The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-07

tlue ADf tlAL purpose, Out only use any Casual
surplus To the balance of S32, s60, 030 05 Of re-
cepts over expenditures for the year 1894 should
be added the estimated surplus at The beginning
o. the year, 2O9s2, so 03, and from this aggre
gate there must deducted, as stated by the sec
Rotary, about Sl4,0OO,010 OF estimated uneX.
pended appropriations.
EXPORTS OF GOLD.
The public confidence in the purpose and abil-
ityof the government to maintain the parity OF
all money issues, whether coin or paper. must
Iemaln mistaken. The demand for gold IN
Europe aud the consequent calls upon us are in
a considerable degree the result of the efforts
these efforts should be met by
appropriate legislation on our part
| The conditions that have created this drain of
! political, and not commercial,
| In view Of the fact that a general revision Of
probable it would be better that any changes
should be part Of that revision rather than Of
temporary nature.
PURCHASES OF SILVER.
During the last fiscal year the secretary pur-
| chased, under the act OF July H. 1890 50 3s5 -
| 745 ounces Of silver, and issued Ia payment
| therefor S5l, l03 COS in notes. The total pur-
| chases since the passage OF the act have been
| l2Q479.9sl ounces, and the aggregate of notes
issued SIZE so. he average price paid for
| silver during the year was % cents per ounce
| the highest price being 81 02a, July l, 1891
| and the lowest SO cents March q, 1892 In view
| OF the fact that the monetary conference is now
sitting, and that no conclusions have yet been
| reached, withhold any recommendation as to
! legislation upon this subject.
| THE ARMY.
The report Of the Secretary of War brings
| again TO the attention OF congress some i'm
| portant suggestions as TO the reorganization OF
the infantry and artillery arms OF the service.
| which his predecessors have before urgently
presented. Our army is small, but its orRaniZa-
| ton should all the more be put upon the most
| approved modern basis. The conditions upon
what we have called "the frontier" have here
| tofore required the maintenance of many small
| posts, but now the policy of concentration is
| obviously the right one. The new posts should
have the proper strategic relations TO the only
| frontiers we now have-thoSe OF the seacoast
and OF our northern and part of our southern
boundary. | do not think that any question OF
advantage to localities or to states should de-
termine the location of the new posts.
The reorganization and enlargement of the
bureau of military Information which the secre
tary has effected Is a WORK the usefulness of
which will become every year more apparent
| The work of building heavy guns and the CON
| struction of coast detenses has been well begun
and should be carried on without check
The report of the Attorney General is by law
| submitted directly to congress- but cannot re-
frain from saying that he has conducted the in
creasing work Of the department of justice with
| great professional skill. He has in several
| directions secured from the courts decisions
giving increased protection to the officers OF the
| United States and bringing some classes of
| crime that escaped local cognizance. punish
| ment, into the tribunals OF the UnlleQ states,
where they could be tried with mpartality
APPLICATIONS FOR cLEMEScY.
The numerous applications for executive
clemency presented IN behalf of persons con-
vcted in the United States courts and given
| penitentiary sentences have called my attention
to a fact referred to by the Attorney General in
his reports namely, that time allowance for
good behavior for such prisoners is
prescribed by the federal statutes
only where the state in which
| tha mar liant 4urv Is hna IA ttrb
provision. Prisoners are given the benefits 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 result is that sent
ence for five years means one thing il the
prisoner is sent to one state for confinement
and quite a different thing If he is sent to
another. l recommend that q uniform credit
for good behavior DO prescribed by congress.
| have before expressed my concurrence In
the recommendation OF the Attorney General
that degrees of murder should be recognized in
the federal statutes as they are believe, in all
the states These grades are founded on cor
rect distinctions in crime. The recognition Of
them would enable the courts to exercise some
discretion in ApportiOning punishment and
would greatly relieve the executive Of what is
coming to be a very heavy burden-the eKami-
nation of these cases on application for com
| mutation
COURT OF CLAIMS
The aggregate Of claims pending against the
| government in the court of claims is enormous
|
the taking OF or injury to the property of per
sons 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 spoliation claims, an
aggre gate is reached that is indeed startling.
In defense of all these claims the government Is
at great disadvantage. The claimants have
preserved their evidence, whereas the agents OF
the government are sent into the hed to rum
mage for what they can find. This difficulty is
proportionately great where the fact 60 be es
tal.I 10 Of ola 10 DIR
ing the war. If this great threat against our
revenue is to have no other check certainly con
gress should supply the department of justice
with appropriations sufficiently liberal to secure
the best legal talent in defense of these claims
and TO pursue Its vague search for evidence
effectively.
wANAMAKER's REPORT.
The report of the Postmaster General shows q
most gratifying increase and most efficient and
progressive management OF the great business
OF that department The remarkable increase
in revenues, in the number Of postoffces and In
the miles of mail carriage. furnishes 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 sett Elements. and in
creased revenues mean an active commerce.
The Postmaster General reviews tie whole pc
Rod 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 $1,000 900.
The deficit for the year ending
June 80. 1892 is S8ls,34 less than
the deficiency of the preceding year
The deficiency Of the present fiscal year. II is
estimated, will be reduced TO 1852, 423, which
will not only be extlnguiShed during the next
fiscal year but q surplus Of nearly Sl,OOOO9O
should then be shown. In these calculations
the payments to be made under the contracts
for ocean mail service have not been included.
There have been added $50 new neil routes
during the year with mileage of S.563 miles
and the total number of new miles Of mail
trips added during the year IS nearly 1900 900
The number Of miles of mail journeys added
| during the last four years is about 10000. COO.
This addition being 81 100000 OF miles more
than we're in operation in the whole country in
1851.
The number of postoffces has been increased
by 2 100 during the year; and during the past
| four years and up to Oct. 20 last the total in
crease in the number of offices has been nearly
600 The number OF free delivery offices has
been nearly doubled In the last four years, and
the number OF money order Offices more than
doubled within that time.
For the three years ending June 30, 1892, the
postal revenue amounte Ito Si97. 744, $50. which
, was an increase of S52, 1858 80 over the revenue
l for the three years ending June 30, 1899
the increase during the last three wears
being more than three and a hall
times as great as the increase during the three
years ending June 30, 1885. No such increase
! as that shown for these three years has evcl
= reviously appeared in the revenue of the de
partment. The Postmaster General has ex
tended o the postonices in the larger cities tn,
merit system Of promotion introduced by my