Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-12-15

7.
mist remain mistaken The demand for gold
in Europe and the consequent calls upon Us
are in a considerable degree result CT the
efforts OF some of the European governments
to increase their gold reserves and these eff
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 AMI not commercial In view
OF &c fact that general revision of our rev.
enUe laws in the near future seems to be
probable il would be batter that any changes
should be part Of that revision rather than of
q teEp orarT nature
During the last fiscal year the secretary pur-
chased under the act of July Il, 1890. s., 33574S
ounces of silver and issued in payment thereof
al, I0j,5oS in notes. The total purchases, since
the passage Of the act have been 12).97a 3Si
ounces and the aggregate of notes issued,
Si1695359o The average price raid for
silver during the year was 81 cents per
July l. 1891 and the lowest s0s3 March p, 1892.
In view of The fact that the monetary confer
enee is now sitting and that conclusion has
as yet been reached wi thhold any recomInen-
dalton upon this subject
THE WAR OFFICE
The report Of the secretary of war brings
again TO the attention Of congress some irnpor-
tant suggestions as to the reorganization Of
the infantry and artillery arms of the service
which his predecessors have before urged that
they be pressed Our army IS small but its or
ganizat ton should all the more be put upon the
most approved modern basis. The conditions
heretofore required the maintenance Of many
small posts bur now the policy OF concentra-
ton IS obviously the right one The new posts
should have the proper stragetic relations to
the only frontiers we now have, those OF the
seacoast and of the northern part of our south
ern boundary. do not think that any question
OF adyan tage 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
eHected is a work the usefulness OF which will
become every year more apparent The work of
building heavy guns ana 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.
bat L cannot refrain from saying that he
has conducted the increasing work of
the department Of justice with great profess
sional skill. He has IN several directions Sc
cured from the courts decisions mixing in
creased protection to the officers of the United
States and bringing some classes OF crime that
escaped 10 punishment in the tribunals OF the
United States, where they could be tried with
impartiality.
The numerous applications for executive
cleInency 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
allowance for good behavior for such
prisoners is prescribed by the federal
statutes only where the state in which the pen
itentiary is located had made no such provision.
Prisoners are given the benefit Of the provi-
sions of the state law regulating the peniten-
tiary to which they may be sent. These are
various, some perhaps too liberal and some per-
hapS too iliberaL The result is a sentence for
five years means one thing if the prisoner is
sent to one state for confinement, and quite a
different thing if he is sent to another rec
ommend Il uniform credit for good behavior be
prescribed by congress
I have before EXPRESSED my concurrence in
the recommendation of the attorney-g6E<eTsl
that degrees of murder shall be recognized in
the federal statutes, as 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 apportiOn-
ing punishment and would greatly relieve
the executive Of what is coming to be q very
heavy burden-the examination of these cases
on applica ton for Communication.
The aggregate of claims pending in
the court Of claims is enormous Claims TO
the amount of nearly S40,00,00O for injury to
persons claiming to be loyal during the are
now before that court for examination When
to these added the Indian depreciation
claims and the French spoliation claims an ag-
greSate Is reached that IS indeed startling. In
the defense Of these claims the government is
at a great disadvantage. The claimants have
preserved their evidence whereas the govern
ment has TO send agents to runmage the field for
what they can lind This difficulty is peculiar
1y great where the fact to be established is the
Gisloyalty of the claimant during the war. #
this great threat against our revenue is to have
other check it is certain congress should sup
ply the department OF justice with appropria-
tons sufficiently liberal to secure the best
legal talent IL the defense Of these claims and
to pursue its vague search for evidence.
THE POST OFFICE
The report OF the pos tmas ter general shows
q most gratifyin increase and most efficient
and progressive management of the great bust
ness of that department. The remarkable in
crease in revenues in the number of post offices
and In the miles of mail interchange furnishes
further evidence Of the high state Of prosperity
which people are enjoy ing. New offices
mean new hamIets, towns routes mean the
extension of border settlements and in
creased revenues mean active commerce The
pos tInaster-genera 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 in
creased during the last year nearly s., 0O0, O0J
The deficit for the year ending June 3D. 1892. is
sStS, 34l less than the deficiency of the proceed
ing year The deficiency Of the present fiscal
year it is estimated will be reduced to ST. 752. 1913
which will not only be extinguished during the
next fiscal year. but surplus of nearly 81 O00.-
coo should there be shown.
In these calcula tions the payments to be made
under the contracts for ocean mail service
have not been included There have been added
1880 new mail routes during the year with a
mileage of 1883 miles, and the total number of
new miles of mail trips added during the year
mail journeys added during the last four years
is about 49, 0O0 0)0 this addition being q 600 900
of miles more than there were in operation n
the whole country in 1851
The number OF post offices has been increased
by 800 during the year, and during the past
four years and up to October - last, the total
increase Of the number OF Offices has been near
~ 1909. The number OF free delivery offices
has been nearly doubled in the past four years
and the number of non5y order Offices more
than doubled with that time For three years
amounted to S19s, IA 359. which was an increase
OF $50, 2.3. 159 over the revenue for three years
ended June %, 1873. the increase during the
last three years being more than three and half
times as great the increase during the
! three years ended June 3d. 1888 No such in
crease as that shown for these three years has
ever previously appeared in the revenues of the
depar tnent. The postrnas ter general has e1-
tended TO the post Offices in the larger cities
] the merit of promotion, introduced BIZ my di-
| rection, into the departments here, and it has
! resulted there. in the departments, in large
| volume of work, ard that better done
| Ever since our merchant marine was driven
! from the sea by the rebel cruisers during the
war OF the rebellion, the Unite1 States has been
| paving an enormous annual tribute to foreign
/ countries in the shape of freight and passenger
| moneys, our grain and meats have been taken
| at our own docks and orr large imports there
| laid down by foreign shipmasters- An increas-
! ing torrent OF American travel TO Europe has
| atrih sSt annually the Sfyi-