for delivery
to the department during the next year.
The progress already and being made
gives good ground for the expectation
that these eleven vessels will be moor
porated as part of the American
navy within the next twelve months.
fhe report shows that notwithstand-
ing the large expenditures for new con-
struction and the additional labor they
involve, the total ordinary or current
expenditure of the department for
the three years ending June 80. 1888,
are less by more than 20 per cent. than
such expenditures for the three years
ending June 30, 1884. The various steps
which have been taken to improve the
business methods of the department
are reviewed by the Secretary
The purchasing OF supplies has
been consolidated and placed under
responsible beureau head. This has
resulted in the curtailment of open
purchases which in the years 1884 and
1885 amounted to over so per cent. of
all the purchases of the department,
less than IL per cent, so that at the
present time about so per cent. of the
total departmental purchases are
made by contract, and after competi-
ton. As the expenditures on the &C,
count exceed an average of $2,000,000
annually, it is evident that an import
ant improvement in the system has been
inaugurated and substantial economies
introduced.