The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-08
Venezuela thereto may confidently be anticipated, GENERAT, ARRTTR ALTON


 GENERAL ARBITRATION.
 Negotiations for a treaty of general arbitration for all differencies between Great Britain and the United states are advanced and promise to reach a successful consummatiou al an early date
 A GOOD WORD FOR THE MILITIA.
 The organized militia numbers 112,- GOO men. The appropriations for its support by the several states approx ihates $2SOO,OOO annually and $4OOOOO is contributed by the general govern ment. Investigation shows these troops to be usually well drilled and inspired with much military interest, but in many instances they are so deii- cient in proper arms and equipments that a sudden call to active duty would find them inadequaely prepared For field service I therefore recommend that prompt measures be taken to rem edy this condition, and that every en- couragement be given to this deserving body of unpaid and voluntary citizen soldiers, upon whose assistance we must largely rely in time of trouble.
 COAST OFFENCES,
 During the past year rapid progress has been made toward the completion of the scheme adopted for the erection and armament of Notifications along our seacoast, while equal progress has been made in providing the material for submarine defence in connection with these works
 It is peculiarly gratifying at this time to note the great advance that has been made in this important undertak- ing since the date of my annual mes sage to the fifty-third congress at the opening of its second session in Decem- Der, 1893. At that time I informed the congress of the approaching compile tion of nine twelve-inch, twenty ten inch, and thirty-four eight-inch high power steel guns, and seventy-hve twelve-inch rified mortars.
 In the hope that the work will be prosecuted with no less vigor in the future, the secretary of war has sub- mtted an estimate by which, if al- lowed, there will be provided and e1th- CT built or building by the end of the next fiscal year such additional guns, mortars, gun carriages and imple- ments as will represent not far from one-third of the total work to be done under the plan adopted for our coast defences, thus affording prospect that the entire work will be substantially completed within six pears. In less time than that, however, we shall have attained a marked degree of security.
 THE POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT.
 Our postoffice department is in good condition and the exhibit made of its operations during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896, if allowance is made for imperfections in the law applicable to it, is very satisfactory. The total receipts during the year were $S2, ,490,- 208.40. The total expenditures were $90,- 626,29.S4 exclusive of $1, ,559 ,S9827, which was earned by the Pacific railroad for transportation and credited on their debt to the government. There was an increase of receipts over the previous year of $5,5160 0S0.21, or n per cent and an increase of expenditures of $3,836,- 124.02, or 4.42 per cent. The deficit was $1, ,679, ,95619 less than that of the pre- ceding year The chief expenditures of the postal service are regulated by law, and are not in the control of the postmaster general. All that he can accomplish by the most watchful ad- ministration and economy is to enforce prompt and thorough collection, and accounting for public moneys and such minor savings in small expenditures and in letting those contracts for post nff n,d gtor are not regulated by statute.
 Our mail service should, of course, be such as to meet the wants of and even the conveniences of our people at a direct charge upon them as light as perhaps to exclude the idea of our post office department, being money nlak- ing concern; but in the face of a con- stantly recurring deficiency in it's rev. enues, and in view of the fact that we supply the best mail service in the world, it seems to me it is quite time to correct the abuses that swell enor- mously our annual deficit. If we con cede the public policy of carrying weekly newspapers free in the county of publication, and even the policy of carrying at less than one-tenth of their cost, other bona fide newspapers and periodicals, there can be no excuse for subjecting the service to the further immense and increasing loss involved in carrying at the nominal rate of one cent a, pound the several libraries, sometimes including trashy and even harmful literature, and other matter which, under the loose interpretation of a loose statute, has been gradually given second class rates, thus absorb ing all profitable returns derived from first-class matter, which pays three or four times more than it costs, and producing a large annual loss to be paid by general taxation. If such sec ond-class matter paid merely the cost of handling our deficit would disap- pear, and a surplus result, which might be used to give the people still better mall facilities or cheaper rate of letter postage. I recommend that legislation be at once enacted to correct these abuses and introduce better business | ideas in the regulation of our postal rates.
 THE PUBLIC LANDS.
 Our public lands originally amount | ing to 1,840, ,000 acres, have been so reduced that only about 600, 900 acres still remain in government control, ex- cluding Alaska. The balance, being by | far the most valuable portion, has been given away to settlers, to new states, and to railroads, or sold at a compara- q