Evening star., 1896-12-03
AN NUAL REPORTS
Nearly All Of Them Have Been De-
layed This Year.
FHE MESSAGE PRACTICALLY FINISHED
Longer Than Usual, but Will Go to
Congress Monday.
T r E A S z RY FIN nee S

Nearly all the annual reports Of the
executive departments have been delayed
this year, and with one or two exceptions
Will be made public much later than usual
In previous years all these reports, with
the exceptions of the reports Of the Sec
retary of the Treasury and the Attorney
General, have been completed and made
public through the newspapers IN advance
of the meeting of Congress. The reports
Of the departments Of the Treasury and
Justice were held back because the law
requires those two officials to report TO
Congress, and IL is contrary to official eti-
quette to give the newspapers information
contained in an official document in ad-
vance of it's submission to the proper au-
thority. All the other executive reports are
made direct to the President, and It is with
his approval that they have been given to
the press in advance of the assembling
of Congress, Notwithstanding they form ap-
pendices to his annual message. The Sec
retary of State makes no written report.
The work of the State Department Is ex-
hibited in the red book" containing the
foreign correspondence for .he caleI dar
year, which is usually not published for
months after Congress meets.
The Message Practically Completed.
The Presidents message is practically
ticn of few paragraphs in regard to the
Cuban insurrection, and 1t will be laid be-
fore both houses of Congress next Mon
day, provided their organization shall be
effected on that day. There Is no doubt on
this score in executive circles, and the
PRESIDENTS message is being prepared with
the view of its submission Monday. Unless
all authorities are astray In their calcu-
latfons, The Star of Monday next will con-
tain President Clevelands last annual re-
port on the state Of the Union. 1t is longer
than most Of Its predecessors, containing
about IL 600 words, and it's appearance will
be awaited with more than ordinary in
terest, because of the unusually import ant
matters Of which 1t treats, including the
Cuban, Venezuelan and Armenian contro-
versies, and the important domestic Ques-
tton of the national finances.
How 1t Will BE Distributed.
The message will be distributed over the
country for the benefit of the newspapers
in the usual way and every precaution will
be taken to guard against premature
publication. The message will be sent over
the wires to the telegraphic distributing
centers between II o'clock Sunday night
and daybreak Monday morning. Printed
copies OF the message will be distributed
under pledge Monday forenoon to the news
papers in this city, Baltimore Philadelphia
and New York. A special White House
messenger takes the copies to Baltimore
Philadelphia and New York and delivers
them 10 the postmasters or collector of
customs, as the case may be, who subse-
QUently turn them over to the agents of the
press associations al hour agreed upon
In advance. The message will not be finally
released for publication, under any circum-
stances however, until after 1t has been
actually delivered to both houses of Con-
gress and its reading begun. The press as
sociatlons and the telegraph companies are
held to strict accountability for the safe
guarding m apa1
publication, and there is no case on re cord
where this confidence has been misplaced
regardless of the Importance of the docu-
ment.
Secretary CarlfnIe's Report,
Secretary Carlisle is very much behind
with his report, and will not have it ready
for Congress before the second week of the
session. All the routine matter Of the re-
Fort has been finished, but the portion left
1or the Secretary himself has not even been
commenced. He is a rapid worker. how
ever, and when he takes the matter I'M II
VIII not take him long to dispose of IT
Ihe financial situation, together with tho
views OF the administration as to how i,
can best be improved, will be fully outlined
in the Presidents message. The insnc'i
pans therein suggested for an improved
currency and an increased revenue viii
however, receive more elaborate treatment
and exposition in the later report of Soc.
rotary Carlisle. wv
Another report that will be DELAYED be-
yond the assembling of Congress is thai
OF the Postmaster General
The reports Of Secretary Lamont ,nd
Secretary Morton have been already made
PUBLIC The reports of Secretary Francls
ana ana :; secretary Herbert are completed, and
VIII oe published in few days, the former
Friday and the latter Sunday. Attorncl
General Harmon has also completed his re-
port, and 1t will go to Congress with tho
PRESIDENTS message probably Monday.