Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-12-08

different thing II he is sent to another l REQ
ommend uniform credit for good behavior DO
prescribed by onyrcss
have before expressed my concurrence In
the recommendation OF the attorney-general
that degrees Of murder shall be recognized In
the federal statutes, rs they are, believe in
all the states. These grades are founded on
correct distinctions in crime. The recog.
milton OF them would enable the courts
TO exercise some discretion In apportlon.
ing punishment and would greatly relieve
tho executive OF what is coming to be o very
heavy burden the examination Of these cases
on application for communication.
The aggregate Of claims pending In
the court OF claims is enormous Claims 10
the amount OF nearly sl0OO,OJ1 for injury TO
persons claiming to be loyal during the war are
now before that court for examination. When
TO these arc added the Indian depreciation
claims and the French spoliition claims an ag-
gregate Is reached that Is indeed startling, In
the defense Of these claims the government Is
at q great disadvantage. The claimants have
preserved their evidence whereas the govern.
mcnt has TO send agents to rummaye the Held for
what they can ind This dlnculty Is peculiar.
ly great whore the fact TO be established Is the
disloyalty Of the claimant during the war. II
this great threat against our revenues to have
no other check II Is certain congress should sup
ply the department Of Justice with appropria'
tons sufficiently liberal TO secure the best
legal talent In the defense Of these claims and
to pursue Its vague search for evidence
THE POST OFFICE
Tho report u the postmaster. general shows
u most gratifying Increase and u most enlclont
and progressive management Of the great bust
ness OF that department The remarkable In
crease In revenues In tho number OF post oiiloes
and In the miles Of mall Interchange furnishes
further evidence OF the high state OF prosperity
which our people are enjoying. New ofncos
mean new hanlots towns, routes mean tho
extension OF our border settlements, and IN
creased revenues mean active commerce The
postmaster general reviews the whole period
of his udinlni itration OF the onico aud brings
SOME Of his statistics down TO the month Of
November last Tho postal revenues havo In.
creased during the last year nearly 5000 'Ol
The deficit Tor the wear ending june %, 1892, Is
tsIs,lil csl than the deficiency Of the precoi.
Ing year The deficiency OF tho present fiscal
wear II Is estimated will be reduced TO l7is, ia,
which will not only be oxtngushed during the
noxt fiscal year, but a surplua OF noarly N0OJ.-
900 should there be shown
In these calculations the payments TO be made
under the contracta for ocean mail service
| have not been included There have boon added
| 1890 now mail routes during tho year with a
mileage OF hs6i miles, and the total number OF
now miles Of mail trips added durin, the year
Is nearly 10000 The number OF miles Of
mail journeys added during the last four years
Is about 100000 this addition being ri,OO1OO)
OF miles more than there were In operation In
| the whole country In 1881
| The number Of post offi'cs has been Increased
by 2,ipl during the year, and during the past
| four years and up TO October ~ last the total
| Increase Of the number OF oificos has been near.
| ly 1907 Tho number OF free delivery otiiccs
has boon nearly doubled In the past four years
| aud the number Of money order ofiloos more
than doubled with that time For three years
| ended June %, 1902, tho postage revenue
amounted to fip3, "a 800, which was an increase
OF 81 @3 1879 over the revenue for three years
| ended Juno 90, 1873 the increase during tho
last three years being moro than three and half
| times us great as tho Increase during the
| three years ended June ~. 1883 No such In
| crease as that shown for these three years has
| ever previously appeared In the revenues Of tho
department The postmaster general has OK
tended TO tho post onicos In tho larger cities
! tho merit OF promotion, introduced BY my d.
rectlon, into the departments here, and II has
resu ted there az In the departments, In q large
volume Of work ard that better done.
Ever since our merchant marine was driven
from the sea by the rebo cruisers during Tho
war Of the rebellion, the Uniloi Statos has beer
paying ~ enormous annual tribute TO foreign
countries lu the shape OF freight ami passenger
moneys, our grain and meats have boon takot
ut our own docks aud or large imports Their,
laid down by foreign shipmastors. An increas
Ing torrent OF American travel 10 Europe has
contributed n vast sum annually to tho diyl
dcnds OF foreign ship owners Tho balance ol
trade shown by tho books of oui
custom houses has been largely reduced
and In many years altogether extingulshet
| by this constant strain In tho year $50.
only ~ per cont Of our Imports were brought
IN American vessels. Tho foreign steamship
maintained by our traffic are many OF them un
der contract with their respective government
by which In limo OF war they will become
part Of their armed naval Embellishments
Pronting by our commerce In peace, they vii
| become the most formidable destrOyorB OF GU
l In lima nj 4
fore expressed tho feeling that this condition o
,hlnRs was both lutOofAblo and dlsgracefuL
wholesome change Of policy and having 80 muc
promise ns Il seems 20 me, WAS begun By tn
law Of March Q. 1891 Under this Law contract
| nave Ucru mlde ny the p0stmaAtorRoneril u
| eleven mail routes The expenditure involve
by these contracts for the next fiscal year NJ
proHimatod 1904 I2l33 a. ono of tho good r.
suits reached sixteen American ships Of an NJ
grcgato tonnage OF b7. ilO tons costing 1880 O
ave boon built or contracted 90 be built
American ship yards.
The estimated tonnage Of all steamships =,
quirod under existing contracts is ld3,sJi, an
when the full service required by those cot
tracts IN established there will be forty on
mail steamers under the American nag, wit
the probability Of further necessary addition
In tho Brazilian and Argentine service, m
contracts recently let for Transatlantic HcryiS
will result in the construction Of I'VE ships
1000 tons each, costing 900 900 or go. 400
and will add, with the City OF Now York an
b | the CITY of Paris, TO which tho treasury depar
mont Was authorized by legislation ~ the LAT
I session 10 give American registry, soyon Of u
u Awiftest vessels upon the sea TO our naval r
y serve. Tho contracts made with tho lines sal
u ing TO Central and Sodth American ports ha'
increased the frequency and shortened the tin
y OF the trips added new ports Of call and su
Y talned some lines that otherwise would almo
y certainly have beon Withdrawn The service
d BuenOs Ayres Ia the first 10 tho Argentine =
public under the American nag The service
r Southampton, Boulogno and Antwerp Is all
y new, and Is 10 be begun with tho steamships ON
u OF New York and City Of Paris In February mex
q earnestly urge a continuance OF the policy 1
Z auguratod by this legislation and that the a.
q propriations required TO meet the obligation
u OF tho government under tho contrac
y may DO promptly made so that tho llni
Y that have entered into these engagement
: may not be embarrassed We have had
r. reason OF connections with tho TRANSPORT
~ nontal railway lines constructed through OF
n own territory some advantages that We did n
possess on the Atlantic Tho construction
the Canadian Pacific railway and Tho ostn
u lishment under large subventons from Canat
II. and England Of fast steamship service fro
Of Vancouver with Japan and China serious
9, threaten our shipping interests In the Pacin
~ This line OF English steamers received,
" stated by tho commissioner Of navigation,
no direct subsidy Of 10000 annually, or no.
rs per trip for thirteen voyages, In addition
W some further aid from the admiralty In count
" tion with contracts by which the vessels mi
a. be- used for naval purposes The o0mpetil
" American Pacific Mall line under tho act
TO March ., 1891, receives only $3.50 per rou
ho trip
~ Efforts have been making within the Ia
On year, as l am informed, 10 establish und
20 similar conditions, u line between Vancou'
20 and some Australian port with view of sec
OF ing there d trade In which We have had lar
AZ interest Tho commissioner OF naylgatl