The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-04

I fsess soHietHoe Sahco thc ucPeautHt
 pension law
 The total amount expended for pen sions during the year was sis9. .soi. .s4i.O5. leaving an unexpended balance from the sum appropriated of s25, ,2o6, ,7i265.
 The sum necessary to meet pension expenditures for the year ending June 30, 1896. is estimated at slto.oOo.00o
 The commissioner of pensions is of the opinion that the year 1895. being the thirtieth after the close of the war Of the rebellion. must according to all sensible human calculation see the highest limit Of the pension roll, and that after that year it must begin to decline.
 The claims pending in the bureau have decreased more than so.000 during the year. A large proportion of the new claims filed are for Increase of pension by those now on the rolls. The number of certificates issued was so.2l3. The names dropped from the rolls for all causes during the year numbered 37.9M. Among our pension CTS are nine widows and three daugh- ters of soldiers of the revolution and forty-hve survivors of the war of 1872 CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
 The advantages to the public service Of an adherence to the principles of civil service reform are constantly more apparent; and nothing is so en- couraglng to those In official life who honestly desire good Government as the increasing appreciation by our people or those advantages. A vast majority of the voters of the land are ready to Insist that the time and attention of those they select to perform for them important public duties, should not be distracted by dollng out minor of- fees, and they are growing to be unan- imous in regarding party organization as something that should be used in establishing party principles instead of dictating the distribution of public places as rewards of partisan activity.
 Numerous additional offices and places have lately been brought within civil service rules in regulations and some others will probably soon be in- cluded.
 The report of the commissioners will be submitted to the congress. and in- vite careful attention to the recommen- dations 1t contains.
 A NATIONAL BOARD OF HEALH.
 am entirely convinced that we ought not to be longer without a national board of health or national health off, cer charged with no other duties than such as pertain to the protection of our country from the invasion of pestilence and disease. This would involve the establishment by such board or officer, of proper quarantine precautions or the necessary aid and counsel to local boards os heath and health officers in the suppression of contagi JUS dis ease and in cases where there a,+ no such local boards or officers, the im- mediate direction by the national board or officer of measures of SUD- pression. constant and authentic in- formation concerning the health of for eign countries and all parts of our .wn country as related to contagious dis eases; and consideration of regulations to be enforced in foreign ports to pre- vent the introduction of contagion into our elites and the measures which should be adopted to secure their en- forcement.
 There seems to be at this time de- cided inclination to discuss measures of protection against contagious diseases {n fnf fnr of{ ,s of adopting means of mutual assis- tance.
 The creation of such a national es- tablishment would greatly tide our | sstandfng in such conferences and ap- prove our opportunities to avail our selves of their benefits.
 THE TARIFF.
 The tariff act passed at the last ses- sion needs important amendments if it is to be executed effectively and with certainty. In addition to such necessary amendments as will not | change rates of duty, I am still very decidedly in favor of putting coal and iron upon the free list.
 So far as the sugar schedule is con- cerned, would be glad, under existing aggravations to see every particle of differential duty in favor of refined sugar stricken. out of our tariff law. If with all the favor now accorded the sugar-refinfng interest in our tariff laws 1t still languishes to the extent of closed ref1neries and thousands of discharged workmen, 1t would seem to present hopeless case for reasonable legislative aid. Whatever else is done or omitted earnestly repeat here the recommendation I have made in an- uther portion of this communication that the additional duty of one-tenth of cent per pound, laid upon sugar Imported from countries paying bounty on its import be abrogated, It seems to me that exceedingly im- portant considerations point to the pro- priety of this amendment with the ad- vent of a new tariff policy not only calculated to relieve the consumers of our land in the cost of their daily life, put to invite a better development of American thrift and create for us clos sr and more profitable commercial re- ations with the rest of the world, 1t 'ollows as logical and imperative neces- ,ity that we should at once remove : he chief if not the only obstacle which : las 80 long prevented our participation n the foreign carrying trade of the ,ea. A tariff built upon the theory hat it is well to check imports and , hat a home market should bound the