Evening journal., 1892-10-31
AFFAIRS OF THE NATION.
The Annual Reports of the Cab
met officers Nearly Ready.
CANADA AND OUR SHIPPING TRADE

Commissioner O'Brien In His Report
Sounds a Note of Warning, and Rec
ommends Measures Against Dominion
Competition on the Pacific Ocean.
WASHINGTON, Oct 31.-Annual reports
by the cabinet officers Tor the year ended
June 30, 1892, will be ready for the presi-
dent shortly after the election next week,
and all except that of the secretary Of the
treasury, that Of the attorney general, who
makes his direct to congress and not to the
president, and that Of the secretary Of state,
which forms the basis Of that part Of the
presidents message devoted 20 foreign af-
fairs, will be given to the press in advance
of the meeting Of congress These reports
have been in course Of preparation for
weeks past.
The most voluminous Of these depart
ment reports is that Of the secretary Of the
interior. It includes the reports from the
land Office, the patent Office, the bureau Of
pensions, the Indian bureau, the education
al bureau, the railroad bureau, the geolog-
ical survey and the census Office.
Secretary Mobiles report is well under
way, and it win probably be one of the first
reports given TO the public.
WanamaIser's Report.
Postmaster General Wanamaker has also
been hard at work on his annual report Tor
more than month, and it promises to be
one of the most elaborate and picturesque
reviews of the work of his department
/ which has ever been made. Mr., Wana-
maker is still busily engaged in publishing
his plan for a postal telegraphy, and "a
| great part of the report will be devoted to
this subject As an argument for one cent
letter postage, in which he is much inter
ested, he will present the fact that the post
Office department will probably be self sus-
tanning in another year Then he will de
vote a great deal of space to review of
what has been done under the mail subsidy
act, with congratulations to the Repub-
lican party.
The treasury department report this year
will not be so important as some Of those
which have preceded it. The financial
policy of the administration is well fixed
and understood. There is no serious Ques-
tion connected with the finances on which
Secretary Foster can be expected to make
a radical recommendation.
The recommendation of the greatest
popular interest in the forthcoming report
of the secretary will be that for the estab-
lishment OF a national quarantine. Interest
in the cholera question has not died out by
any means II has only given place for the
time TO interest in the coming election
Every one knows that the danger of q
visitation from the plague has not disap-
peared. It has only been suspended for a
time. Next spring the cholera question il
going to be as actively in the public mind
as it was two months ago.
Secretary Foster will review the work OF
the department during the recent choier
excitement at some length, and the pres
ident in his message will join the secretary
of the treasury in his recommendation fol
the establishment of a national quarantine
The president has not yet begun work
on his annual report, and will probably not
do so until after the election.
Our shipping Interests.
+. c. O'Brien, commissioner of naviga
tion, has just submitted advance copies O
his annual report to the secretary of tn,
treasury.
After tracing the history OF the protec
tive policy adopted during the administra
tion of President Washington, the commits
sioner says that all that has remained to IA
in shipbuilding and in the carrying trade il
due to the fact that we have rigdly ad
hered to the protective act of Feb. Is. 1893
under the provisions of which statute thl
3 domestic trade of the United States is con
J fined to American vessels
The commissioner calls attention to
threatening danger on the Pacific to-wit-
the fact that the Dominion governmcn
has, at an outlay of about s2l0,OOO,0OO, en-
abled the Canadian Pacific Railway com
pany to construct its line across the cont
nent, and to place on the Pacific ocean, be-
; tween British Columbia and China, lin
of steamers With receive from the Cana
dian and British governments a subsidy O
$i00 600 a year, which is about FIVE time
the amount paid annually to America
steamers carrying 90 and from Asia mai.
which several times exceed Ia magnitud
the mails carried by the Canadian line.
The Dominion government has passed
statute in terms allowing the Canadian ps
Y cifc to discriminate unjustly agains
American transportation lines, and il
order TO make sure of securing th
Asiatic trade that government has in
posed discriminating duty on tea an
g. coffee when imported into Canada from Ga
a United States Commissioner O'Brien ID
D CARDS all this as an assault upon the Iii
nifty as we'll as upon the commercial au
shipping interests of the United State.
and as protective measure recommend
q the imposition of discriminating dutil
81 upon Asiatic aud Australian goods whe
imported into the United States from Can
ada.
A Life Sentence for sontag.
~ FRESNO, Cal, Oct. 81. - The trial ,
g George Sontag for completely with Chr