The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-12-07
Recommendation as to legislation upon
the subject.



The report OF the secretary oil war
brings again to the attention of Con-
gress some important suggestions as to
the reorganization of the infantry and
artillery arms OF the service, whlGh MS
predecessors have before urgently pre-
scented. Our army is small, but us or
ganization should all the moro be put
upon the most approved modern basls'
The conditions upon what we have
called the frontier" have heretofore
required the maintenance OF many
small posts, but now the policy OF con-
centration is obviously the right one
The new posts should have the proper
strategic relations TO the only front.
Ter" we now have, those Of the sea coast
and OF our northern and part OF our
southern boundary. | do not think
that any question OF advantage 10 local.
tiles or to states should determine inc
location OF the new posts. The reorSah-
ization and enlargement OF the bureau
Of military information, which the Soc
rotary has effected, is work the use
iulness OF which will become every year
more apparent The work OF building
heavy guns and tho construction OF
coast defenses has been well begun and
should BIO carried on without check.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
The report of the attorney general is
by law submitted directly to Congress,
but can not refrain from saying that
he has conducted the increasing work
OF the department OF justice with great
professional skill. He has in several
directions secured from the courts de-
cisions giving increased protection to
the officers OF the United States and
bringing some classes OF crime that
escaped local cognizance and punish
ment into the tribunals OF the United
States where they could be tried with
out impartiality.
The numerous applications for exec.
utive clemency presented in behalf OF
persons convicted in United States
courts, and given pcnitentiary SEN
fences, have called my attention to
fact referred to by the Encouragement
in his report, namely, that time al
lowance for good behavior for such
prisoners is prescribed by the federal
statutes only where the state in which
the penitentiary is located has made no
such provisions Prisoners are given
the benefit OF the provisions Of the
state law regulating the penitentiary to
which they may be sent. These are
various, some, perhaps, too liberal, and
some, perhaps, too illIberal. The re-
suit is that a sentence for five years
means one thing if the prisoner is sent
to one state for confinement and quite
different thing if he is sent to an
other. l recommend that uniform
credit for good behavior be passed by
Congress. have before expressed my
concurrence in the RECOMMENDATION OF
the Encouragement that degrees OF
murder should be recognized in the
federal statutes rs they are, believe,
in all the states. These grades are
founded on correct distinctions in
crime. The recognition OF them would
enable the courts to exercise some dis
cretion in apportioning punishment
and would greatly relieve the executive
OF what is coming to be very heavy
burden-the examination OF these cases
on application for Communication.
STARTLING FIGURES.
The aggregate of claims pending
against the government in the court of
claims is indeed enormous. Claims to
the amount of hearty $500, 100000 for
the taking of or injury to the property
OF persons claiming to be loyal during
the war are now before that court for
examination. When to these arc add
ed the Indian depreciation claims, and
the French spoliation claims, an aggre-
gate is reached that is indeed startling.
In the defense OF all these cases the
government is at great disadvantage.
The claimants have preserved their ev-
4dence, whereas the agents OF the gov
eminent are sent into the field to rum
mage for what they can find. This diff
ficulty Is peculiarly great when the fact
to be established is the disloyalty OF the
claimant during the war. II this great
threat against our revenues is to have
no other check certainly Congress
should supply the department Of JUS
tice with appropriations sufficiently
liberal to secure the best legal talent in
the defense Of these claims and to pur-
sue its vague search for evidence eflec-
lively.
POSTAL AFFAIRS.
The report OF the postmaster general
shows most gratifying increase and
most efficient and progressive manage
ment OF the great business OF that de-
partment.
Tho remarkable increase in revenues,
in the number OF postotIices and in the
miles OF mail carried. furnish further
evidence OF the high state OF prosperity
which our people are enjoying. New
offices mean new hamlets and towns;
new routes mean the extension OF our
border settlements, and increased reve-
nues mean an active commerce. The
postmaster general reviews the whole
period OF his administration OF the
office and brings some OF his statistics
down to the month OF November last.
The postal revenues have increased
during the last year nearly S5,OO0,OOO.
The deficit for the year ending June 30,
1892, is ,34l less than the deficiency
Of the preceding year. The deficiency
OF the present fiscal year, it isestimated,
will be reduced to 81, 552 .423, which will
not only be eXtinguished during the
next fiscal year, and surplus OF nearly
ono million dollars should then be
shown. In these calculations the pay
ments to be made under the contracts
for ocean mail service have not been in
cluded. There have been added 1880
now mail routes during the year, with
a mileage OF $3.50 miles; and the total
number OF now miles OF mail trips adj
ded during the last few years is nearly
seventeen million. The number OF
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