Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-06

l
war now in progress between China and
Japan has rendered it necessary or expedi-
entto dispatch eight vessels to those waters
feel it my imperative duty to call at
| tention to the recommendation of the
| Secretary in regard to the personnel of the
| line of the navy. The stagnation of pro-
motion i'll this the vital branch of the
service, is SO great as to seriously impair
| its efficiency. | consider it of the utmost
| importance that the young and middle
aged officers should before the eve of re-
tirement. be permitted to reach grade
emitting them to active and important
duty.
The system adopted few years ago
regulating the employment of labor at the
navy yards is rigidly upheld and has fully
demonstrated its usefulness and expe-
diency. 1t is within the domain OF Civil
Service Reform, inasmuch as workmen
are employed through a Board of Labor
selected at each navy yard, and are given
work without reference to politics and in
the order of their applications; preference,
however, being given to army and navy
veterans and those having former navy
yard experience.
PRESERVATION OF TIMBER LANDS.
The President endorses the recommen-
dation of the Secretary of the Interior
that adequate protection be provided
/ for our forest reserves and that
comprehensive forestry system be in
augurated. Such keepers and superin-
tendents as are necessary to protect the
forests already reserved should be pro-
vided. / am of the opinion that there
should be an abandonment of the policy
sanctioned by present laws under which
the government, for very small cunsid-
eration is rapidly losing title to immense
tracts of land covered with timber which
should be properly reserved as permanent
sources of timber supply.
THE INDIAN PROBLEM.
am convinced that the proper solution
of the Indian problem and the success of
every step taken in that direction depend
to very large extent upon the heintelligence
and honesty of the reservation agents and
! the interest they have in their work. An
agent fitted for his place can do much
| toward preparing the Indians under his
charge for citizenship and allotment of
their lands, and his advice as to any mat
ter concerning their welfare will not mis-
lead. An unit agent will make no effort
to advance the Indians on his reservation
toward civilization OF preparation for al
| lotmcnt of lands in seyeralty, and his
opinion as to their condition in this and
| other regards is needless and valueless.
| The indications are that the detail of
army officers as Indian agents will result
| i'll improved management OH the reserya-
tlons.
PENSION ROLLS HIGHEST LIMIT.
The sum necessary to meet pension ex-
penditures for the year ending June Both,
1896, is estimated at $40, 900 0u0. The Com
missioner 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 cal
| cuation, see the highest limit OF the pen
sion roll and that after that year it must
begin to decline. The claims pending in
the bureau have decreased more than
10000 during the year. A large proportion
OF the claims filed are for increase of pen
sion by those now on the rolls. The num-
her of certificates issued was 80, ,2l3 The
names dropped from the rolls for all
causes during the year numbered
1881. Among our pensioners are
nine widows and three daughters of
soldiers of the Revolution, and As surviy-
ors, OF the, War of lSl2. The barefaced
and extensive pension frauds exposed un-
der the direction of the courageous and
generous. veteran soldier now at the head
of the bureau leave no room for the claim
| that no purgation of our pension rolls was
needed, or that continued vigilance and
| prompt action are not necessary to the
same end, The accusation that an effort
to detect penson frauds is evidence of un.
| friendliness towards our worthy veterans
and denial of their claims to the gcner-
osity of the government, suggests an un-
| fortunate indifference to the commission
OF any offence which has for its motive
the securing of pension and indicates a
willingness to be blind to the existence OF
mean and treacherous crimes which play
upon demagogic fears and makes sport Of
| patriotic impulse of grateful people.
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS.
The Department of Agriculture has
| undertaken during the year two new and
| important lines of research. The first re-
lates to grasses and forage plants, with the
| purpose of instructing and familariZing
the people as to the distinctive grasses OF
| the United States and teaching them how
to introduce valuable foreign forage plants
which may be adapted to the country,
| The second relates to agricultural soils and
crop production involving the analysis of
samples of soils from all sections of the
| American union, to demonstrate their
adaptability to particular plants and crops.
Mechanical analysis of soils may be of
such inestmable utility that it is foremost
| i'll the new lines of agricultural research
and the Secretary therefore recommends
that division having it i'll charge be per-
manently established in the department..
The recommendation contained in the
report OF .he Secretary for 1893, that the
vicious system of promiscuous free distri-
/ button OF its departmental documents be
! abandoned. is again urged. These publi-
cations may we'll be furnished without cost
to public libraries, educational institutions
amt the officers and libraries of States and
of the Federal government, but from all
individuals applying for them price COW
ertng the cost of the document asked for
should be required Thus the publications
and documents should be secured by those
who really desire them for proper pur-
poses. Half a million copies of the report
of the Secretary of Agriculture are printed
for distribution ut an annual cost OF about
S31o,OOO, Large numbers of them are
numbering storeroomS at the Capitol an d
the shelves of secondhand book stores
throughout the country. ALI this labor
and waste might be avoided if the recon-
mendations of the Secretary were adopted.
The Secretary also again recommends that
the gratuitious distribution OF seeds cease
and that no money be appropriated for
that purpose except TO experiment stations.
lie reiterates the reasons given i'll his re-
port for 1888 for disseminating this unjusti.
liable gratuty and fully concur i'll the
conclusions which he has reached.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
The advantages of the public service of
an adhearance to the principles of Civil
Service REFORM are constantly more appar.
emit and nothing is SO encouraging to those
i'll official life who honestly desire good
government as the increasing appreciation
by our people of these advantages. A vast
majority of the votes of the land are ready
to insist that the time and attention, OF
those they select to perform for them inn
portant public duties should not be dis.
tracted by dealing our minor offices. and
they are growing to be unanimous in re.
garding party organization as something
that should be used in establishing party
principles instead of debating distri,
button of public places as rewards of part
san activity. Numerous additional offices
and places have lately been hrnmght within