The record-union., 1891-12-10

redemption of interest bearing securities CT
the united states was thought to lie preferable
/ 10 tnat OF deposfting it without interest in
selected nat onal banks. There have been 1e-
ueen,eo since the date last n ltfoned OF ill-
| terest bearing securities S25 ,.O- $3.50. re-
suliIhg IN q reduction of tie inuai interest
ch,fge OF Sl1 1,GS3, 20. 1no money which
iltd peeh Geposltel In banks without interest
/ Is being gradually Withdrawn and used III the
reGemptlon oI bonas. The result OF this
policy, OF the silver legislation, and OF rt fund
ing Tie AZ per cent. bone S has been a large
/ Increase OF the money in circu alton. At the
1 M Mdaie last named the circulation was 81 .401,-
/ oo,S96, or S&3 O3 per capita, while on the
hrst CIV OF December, 1891. il mad increased
10 81 20 -, ,262 .07C, or S24 3s per capita.
Inc offer of the Secretary of the Treasury to
the holders of the AZ er cent. bonds 10 ex-
| tend the time of redemption ut the option of
i the Government at an interest Of 2 pr cent,
| was accepted by the holders OF about one-ilaif
| the amount, and the unextendcd bonds are
| being redeemed on presentation.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
! The report OF the Secretary of War exhibits
] the results oil an intelligent, progressive and
! business-like administrator OF n department
which has been too much regal ded as one Of
! mere routine work.
The separation of Secretary Proctor from
| the departn 1t. by reason Of his appointment
| as a senator from the State of Vermont, is u
source OF great regret to me and his colleagues,
and am sure il will be TO all those who have
had business with the department while un-
der his charge
In the administration of army affairs some
especially good work has been accom- plished
The efforts of the Secretary to reduce The per-
centage of desertiors, by removing the cause
tnat promoted it, have been so successful as to
enable him TO report for the last year lower
percentage OF desertions than has been before
reached In the histo.y OF the army. The re-
sultlng money-saving is considerable, but the
Improvement IN the morals of the enlisted
men is the most valuable incident of the re-
form winch has brought about this result.
The work of securing sites for shore batteries
| lor harbor deienses, and The manufa :ture of
guns, &c OF high power TO equip them, lave
MADE good progress during the year. The pre-
! lllninary work of tests and pans which SO
! long delayed q start. is now out Of the way
some guns have been completed, and with an
enlarged shop and more complete equip
ment at Watervliet, the army will soon be
abreast ofthe navy in gun construction. WHAT
ever unavoidable causes of delay may arise
Intre shoulu be none from delayed or insult
nclent appropriations. We shall be greatly
embarrassed in the proper distribution and
use OF naval vessels until adequate shore de-
lenses are provided for our harpors.
l concur in the recommendation of the
| Secretary that three battalion organizations
| be adopted for the infantry.
The adoption of a snlok eieSS povd or and OF a
rifle equal in range, precision and rapidity of
hfe 10 the best known in use. will. l hope, not
| be longer delayed.
! The project of enlisting Indians and organ
! izlng them into separate companies upon
! tue same basis as other soldiers, was made the
| SUBJECT OF q Very careful study by the Sacre-
| tary. and 1eceived my approval Eleven COM
! panias have been complete ely organized and
seven more are in process OF organization
| The result ofsix months training have more
| than realized the highest anticipations. The
! men are readily brought under discipline ac-
! quiIe the drill with faCility, and show great
pride in the right discharge of their duties and
! perfect loyalty To their officers who declare
that they would take them INTO action with
confidence. The discipline, order and cleanl-
ness OF the military posts will have Il whole
some and elevating influence upon the men
enlisted and through them upon their tribes
while more friendly feeling Tor the whites
and greater respect for the Government will
certainly be prompted.
PENSION DIVISION
! The great work done in the record and ren-
! sion division of the War Department by Major
| Ainsworth the Medical Corps and the clerks
under him are emitted 10 honorable mention
1aklaS up the wOlk with nearly 4l,OOO
cases behind, he closed the last fiscal wear
without single case LEFT over, though the
new cases had increased 52 per cent. III num-
Der over the previous year by reason of the
pension legislation OF the last Congress.
RIGHT OF FELONY CASES TO REVIEW
concur in the recommendation of the At
torney-Generai that the right to review by
seem that personal liberty would have safe
guaranty of the right of review in cases in
volVing only fine and imprisonment limited
to the Circuit Court of Appeals, unless q con-
stitutonal question should in some way be
! involved.
LAND CLAIMS COURT.
The Judges of the Court of Private Land
| CIdiiIS, prov lC0u lOT Dy JpG Ac6 OF March 3.
! 1891, have been appointed anu the court or
ganlzed. 1t is now possible to give eally re-
| lief to communities long deprived in their de-
| Velopment by unsettled land titles and to es-
! tabllsh the possession and right of settlers
whose lands laN g been rendered valueless by
| adverse and unfounded claims.
REFORM SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.
An Act of July, 8, 1883, provided for the
| school for girls in the District OF Columbia.
/ but it has remained inopelative for reason
| that no appropriation has been made for
construction or maintenance. The need of
such an institution is very urgent MANY
! girls could be saved from deprayed lives by the
wholesome influences and restraints of sdch a
! school. recommend Jnat the necessary ap-
| preparation be made for site construction
EXCLUSION ACT
The enforcement by the Treasury Depart-
/ ment of the prohibiting Of the coming Of the
| Chinese to the United states has been effective
| TO such who seek TO land from vessels enter
| ing our ports. The result has been to di-
! vert the travel to vessels entering the ports
| of British Columbia, whence passage into the
| Unised States at obscure POINTS along the
/ Dominion boundary is easy. y very consid-
! cradle number of Chinese laborerS have dur-
| ing the past year, entered the United States
| from Canada and Mexico. The officers Of the
| Treasury Depal tnent and of the Department
| of Justice have used every means at their,
command to intercept this immigration, but
! the impossibility of perfectly guarding our
] extended frontier is apparent. The Dominion
| Government collects Il head tax of S so from
! every ODllanlsln entering Canada. and Tins
! derives a'considerable revenue from those
who only use its ports to reach a posi-
| ton of advantage to evade our exclusion
| laws. There seems to be satisfactory evidence
| that the business OF passing Cinnamon
| through Canada to the United States is oroan-
! lied an quietly done.
A Justice has construed the laws to require
| the return of any Chinaman found to be un-
lawfully in this country to China as the coun-
| try from which they came. Notwithstanding
| the tact that he came by way of Canada; but
| District h,y-g
cases brought before them, overruled this view
OF the law, and decided that such persons
| must be returned TO Canada. This construc-
tlon roDS the laws OF all effectiveness. even il
| the DEGREES coult be executed for the men re-
| turned Gun the next day recroSS our borders
But the only appropriation made is for send
ing them back TO China, and the Canadian
officials refuse to allow them to re enter Can
ada without the payment OF toe $50 head tax
l recommend such legislation as will remedy
| these defects in the law.
| JURISDICTION OF UNITED STATES COURTS.
! In previous messages have called the at-
| tention OF Congress 10 the necessity of so eS-
! tending the jurisdiction of the United States
courts as TO make triable therein any feIoay
| committed while in the act of violating q law
OF the United States. These courts cannot
! have that independence and effectiveness
which the Constitution contemplates SO long
as the feiCniouS killing of high court officers
! jurors and witnesses i'll the discharge of their
| duties, or by reason of their acts as such is
| only recognizable in the State courts The
| WI n NO4AS CiAC -CSIlOTdl ana the
officers of his department., even under the
present inadequate legislation, has produced
some notable results in the interest OF law and
order.
The Attorney-General, and also the Com
missioner of the District OF Columbia call AZ
tention TO the effectiveness and inadequacy
OF the laws relating TO crimes against chastity
| in the District OF Columbia. A stringent code
! upon this subject has been provided by Con
gress tCr Utah, and it is a matter of surprise
that the needs or this District should have
been SO long overlooked.
PoSToFFICE DEPARTMENT.
In the report of the PoStmaster-General