Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-12-17
the estimated receipts are s455, 1856, $50 aud
the expenditures SAL. 300. .O93,

| the expenditures SAL 800 ,O93.
| The silver Question.
The Secretary of the Treasury has pur
chased since Aug IL during the fiscal year,
| 1899, ll3 ounces of silver bullion at an
average cost of 81 045 per ounce. The
| highest price paid during the year was
Sl.2025, and the lowest 1886.
| Before the influence of the prospective
| silver legislation was felt In the market
| silver was worth in New York about .955
| per ounce. The ablest advocates of free
| coinage in the last Congress predicted that
the purchases by the government required
| by the law would at once bring the price of
| silver to 81 ,2929 per ounce, which would
make the bullion value of a dollar 100 cents
and hold it there
| The prophecies of the anti-silverites Of
| disasters to result from the coinage of
81 600 900 per month were not wider of the
mark. The government is now buying and
| putting aside annually "a 900 900 ounces,
which allowing for I, ,l40. 900 ounces of new
| bullion used in the arts, is 6 $40, 900 more
| than our domestic product available for
| coinage. | hope the depression in the price
| OF silver is Temporary, and that further
| trial of this legislation will more favora-
| bly, affect it. Upon this subject, as upon
| the tariff my recommendation is that the
| existing laws be given full trial, and that
| our business interests be spared the dis
| tressing influence which threats of radical
| changes always impart.
| ! am still Of the opinion that the free
| coinage of silver under existing conditions
| would disastrously affect our business in
| terests at home and abroad. 70 place
| business upon a silver basis would mean
| a sudden and severe contraction of the
| currency, by the withdrawal of gold and
| gold notes and such an unsettling Of all
| values as would produce commercial
| panic.
The producers of silver are entitled to
| Just consideration, but they should not for
| get that the government Is now buying and
| putting out of the market what Is the
| equiv aleut of the entire product of our sill
yer mines.
| 1t Is the earnest desire of great majori-
| ty of people, as it Is mine, that a full coin
use shall be made of silver just AS soon as
| the cooperation of other nations can be
secured and a ratio fixed that will give cir
culation equally to gold and silver. The bu-
| siness of the world requires the use of both
metals. There is a growing sentiment in
Europe in favor of larger use of silver,
and know of no more etfectual way of
! promoting this sentiment than by accumu-
lating gold here.
| The fact that we exported over SO, ,OO0,-
900 in gold To Europe in six months with
out serious monetary disturbance is very
gratifying. The gold is now coming rap
! idly back in payment for our crop.
II was agreed by all that the withdrawal
from circulation of so large an amount OF
money as the surplus in the treasury was
an embarrassment to the business of the
country and made necessary the interven-
ton of the department at frequent intervals
to relieve threatened monetary panics
The surplus on March lst, 1859 was Sls3.-
s21 1929. There have been redeemed
since the date last mentioned of interest
bearing securities $3.50 ,079 $50 resulting in
reduction OF annual interest charge OF
SIG o467
The result of this policy of the silver
legislation and of the refuuding Cf the 4
IL per cent. bonds has been a large in,
crease of the money In circulation. At date
last named the circulation was Sl4 .0t2 05s.-
9b, or SIS u3 per capita, while on the first
day of December, 1891, it had increased to
81 ,511 ,3G2 07o or S2i IS per capita.
The report Of the secretary of war eX
hibits the results of an intelligent, pro-
gressive, and business like administration
Of a department which has been too much
regarded one of mere routine. The
separation of Secretary Proctor from tn,
department by reason of his appointment
aS Senator from the State of Vermont is
source OF great regret to me and To his
colleagues in the Cabinet In the admin
istration of army affairs some especially
good work has been accomplished. The
efforts of the secretary to reduce the
percentage of desertion by removing the
causes that promoted it have been so sue.
cessful as to enable him to report for the
last year lower percentage Of de-ertoD
than has been before reached in the
history of the army. The Improvement
in the work of the enlisted men is the most
valuable incident of the reforms which
have brought about this result.
The work of securing sites for shore bat
terieS for harbor defence and the manufaC.
ture of mortars and guns of high power to
equip them has made good progress during
the year Whatever unavoidable causes OF
delay may arise there should be none from
delayed or Insufficient appropriations. w.
shall be greatly embarrassed in the proper
distribution and use OF naval vessels until
adequate shore defenses are provided for
our harbors. | concur in the recommends
ton of the secretary that the three bat
talon organization be adopted for infan-
try The adoption of the smokeless pow
der and of a modern rife equal in range,
precision and rapidty of fire to the best
now in use will hope not be longer de-
layed.
The project of enlisting Indians as sol
ders has been adopted with gratifying
results.
A great work has been done in the rec
ord and pension division of the war de.
partment by Maj. Ainsworth of the medi-
| cal corps. Taking up the work with near
y forty-one thousand cases behind, he
closed the last fiscal year without a single
case left over, though the new cases had
increased 50 per cent. in number over the
previous year.
| concur in the recommendation of the
attorney general that the right in felony
cases to a review by the Supreme Court be
limited. 1t would seem that personal lib
ertv would have a safe guaranty if the
right of review in cases involving only
! fine and Imprisonment We're limited to the
| Circuit Court of Appeals unless a constitu.
| tlonal question should in some way be
involved. The judges of the court of pri-
vate land claims. provided for by the act
| of March 3, 1891, have been appointed and
the court organized.
| The enforcement by the Treasury De-
partnent of the law prohibiting the com.
| ing of the Chinese to the United States has
oeeH tuettiNe, rs 10 Sucn as seek TO land
from vessels entering our ports.
| The result has been to divert the travel
| to vessels entering the ports of British
| Columbia, thence passage into the United
States at obscure ,nts along the Do
| minion.
A very considerable number of Chinese
laborers have during the past year entered
the United States from Canada and Mexico
| The officers of the Treasury Department
aud of the De rartment of Justice have used
every means at their command to intercept
| this immigration, but the impossihilty of
perfectly guarding our extended frontier
is apparent.
| Several of the district courts in cases
brought before them have decided that
such persons must be returned to Canada
| This construction robs the law of all effect
iveness, even if the DEGREES could be exc
cuted for the men returned can the next
day re-cross our border. l recommend
such legislation as will remedy these de-
fects in law.
In previous messages l have called at
tention Of Congress tn the necessity of so
extending the jurisdiction of the U. S.
courts as to make liable therein any felony
committed while in act of violating a law
OF the United States. These courts cannot
have that independence and effectiveness
which the Constitution coutemplates so
, long IS the felonious killing OF court OH
GERS, jurors and witnesses in the discharge
of their duties or by reason of their acts