Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-12-07

] Il201420 was expended for sanitation.
we, SSl 20 for charities and hospitals and
| SSe.944.OS for aid to the destitute
/ he says tnat peaceful relations nave again
! been resumed with Spain, and recommends
! that legislation that viii permit the carry
ing OUT OF that part Of the peace treaty
| which provided for the settlement Of claims
| Of American citizens against Spain by this
| government be enacted
The Peace Congress-
! Our connection with the peace congress
/ is reviewed at length. and the President
! says that the results of the conference
meets the realization of earnest desires on
! the part of many of the American people
| Or our particular part in this conference
! the president says.
| While earnestly promoting the idea of
/ establishing permanent international
! tribunal. the delegation of the United
/ States was not unmindful Of the incon-
i veniences which might arise from an OBJ
! trusive exercise of mediation and in sign
! ing the convention carefully guarded the
i historic position of the United States by
I the following declaration
i Nothing contained in this convention
/ shall be so construed as to require the
/ United States of America to depart from
4 its traditional policy of not intruding upon,
/ interfering with, or entangling itself in
\ the political questions or policy or inter-
1 nal administration of any foreign state:
/ nor shall anything contained in the said
convention be construed to imply re-
/ linquishment by the United States of
! America of its traditional attitude toward
] purely American questions
Thus interpreted, the convention for the
1 pacific settlement Of International conflicts
/ may be regarded as realizing the earnest
! desire of great numbers of American cit
/ Zens whose deep sense of justice, e&-
! pressed innumerous resolutions and memo
! rials, has urged them TO labor fer this
I rohle achievement The general charac-
\ ter of this convention, already signed by
j the delegates of more than 20 sovereign
i states. further commends ii TO the favor
/ able action of the senate of the United
1 States, whose rathcaton II still awaits,
The War Department..
history of the operations of the war
department is given, including the work
/ of mastering out the volunteers of the
Spanish war and the organization of new
I troops in compliance with legislation enact
! ed by the last congress. He commends
/ highly the action of the volunteers who re-
1 manned in service after the conclusion of
/ the treaty of peace with Spain, and says of
/ our army now in the Philippines;
The force now in Manila consists of eos
officers and 3057S regulars, and 594 officers
and l5,3SS of the volunteers, making an
4 aggregate of 1889 officers and Al. 1856 men.
When the troops now under orders shall
T reach Manila the force in the archipelago
will comprise 2,051 officers and 63 4S3 men.
The muster out of the great volunteer
army organized for the Spanish war and
the creation Of a new army the transpor-
I tation from Manila to San Francisco OF
] those entitled to discharge and the trans
portatlon OF the new troop. to take their
places have been work of great magni-
tude well and ably done. for which too
much credit cannot be given the war de-
+ partment.
( OF that portion of the army now serving
/ in Cuba and Porto Rico he says:
During the past year we have reduced
! our force in Cuba and Porto Rico In
! Cuba We now have S34 officers and 10.796
| enlisted men; in Porto Rico 81 officers and
1850 enlisted men and a battalion of 400
men composed of native Porto Ricans;
| while stationed throughout the United
1 States are $40 officers and 1877 men, and in
Hawaii y officers and ASS enlisted men.
The Postal Service.
The work of the postal service both at
| home and in the colonies is spoken of at
/ length, and the operetions of the depart
| ment in both places pronounced satisfac-
| tory. OF the service in the colonies he says:
| The appointment of director general OF
posts of Cuba, was given to an expert who
! had been chief post office inspector and as
| sstant postmaster general and who united
/ large experience with administrative ca
| pacity For the postmastership at Hav-
! ana. the range of skilled and available men
| was scanned, and the choice fell upon one
! who had been 20 years in the service as
/ deputy postmaster and postmaster of a
! large city. This principle governed and
! determined the selection of the American
! officials sent not only to Cuba. but to Porto
| Rico and the Philippines, and they were
1 in the employment of the natives as minor
! postmasters and clerks The postal sys-
! tenn in Cuba though remaining under the
! general guidance of the postmaster gen
/ eral, was made essentially independent n
/ was felt that it should not be a burden
upon the postal service of the United States,
| ana provision was made that any deficit in
! the postal revenue should be charge
upon the general revenues OF the island
Though Porto Rico and he Philippine
1 held different relation to the United
States, yet, for cCn7 .enee of adminis-
+ tration, the SANE l.si. cipe of an aurono-
I nous system has been extended to them.
4 The development of he service in all OF
i the islands h2s been rapid and success
| full II has moved forward on American
| lines. with free delivery. money order and
! registry systems, and has given the peo-
F.: fable than any they have ever before en-
/ joyed. 1t is thus not only vital agency
| Of industrial, social and business progress,
/ but an important influence in diffusing a
1 Just understanding OF the true spirit and
! character of American administration.
Domestic Postal Service.
/ The domestic postal service continues to
/ grow with extraordinary rapidity The
/ expenditures and the revenues will each
1 exceed Sl00. 900 during the current year.
/ Fortunately. since the revival of prosper
! GUS times the revenues have grown much
/ faster than the expenditures and there
! is every indication that short period
/ will witness the 0blteration of the annual
deficit. In this connection the report of
the postmaster general .embodies state
! ment of some evils which have grown
! up outside of the contemplation of law
! in the treatment of some classes of mail
matter which wrongly exercise the privi-
! icSc VI tire pOuilu RATE anu SHOWS ludI Il
/ this matter had been properly classified
and had paid the rate which it should
! have paid. instead of a postal deficit for
! the last fiscal year of $e610,000. there would
/ have been on one basis a surplus of $l7,
637 SO, and on another of So, 1873. 1876 The
reform thus suggested, in the opinion of
| the postmaster general would not only
| put the postal service a once on a self
| sustaining basis, but would permit great
| and valuable improvements, and | COM
mend the subject to the consideration of
| the congress
The Navy.
He concurs in the recommendations made
| by the secretary of the navy for the in
| and legislation that will provide for armor
| plate for the vessels now building, and says:
1t cannot be doubted that congress will
| at once make necessary provision for the
| armor plate for the vessels now under
| contract and building Its attention is re-
spectfully called to the report of the sec
rotary of the navy, in which the subject is
fully presented | unite in his recon-
mendation that the congress enact such
| to enable the department to make con-
tracts early in the coming year for armor
of the best quality that can be obtained in
this country for the Maine. Ohio and Mis-
souri,, and that the provision of the act
of March 3. 1899, limiting the price of armor
to $500 per ton be removed.
In the matter of navar construction Italy
and Japan, of the great powers, laid down
less tonnage in the year 1899 than this
under construction. l heartily concur in
the recommendations for the increase of
the navy, as suggested by the secretary.
Our future progress and prosperity de-