Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-12-02

the cost of collecting this larger revenue
| vas lees by eso. .6i7 than for the same pur-
| pose in the preceding year. The percentage
of cost of collecting the customs revenue
wss less for the las. f,csi year than ever
be fore. The customs adnie eistration board
provided for by the act Of Jure 10. 1880.
was selected with great care and is composed
ia part of men whose previous experience
in the administration of the old customs
regulations had m sde them familiar with the
evils 20 be remediei; and in part Of men
whose legal and judicial requirements and
experience seemed to nt them for the work
Of interpreting snd applyios the new statute.
| The chief object Of the Law 10 to secure hon
est valuations Of all dut,Ahle merchandise,
and TO make these valuations uniform a.
| all our ports Of entry. 1t had been made
manifest by Congressional investiss alton
thst system of under valuation had long
been in use by certsin classes of importers
| resulting net only in great loss Of revenue,
| but 10 most intolerahle discrimination
sgsins, honesty. 1, is no. seen how this
legislation when 1t is understood can be
regarded by the citizens Of any country
have commercial dealings with us unfriend-
ly. If any duty is supposed to be excessive
let the complaint be lodged there. 1t will
| surely not be claimed by any well disposed
people that = remedy may be sought and
allowed in system of quasi smuggling.
secretary OF Wars Report.
The report Of the secretary Of war
exhibits seversl gratifying results attained
| during the year by wise and unos,enta'ious
methods, The percentage of desertions
| from the army IAN evil for which both Con-
| gress aud the department have long been
seeking remedy has been reduced during
the past year 90 per cent, and tor the
months of August and September dufing
| which time the favorable effects of the act
or June 16 were felt SS per cent. a
compared with the came months of lssa
! The results attained BY n recogn'zston and
consolidation of the divisions having charge
of the hospital and service records of the
volunteer soldiers are very remarkable.
| This change was effected in July 1889 and
| at that time there were 40 6i5 cases await
| ing attention more than balf of these being
calls from the pension Office for information
| necessary TO the adjudication of pension
| claims. On the S0th day of June last
though over three hundred thousand new
calls hsd come in there was rot single case
that had not been exsmined and answered.
| concur In the recommendations of the
| 81 cretary that adequate and regular appro-
| priations be contnued for coast defence
works and ordinance. Plans have been
practically agreed upon. and there can be
| no Rooi reason for delaying the execution
of them while the defenceless state of our
great seaperts furnishes an urgent reason
| for wise expedition. The encouragement
that has been extended to the militia of the
| s,stes, generally and most appropriately
designated the National Guard" should be
continued and enlarged. These military
organizations consti,ute in u large sense,
the army of the United, States while about
| 6ve-sixths of the annual cost of their main
tenance is betrayed largely by the states.
The Attorney General.
The report of the Attorney General is un.
der the law submitted directly TO Congress
but as the department of Justice is one Of
| of the executive departments some refer
ence to the work done is appropriate here.
A vigorous and in the main an effective
| { fort has been made to bring to trial and
punishment all violators of the laws. But
| at the same time care has been taken that
| frivolous and technical otfenses should not
f! be used to swell the fees of officers or to
harass well disposed citizens. Es-
pecial attention is called to the
| facts connected with the prosecution of
violations OF the election laws and offeDses
against United States officers. The mum
1 Der of convicto0s secured, very many of
them upon pleas OF guilty will, it is hoped,
have a salutary restraining Influence. There
| have been several cases where pos,masters
appointed by me have been subjected to
violent interference In the discharge OF
their official duties, and prosecutions and
per- rsonal violence of the most extreme
character. Some of these cases have been
| dealt With through the department of jus-
| tice and in some cases the postofiices have
been abolished or suspended. | have
| direct d the postmaster general to pursue
this course in all cases where other efforts
failed to secure for any postmaster, not
himself in fault an opportunity peace
| fully to exercise the duties Of his Off ,e
But such action will not supplant the efforts
Of the department of justice to bring the
particular offenders TO justice. The vsca-
tion by judicial DEGREES of fraudulent GER
,iica,es OF naturalization upon bills in
equity filed BY tn, attorney general in the
circult court Of the United States is u new
application of familiar equity jurisdiction.
| Nearly one hundred such DEGREES have been
taken during the year, the evidence of
fraudulent certificates of naturalization
have been issued. Ard in this con-
neciion beg to renew my recon-
meudation that the laws be 40
amer dei as to require q more
full snd searching inquiry into all the
facts necessary to naturalization before
certificates are granted. 1t certainly is not
too much TO require that an application for
American citizenship shall be heard with
as much care and recorded with az much
formAlity as are given to cases involving
the petiiest property right. At the lssl
session and returned without my approval
a bill entitled ian act 10 prohibit book
making and pool selling in the District OF
Columbia and stated my objection to Dc
that it dii not probib. but in fact licensed
what it purported 70 prohibit. An effort
will be made under existing laws to sup.
press this evil though it is not certain ths
they will be found adequate.
Our Postal Service.
The report OF the Postmaster Genera
shows the most gratifying progress IN The
important work committed to his directions
The business methods have been great,
improved, a large economy in expenditure
and an Increase of four aud three qusrier'
millions in receipts have been realized. Thi
deficiency this year IS Sj 515 300 as sgaips
So 350,ls3 last year notvithstaodlng tn
great enlargement of the service uiei
routes have been extended and quckeDc
i, and great accuracy asG despatch in dislrib
uting and delivery have been Obtained
The report will be found to be ful
of interest and suggestion not onl
to Congress but to these though'fa
ci liens Who may be interested to kno1
~hat business methois can do for tba
department Of public admiaistra'ion wbicl
mos nearly touches all our people.
The passage of the act - amend ccrtsi
, sections Of the revised s.s,u,c, relating +
lotteries approved $, ptember ~, 1890, ha
been received with great and deserve
popular voice. The p-s'offiee dep ,rtmeD
and the depart uent of justice at once go
lefe upoo the enforcement OF the law Nj
symprneii: sixor, and ALREADY the publ
mails have been largely freed from th
frauduient and demor,liziag hicrstur
, , em,na.ing from the l,itery compInies.
The construction sDd equipment Of The ne'
ships for the navy have made yerv -stisfsf
tory progress. Since March 4. 1859, f0u
: new vessels have been pc. on ccmni.si1
ard during this winter four more inc.gdin
ons monitor viii be aidsd. The constfuc
ion Of the other vessel, authorized /. bein
! p,i he'd both ia the governme and priyst
yards with energy and watched with ia
most ,e-np.lou- care. The experiment
conducted during the year to test ,bs reis
7 :ive re.is ing power of srgior Plates hsv
bsen - valuable a. to attract great s,'entio
10 Europe. The only part q
the WORK upon the new shif
: that is thrs atenei by urusual delay