The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-12-19

constitutional question should IN some way be
PRIVATE LAND CLAIMS.
s T Th;s siad g e e III H. e? IS # Is SsrtF \ aaa MS sii inns
been appointed and the court organized. IL IS
now possible to give early relief to communities
long repressed in their development by unset
tied land titles, and to establish the possession
and right of settlers whose lands have been
rendered vsl1eless by adverse and uRfounded
Eia,Y3l'
sHISRsR pRoHrBrfioN:
The enforcement BY the tressury, depart
rcse Ia lie tnited Stats 'f,ss itecn effective IS
to such as seek to land from vessels entering
our ports. The result has been TO divert the
travel TO vessels entering the ports Of British
a'etes g. tt,sci.re Points siotg the pcrninidri
boundary is easy. A very considerable number
entered the United States from Canada and
Mexico. The officers Of the treasury depart
ment and Of the department Of Justice have
used every means at their command
ippassihiltI ~ terfectiy guarding our
Extended frontier Is aiilpaiieiit fHe P.riiricr
government collects a head tax of sDfroIi eyerf
thinaman entering Canada, and thus derives a
considerable revenue from those who 6nly. use
e,ade OH exclusion laHs. There sadDis 70 70
satisfactory evidence that the business of pass
ing Cinnamon through Canada to the United
hsA - N@@ A1NS so 49,
rartment of justice has construed the laws to re-
quire the return of any Chinaman found to be
~nnlawfully in this country to China as the
fbupfrt irdrn which be aaTc, Notwithstanding
the fact that be eunli bf way ~ canada; but
several of the district courts, nlTs IN Eases
brought, before them, overruied this T?trr
IF ssr..t the n MT fSnd f]s asG1Ssf to that ca1 sSsh
This construction fobs tie laws Of all cffertive-
ness, even if the DEGREES could be executed for
the men returned can the next day recross our
aendirr them back to china, and the Canadian
officials refuse TO ALLOW item to re-enter Canada
without the payment of the $50 head tax. irc~'
ommend such legislation as will remedy these
defects in the law.
JURISDICTION OF UNITED STATES COURTS.
u: htn-io-s +"ensnp-s I bsvs. called thsetten-
ton of congress to the necessIt, Vi ~ eSee.1di-g
the jurisdiction of the United States
courts as to mako, triable therein
act of violating a law of the United States.
These courts can not have that independence
and eff activeneSs which the constitution con-
-enlp'stas 81 long ~ tte telrnitrs killing If high
court officers. jurles and Witnesses y tie dis
charge of their duties, or by reason of their acts
as such. is only recognizable in the state courts.
The work done by the attorney gcneraland the
officers of his department. even under the pres
inadequate legislation. has produced some
notable results in the interest nf law and order.
THE Posi- OFFICE bgrAKfNBSf.
In the report Of the postmaster general suine
very gratifying results are exhibited and many
Of the sertice suggested. A peru
sal If the report gives abundant evidence that
the supervision and direction of the postal sys-
TEN have been characterized by an intelligent
and conscientious desire to improve the service.
The revenues of the department show an in
crease of over Sa,nD,UU, while the estimate for
the year 1893 shows a surplus of receipts over
expenditures.
brnan mail post Offices have been established
upon the steamers 6f the North German Lloyd
ard Hamburg lines. saving. by the distribution
ship-board. from two to fourteen hours time
in the delivery Of mail at the port of entry, and
hftcn much more than this in the delivery st in
terror places.
INCREASED MAIL FACILITIES.
Eight thousand miles of new postal service
has been established upon railroads, the ear
distribution TO sub-stations in the great cities
has been increased about , per cent while the
percentage of errors in distribution has during
the past year been reduced over one half. An
appropriation was given by the last congress for
free delivery in the smaller cities and towns.
The results of thasa experiments have
Been so satisfactory that the post
master general recommends, and l concur in
the Recommendation. that the free.delivery sys-
tenn be at o,ce extended TO towns Of 500 pOpu-
lati"rt
OCEAN MAIL SERVICE.
In pursuance of the ocean mail law of March
subject and frequent conferences with
ship owners, boards of trade and others, adver-
tisements were issued by the postmaster gener-
al for tifty-threa lines of ocean mail service,
ten to Great Britain and the continent twenty
sever, IL South AmaT.Gd and thr"r ~ China and
Japan. four to Australia and the Pacific isiaiids.
seven to the West Indies and two to Mex
leo. 1t wls not, of course, expected that
bids for all these lines would he received or
that service upon them all would he contracted
1t was intended. IN furtherance of the act.
Ia : ,cure a. many new lines ~ possible. while
Including II the list n,rs. or all nf the foreign
lines now occupied Bs ~fUreigr ships. II was
hoped that a lin" to England and perhaps one
to thu continent would be secured. but the out
required to equip such lines wholly with new
ships of the first class. and the difficulty of
establishing new lines in competition with those
already established, deferred bidders whose in
had l,eer enlisted. 1t is hoped that 4 way
may yet be found Of overcoming those difficult
ties.
We were receiving for foreign postage nearly
S2,uD,0D under the old system and the outlay
ocean mail service did not exceed SGD,UD
per annum. 1t is estimated by the post
MASTER general that, if all the con-
propose" nre completed. it will
require S2ia .a4 for this year, in addition 70 the
appropriation for sea and inland postage already
in the estimates, and that for the next fiscal
year, ending June ~. 1888, there will probably
be needed about SJ6l.0n.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Tile -rcvltarr af the navy kaows q gratifying
increase of new naval VESTS III commission.
Newark, Concord, Bennington and Mianto-
have been added during the year with an
aggregate Oh SDmelHluR llOTt lndH ll.Vb IDuS-
four warships of all classes are now
lnder construction in the navy yards and pri-
vate shops, hut while the work upon them Is go
ing forward satisfactorily the completion of thu
time. some of the vessels now under
construction. it is believed. will be triumphs of
naval engineering. When il IL rerullected that
the work of building a modern navy was
1nly initiated in the year 1883: that our
naval constructors and ship builders were
practically without experience in the con
of large iron or steel ships: that our
shops were unfamiliar with the great
marine engines, and that the manufacture of
'teel forgings for guns and plates was almost
.holly a foreign industry: the progress that has
,een made il not only highly satisfactory. but
furnishes the assurance that the United States
rill. before long, attain in the construction OF
'uch vessels, with these engines and ~arm1ments,
he same pre-eminence which it at
when the best instrument of ocean
was the clipper ship and
he NOSE impressive exhibit Of naval
,ower the old wooden three-decker man of war.
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
The report of the secretary of the interior
'hows that a very gratifying progress has been
made in all of the bureaus which make up that
'omplex and difficult department. The work in
he bureau of Indian affairs was perhaps neTer
70 large as now, by reason of the numerous ne
.otiations which have been proceeding with the
ribes for a reduction of the reservations,
With the incident labor of making al
and was never more careful
y conducted.
THE sIorx OUTBREAK.
The outbreak among the Sioux, which &C.
urred in December last, il as to its causes and
Incidents, fully reported upon by the war de-
,artment and the department of the interior.
That these Indians had some just complaints.
specially in the matter Of their education, of
he reduction of the appropriations for ~rations
md in the delays attending the enactment of
to enable the department TO perform the
entered into with them, is prob
Ihly true; hut the Sioux tribes are naturally
varlike and turbulent, and their war
iors were excited by their medicine
men and chiefs, who preached the
oming of an Indian messiah who was to give
f the alarm that prevailed among the white
ettlers near the reservation and of the fatal
consequences that would have resulted from an
milan incursion, l placed at the disposal of
rem. Miles. commanding the division of the
Missouri, all such forces as were thought by
to be required. He is entitled to the credit
4 having given thorough protection to the set
lers. and of bringing the hostiles into subjec-
ion with the least possible loss Of life.
THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES.
The good work of reducing the larger Indian
reservations by time in severalty TO the
indians, and the cession of the remaining lands
% the United States for disposition under the
law, has been prosecuted during the
ear with energy and success. In September
asst l was enabled to open the settlement in the
indian territory of Oklahoma gn.0o acres Of
and, all Of which was taken up by settlers in a
ingle day. The rush for these lands was ac-
ompanied by n great deal of excitement, but
ras happily free from incidents Of violence.
During the past summer the Cherokee COM
mission have completed arrangements with the
y. if the agreements are ratified by congress,
yer S0.OD additional acres will be opened to
In Oklahoma.
THE CHEROKEE NEGOTIATIONS.