Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-12-08

uHUeT the uecree Oh the OulL0u States SOufl
; for the District of Nebraska the 1st and I'd
OF November of this year. The amount due
| the Government consisted of the principal OF
the subsidy bonds, $27, 236,512 and the ac-
| crued interest thereon, $31, 211. 511.01, max
ing the total Indebtedness $58, AIS, 223. IS.
| The bid at the sale covered the first mort
gage lien and the entire mortgage claim or
the Government, principal and interest.
| This left the Kansas Pacific case uncon-
| cluded. BY a decree of the court in that
case an upset price for the property was
| fixed at a sum which would yield to the
/ Government only $2,500,000 upon its lien.
| By a somewhat complicated transaction the
| Government secured an advance of So, $685.
! 600 over and above the sum which the court
i had fixed as the upset price, and which the
| reorganization committee had declared was
4 the maximum which they would pay for the
| property.
Department of Justice Building.
| l deem it my duty to call to the attention
| of Congress the condition Of the present
| buildings occupied by the Department Of
| Justice. The building now occupied by 1t Is
| pronounced unsafe and unsuited for the use
/ to which 1t Is put. proper regard for the
1 safety, comfort and convenience Of the off,
| GERS and employees would justify the ex-
pendlture of a liberal sum of money in the
| erection of new building. In this connec-
| ton | may likewise refer to the inadequate
| accommodations provided for the Supreme
! Court in the Capitol.
| Growth of the Postal Service.
| The postal service of the country advances
with extraordinary growth. Within twenty
years both the revenues and the eXpendi-
| lures of the Postottice Department have
| multiplied threefod In the last ten years
| they have nearly doubled. Our postal bust
ness grows much more rapidly than our pop
ulation. 1t now involves an expenditure of
| 500, 100000 year, numbers $4,000 post
| offices, and enrolls 100000 employees. The
| war with Spain laid new and exceptional
| labors on the Postoffice Department. The
| n nay
| of the United States required special mail
arrangements for every camp and every
| campaign. This necessarily was met by the
| prompt detail and dispatch of experienced
| men from the established force, and by di-
| recting all the instrumentalities of the rail-
| way mail and postotiice service 50 far
| necessary to this new need.
Under the same authority, when our forces
| moved upon Cuba, Porto Rico and the Phil
| ippines, they were attended and followed
| by the postal service.
Increasing the Navy.
The following recommendations of the
| Secretary of the Navy relative to the in
| crease of the navy have my earnest APP
| prevail:
! /. Three sea going, sheathed and coppered
| battleships of about 1850 tons trial dis
| placement, carrying the heaviest armor and
| most powerful ordnance for vessels of their
| class, and to have the highest practicable
| speed and great radius of action. Estimated
| cost, exclusive of armor and armament, 3d.
| 100000 each
| @ Three sheathed and coppered armored
| cruisers of about $4,000 tons trial displace-
| ment, carrying the heaviest armor and most
| powerful ordnance for vessels of their class.
| and to have the highest practicable speed
| and great radius of action. Estimated cost,
| exclusive or armor and armament Sd ,00O, 900
| each.
| g. Three she2thed and coppered protected
| cruisers of about 5000 tons trial displace-
ment; to have the highest practicable speed
| and great radius of action, and to carry the
| most powerful ordnance suitable for YES
sells of their class. Estimated cost, eXclu-
| sive Of armor and armament, 81 10000 each.
f. Six sheathed and coppered cruisers or.
| about $500 tons trial displacement; to have
| the highest speed compatible with good
| cruising qualities, great radius of action ana
to carry the most powerful ordnance suited
| to vessels of their class. Estimated cost,
| exclusive of armament, 81, IA, 900 each.
Additions to the Pension List.
| There were on the pension rolls June 30,
| 1898, 993,714 names, an increase of nearly
| 900 over the number on the rolls the same
! day of the preceding year. The amount ap-
| propriated by the act of Dec. q, 1896, for
| the payment Of pensions for the fiscal year
| 1898 was $4,000, 900. Eight million sew
enty thousand eight hundred and seventy
| two dollars and forty-siX cents was appro-
| prated by the act of March 81, 1898, to
| cover deficiencies in army pensions and re-
| payments in the sum of $12,020.33, making
| total of $14SCS2 S92.7 10 available for the
| payment of pensions during the fiscal year
| 1898. The amount disbursed from that sum
| was S144, 651 $780, leaving balance OF
| So 431. O12.99 uneXpended June 30, 1898,
| which was covered into the treasury.
The total receipts of the patent Office dur
| ing the last year were $1,25394S.44. The
expenditures were $1OS1, 633.79, leaving a
| surplus of $112. 314.60.
Government Lands Disposed OF.
| The public lands disposed of by the Gov
| eminent during the year reached 8, 4o3, S96 ~
| acres, an increase Of 614, 7S0.26 acres over
| the previous year The total receipts from
| public lands during the fiscal year amounted
| to $2,277 995. 49, an increase Of $10O, 80
| over the preceding year.
The special attention of the Congress is
| called to that part of the report of the Sec
rotary of the Interior in relation to the five
civilized tribes. 1t is noteworthy that the
general condition of the Indians shows
marked progress. But one outbreak of a Sc
| riouS character occurred during the year,
| and that among the Chippewa Indians of
| Minnesota, which happily has been sup
| pressed.
Dawes Commission Report.
| While it has not yet been practicable to en-
force all the provisions of the act of June %,
| 1898, ''for the protection of the people of
| the Indian Territory and for other pur-
| poses," it is having a salutary effect upon
| the nations composing the five tribes.
| cannot too strongly indorse the recon men,
| dation of the commission and Of the Sec
rotary of the Interior for the necessity Of
| providing for the education of the 10000
| white children resident in the Indian Terri
| tory.
Department of Agriculture.
| The Department Of Agriculture has been
! active in the last year. Explorers have
| been sent to many of the countries of the
| Eastern and Western Hemispheres for seeds
| and plants that may be useful to the United
| States and with the further view of opening
1 pEa SurDluS nrOductS. The
| forestry division of the department is giving
| special attention to the treeless regions OF
| our country and is introducing species spe-
| cially adapted to semi-arid regions. Forest
| fires which seriously interfere with produc-
ton, especially in irrigated regions, are be-
| ing studied that the losses from this cause
| may be avoided. The department is inqufr-
ing into the use and abuse of water in many
| States of the West and collecting informa-
| ton regarding the laws OF the states, the
| decisions of the courts and the customs Of
| the people in this regard, so that uniformity
| may be secured Experiment stations are
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