Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-12-08

enOrts OF some OF the European governments
20 increase their gold reserves and these ef-
forts should be met by appropriations upon our
part@ The conditions that have created this
drain OF the treasury gold are In an important
degree political and not commercial in view
OF he fact that general revision OF our rev.
enue laws Ia the near future seems 70 be
| probable IL would be better that any changes
should be part OF that revision rather than OF
. temporary nature
During the last fiscal year the secretary pur.
chased under the act OF July A. 1890 b4335, ,74s
ounces OF silver and issued IN payment thereof
5l,lOJ69s IN notes. The total purchases sihce
the passage Of the act have been l2l i7a, asl
ounces and the aggregate Of notes issued
| sll67a1b9l The average price paid FOR
silver during tho year was "a cents per
ounce, the highest price being 81 OK
July l. 1874 and the lowest 1888 March q, 1892
In View OF the fact that the monetary confer
ence IS now sitting and that no conclusion has
| as yet been reached withhold any recommen-
dauon upon this subject
THE WAR OFFICE
The report OF the secretary of war brings
/ again 10 the attention OF congress some impor-
/ tant suggestions as 20 the reorganization OF
| tho infantry aui artillery arms Of the service
which his predecessors bg~S before urged that
they be pressed Our army IS small but its or
! ganization should all the more be put upon the
| most approved modern basis. The conditions
upon what we have called tho frontier" have
/ heretofore required the maintenance OF many
small posts. bur now the policy OF cnncentra
tion is obviously the right ono The new posts
should have the proper stragetic relations to
the only "froniers" we now have, those OF tho
seacoast and Of the northern part OF our south.
orn boundary. do not think that any question
| OF advantage In localities or states, should de-
termine the location Of the new posts The
organization and enlargement Of the bureau Of
military Information which the secretary has
effected is a work the usefulness OF which will
become every year more apparent The work OF
building heavy guns AMI the construction OF
coast defenses has been well begun and should
be carried on without check
JUSTICE
The report Of the Encouragement is
by law submitted directly to congress-,
but cannot refrain from saying that he
has conducted the Increasing work OF
the department OF Justice with great pr0fes-
sional skill He his ia several directions so.
cured from the courts decisions mixing in
creased protection TO tho officers Of ths United
States and bringing some classes OF crime that
escaped to punishment In the tribunals OF the
United States, where they could be tried with
imparliaiity
The numerous applications for executive
clenency presented in behalf Of persons con
victed In the United States courts and gwen |
penitentiary sentences have called my atten- |
ton TO fact referred to by the attorney gen !
eral in his report namely that time
allowance for good behavior FOR such |
prisoners IS prescribed by tho federal |
statutes only where the state IN which the pen |
itentary is located had made no such provision |
Prisoners are given the benefit OF the proYi- |
sions Of the state law regulating the peniten- |
tlary TO which they may be sent These are |
various, some perhaps too liberal and some per- |
haps too illbcral The result IS a sentence for |
i've years means one thing II the prisoner is |
sent TO one state for confinement and quite a |
different thing II he Is sent 70 rnother. l rec |
ommend a uniform credit FOR good behavior be
prescribed BY congress
have before expressed my concurrence IN
the accommodation OF the attorney general
that degrees OF murder shall be recognized in
the federal statutes, as lhey 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 apportion-
ing punishment and would greatly relieve
the executive Of what IS coming 10 be a very
heavy burden the examination OF these cases
on application for commutation
The aggregate OF claims pending In
the court OF claims is enormous Claims &c
the amount ot nearly t4o,0D0o0 for injury &c
persons claiming to be loyal during the war are
now before that court for examination, When
TO these are added the Indian depreciation
claims and the French spoiation claims an ag
gregate is reached that Is indeed startling. In
the defense OF these claims the government is
at great disadvantage The claimants have
preserved their evidence whereas tho govern
ment has 10 send agents to rummagc the field fof
what they can find This difculty is peculiar
~ great whsro tho fact 10 be established Is the
disoyalty OF the claimant during the war Il
this great threat against orr revenue is TO have
no other check IL IS certain congress should sup
ply the department OF justice with appropria
uons sufficiently liberal 10 secure tho best
fat1 In .4nFa afnfa
to pursue its vague search FOR evidence
TIRE Posr OFFICE
The report Of the postmaster general shows
. most gratifying increase and most efficient
ana progressive management OF the great basi-
ness OF that department The remarkable in
crease in revenues in the number Of post offices
and Ia the miles Of mall interchange furnishes
further evidence Of tho high state OF prosperity
which our people are enjoying. New ohicee
mean new haniiets, towns, routes mean The
extension OF our border settlements. and In
creased revenues mean active commerce. The
postmaster general reviews the whole period
OF his administration Of tho Office and brings
some OF his statistics down 10 the month OF
November last The postal revenues have in
creased during the last year nearly SSo)ooo).
The deficit for the year ending June 80, 1892, is
sSiS,8ii less than the deficiency OF the preced-
ing year The deficiency OF the present fiscal
year Il Is estimated will be reduced to fi 5h2'ss
which will not only be extnguished during the
next fiscal year, but a surplus Of nearly S00lr
600 should there be shown
In these calculations the payments 10 be made
under the contracts for ocean mail service
have not been included There have been added
l 800 new mail routes during the year With
mileage OF ss63 miles, ana the total number q
new miles OF mail trips nddcd during the year
Is nearly i7,Ool010 The number Of miles OF
mail journeys added during the last four years
is about 76oO9,OlO this addition being 2i.00)00l
OF miles more than there were in operation in
the whole country in 1881
The number Of pest Offices has been increased
by 2.590 during the year, and during the past
four years and up 70 October % last, the total
increase Of the number OF offices has been near
ly lO0l The number OF free delivery ollces |
has been nearly doubled in the past four years
and the number OF money order ofices more
than doubled with that time, For three years
ended June 20, 1892 the postage revenue /
to sioS,1i $50 which was an increase |
OF So s63,i59 over the revenue for three years
ended June 3D. Is 8, the increase during The |
last three years being more than three and half
times as great as the increase during the
three years ended June 80, 1858 No such in
crease as that shown for these three years has
ever previously appeared in the revenues OF the
department The postmas ter general has ex
tended 10 the post Offices in the larger cities
the merit OF promotion, introduced by my d. |
reetiOn, into the departments here, and 1t has 6
resulted there, as IN the departments in large
volume Of work and that better done. {
Ever since our merchant marine was driven !
from the sea by the rebel cruisers during the
war OF the rebellion tho United States has been
paying an enormous annual tribute 20 foreign
countries in the shape OF freight AMI passenger
moneys, our grain and meats have been taken
1t our own docks and our large imports there
aid down by foreign shipmasters. An incrcas-
ing torrent Of American travel to Europe has
contributed a vast sum annually to the diyi- {
lends OF foreign ship owners. The balance Of !
Trade shown by the books OF our z
custom houses has been largely reduced {
md in many years altogether extnguished I
BY this constant strain In the year 1892 9
'nly u per cent of our imports were brought I
n American vessels The foreign steamships
b. our iralic are mlny OF them IN q
Ter contract with their respective governments
ly which in time OF war they Will become a
part OF their armed paval establishments /
Pfoniing by our commerce in peace, they viii !
1econae the most formidable destrovors Of our .
commerce in timc OF war. felt and have be
f4f