Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-12-05
WASHINGTON LETTER
SPECIAL CoRREsPoNpENCE.l |

riculture, shows that, with $3.50, 600
which may be saved from the appro-
priations Tor the current fiscal year,
there will have been covered bacl, into
the treasury by his department
since March 7. 1893. over 81
600, 900. That this great econ
omy was effected without any less
of efficiency he attributes in n large
degree to the Improvement IN the per-
sonnel of the force under civil service
rules. Secretary Morton deems one
more step necessary to complete the
system of civil service in his depart
ment. This is the appointment of
permanent director in charge of bu-
reaus and scientific Investigations
who shall loo designated to serve
As acting secretary IN the absence of
the secretary and assistant secretary.
For the current year, at present
prices, the amount required by Con-
gress to be expended IN the purchase
of seed will make each congressman's
quota double what it was last year,
when it was enough to plant 1853 1-2
acres The secretary calls this an I'M
necessary and wasteiul expenditure OF
public money, aud hopes Congress
may in good time put stop thereto.
Secretary Morton refutes the idea
prevailing that the farms of the West
and South are more heavily burdened
with mortgages than those of the East
and Northeast. New Jersey, he says,
crrrics debt of this kind greater in
proportion to its farm Valuations than
any state in the Union. 1t is impos-
sible, he says, for farmers in the old
states to protitably y sell their products
in competition with those of the newer
states grown upon lands which cost
their owners nothing, nearly 1000, 900
farms of 80 acres each, having been
given away by the government in the
last 80 years During the fiscal year
just ended, the exported products of
American farms aggregated S570, ,0OO,-
900, An increase Of $l7, 900, 900
over the preceding year. In spite of
this, there was falling of in the per-
centage of agricultural products ex-
ported, but this was due to the unprec-
edented sale abroad OF American
manufactured goods. The principal
market for American products is
found in Great Britain and her col
onies. These English speaking peo-
pie bought SO percent of all exports
from the United States in the fiscal
year 1896.
THE WEATHER BUREAU---In his an.
nual report professor Willis L. Moore
chief of the weather bureau, says that
the average percentage of veriiication
of the bureaus forecasts during the
year was 82.4 percent, an improve
ment of "A percent over that OF last
year. Among the new feat
ures introduced the one most
highly commended is the corn
Onu wurat iusivu ooI vivo S-a-L
lished in tho central valleys and the
Northwest. One hundred and thirty
one points of observation have been
selected, from which daily reports OF
the rainfall and temperature are tele-
graphed to district centres. The in
formation is promptly bulletined and
dissem mated in many other ways
RURAL FREE DELIVERY An order
was issued from the postoffice depart
ment recently for the establishment of
rural free delivery in Massachusetts
and Maine on Nov. %. In Massachu-
setts the experiment will be tried from
the postofice at Orange, Franklin
county. But one carrier will be en-
ployed. In Maine the experiment will
be made from postotfices at North
Deering, Sebago lake Naples and Cor
ham in Cumberland county. One
carrier will be employed at each Office.
SOUND MONEY MAJORITY 47-A COM
plste list Of members of the next
House of Representatives, rendered
possible by the receipt Of the returns
of the late election in South Dakota,
shows total Of 205 republicans, 1877
democrats and 10 popuis s. OF the
five are said to favor the
free coinage of silver-Messrs. Hill.
born of California Brolerick
and Curtis of Kansas, Linney
o! North Carolina and Beach of Ohio;
and the democrats two--Messrs. Nc
Aleer of Pennsylvania and Elliott OF
South Carolina-are sound money
men. SO that upon the silver question
the House will stand: Sound money,
2O2; free silver, 155; majority for
sound money, Al. In the present Con-
gress the totals are: republicans, 1852;
democrats, 90; popuists (inclnding
fusionists and silverites) 10; vacan-
cies, 8.
INCREASE IN POSTAL BUSINESS
improvement in the volume of postal
business at the leading cities of the
country is indicated by the annual re-
port OF the auditor for the postoffice
department. for the fiscal year
1896. The improvement in most
cases, however, does not represent such
an increase over the prosperous rec
ords OF 1892 and 1893 as would be the
case il the progression had been steady
since that time. The normal rate of
increase in postal receipts throughout
the country for several years prior to
1894 was eight percent year, amount.
ing in five years to 40 per cent Of the
earliest year chosen The year 1894,
which began on July 1888, just abont
the date Of the panic, showed II marked
falling off in postal receipts and 1895
showed only partial improve
ment. The increase in aggregate
postal receipts in 1896 over 1894 il
about s., 200, 900, of which $500, 900
belong to Massachusetts, 81, 500. 600
to New York, $lOO, 900 to New Jersey
and S700.0 to Pennsylvania. These
states, with only a little more than q
quarter of the population of the conn-
try, pay more than one-third OF the
postal revenue, aud show nearly huff
Of the increase Of 1896 over the do
pressed period OF 1891.
There is no other such enemy to noble
living and heroic achievement as wOr-
rying. But IL we meet the hlndrances