Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-04


disease or casualty. am not unaware
that the pension-roll already involves a
very large annual expenditure, neither
am deferred by that fact from recon-
mending that Congress grant q pension
to such honorably discharged sailors and
soldiers of the Civil War as, having rem
dered substantial service during the war,
are now dependent upon their own labor
for q maintenance, and by disease or
casualty are incapacitated for labor.
Many of the men who would be in
cluded in this form Of relief are now
dependent upon public aid. and it does
not, in my judgment, consist with the
national honor that they shall continue
to subsist upon the local relief given
Unfortunately to paupers instead
of upon special and generous pro-
visions. They served so calamity and
unselfshly that our people will, I am
sure, very generally approve such legis-
lation, and am equally sure that the
survivors of the Union army and navy
will have grateful sense of relief when
this worthy and suffering class of their
comrades are fairly cared for. There are
some manifest inequalities in the exist.
ing law that should be remedied. To
some of these the Secretary of the In
terror has called attention. 1t is crafty
ing to be able to state that with the adop-
ton of new and better methods in the
War Department the calls of the Pension
Office for information az to the military
and hospital records Of pension claim.
ants are now promptly answered, and
the injurious and vexatious delays that
have heretofore occurred are entirely
avoided. This will greatly facilitate the
adjustment OF all pending claims.
THE NEW STATES.
The advent of four new States-North
Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and
Washington-into the Union under the
Constitution in the game month, and the
admission of their duly chogen repre-
sentatives to our National Congress at
the same session, is an event as unex.
ampled as it is interesting. The certifi-
Gates of the votes cast and of the coneti-
buttons adopted in the States we're fled
with me as required by the eighth Sec
ton of the act of February %, 1889. by
the Governors of said Territories respec-
lively. Having after careful examine
ton found that the several constitutions
and governments were republican in
form and not repugnant to the Constitu-
ton of the United States; that the
provisions of the act of Congress had
been complied with, and. that a ma
jority of the votes cast in each of
said proposed States were in favor of
adopting the constitution submitted
therein, did 30 declare by separate
proclamation as to each, as to North
Dakota and South Dakota on Saturday,
November I'd, as to Montana on Friday,
November 9Th, and Washington on Mon
day, November 11th. Each of these
States has within it resources, the de.
velopment of which will employ the ener.
gies and yield comfortable subsistence to
great population. The smallest of these
new States, Washington, stands twelfth,
and the largest, Montana, third among
the forty-two in area. The people OF
these States are already we'll trained, in
telligent and patriotic American citizens,
having common interests and sympa.
thies with those of the older States and a
common purpose to defend the integrity
and uphold the honor OF the Nation.
HUMANE LEGISLATION.
The attention of the Interstate Com
mission has been called to the urgent
need of legislation for the better protec-
ton OF the lives and limbs of those en-
gagged in operating the great interstate
freight lines of the country, and especi-
ally of the yardmen and brakemen. A
petition signed by nearly 10000 railway
brakemen was presented to this commits.
sion, asking that steps be taken to bring
about the use Of automatic brakes and
couplers on freight cars.
At meeting OF the State Railroad
Commissioners and their accredited
representatives, held at Washington in
March last upon tho invitation of the
Interstate Commission, a resolution
was unanimously adopted urging the
commission to consider what can be
done to prevent the loss of life and
limb in coupling and uncoupling freight
cars and in handling the brakes of such
cars. During the year ending June 80,
1888, over 1000 railroad employees were
killed in the service and more than TO-
900 injured. 1t is competent, l think,
for Congress to require uniformity in the
construction of cars used in interstate
com merce, and the use of improved
safety appliances upon such trains.
Time will be necessary to make the
needed changes, but an earnest and in
telligent beginning should be made at
once. 1t is a reproach to our civilization
that any class of American workmen
should, in the pursuit of a necessary and
useful vocation, be subjected to peril OF
life and limb as great as that Of soldier
in time of war.
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT..
The creation of an executive depart
ment to be known as the Department of
Agriculture, by the act of February 9th
last, was wise and timely response to a
request which had long been respectfully
urged by the farmers of the country, but
MUCK remains to be done to perfect the
organic alton of the department 80 that il
shall fairly realize the expectation which
it excited. In this connection, attention
ia called to the suggestions contained in
the report of the Secretary, which is
herewith submitted The need of a law
Office for the department, such as is pro-
vided for the other executive depart
ments, is manifest. The failure of the
last Congress to make the usual provis-
son for the publication of the annual re-
ports, should be promptly remedied. The
public interests in the reports, and their
value to the farming community, am
sure, will not be diminished under the
new organization of the department.
recommend that the weather service
be separated from the War Department
and established as bureau in the De-
partment of Agriculture. This will in
volve an entire reorganization, both of
the weather bureau and OF the signal