The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-12-08

ganlzed aggregating 33050 enlisted men and |
| 1914 officers.
The force now In Manila consists Of 9O5 |
officers and 30.57S regulars and 504 officers
and l5.2SS Of the volunteers. making an ag- |
gregntc of 1.4D9 officers and 45966 men.
When the troops now under orders shall
reach Manila, the force in the archipelago |
will comprise 2.051 officers and G3,4S3 men.
The muster out Of the great volunteer army
organized for the Spanish war, and the ere
alton of new army. the transportation
from Manila to San Francisco of those en-
titled TO discharge. and the transportation
OF the new troops to take their places. have
been q work OF great magnitude, well and
ably done. for which too much credit can
not he given the War Department
During the past year we have reduced our
force In Cuba and Puerto Rico. In Cuba
we now have 334 officers and 10,706 enlisted
men: In Puerto Rico. 81 officers and 1856
enlisted men and battalion OF 400 men
composed Of native Puerto Ricans, while
stationed throughout the United States are
910 officers and 1877 men. and In Hawaii
IL officers and 453 enlisted men.
In restoring peaceful conditions. orderly
rule and civic progress In Cuba. Puerto Rico
and. so FAR as practicable. In the Philip
pines. the rehabilitation Of the postal SER
Vice has been an essential and important
part Of the work. 1t became necessary to
provide mail facilities both for our forces
Of occupation and for the native population.
To meet this requirement has Involved
substantial reconstruction. The existing
systems were so fragmentary, defective and
inadequate that new and comprehensive
organization had to be created. American
trained officials have been assigned to the
directing and executive positions, while ma
tivcS have been chiefly employed In making
up the body of the force. In working out
this plan the merit rule has been rigorous
ly and faithfully applied
OUR POSTAL SERVICE AT HOME AND
ABROAD.
Though Puerto Rico and the Philipplness
hold a different relation to. the United
States, vet for convenience OF administra-
tion the same principle OF an autonomous
system has been extended to them. The
development Of the postal service in all OF
the islands has been rapid and successful.
IT has moved forward on American lines,
with free delivery. money order and regis
! try systems. and has given the people mail
! facilities far greater and more reliable than
| any they have ever before enjoyed. 1t Is
/ thus not only a vital agency of Industrial
| social and business progress, but an imnor-
! tant influence in dlffuslng a Just under:
/ standing Of the true spirit and character OF
! American administration.
The domestic postal service continues TO
! grow with extraordinary rapiditv. The ex-
| nenditures and the revenues will each eX-
cpcd 100000 900 during the current year.
! Fortunately since the revival of prosper
ous times, the revenues have grown much
fnSter than the expenditures, and there IS
every Indication that short period Will
witness the oblitcrati0n Of the annual def
cit In this connection the report Of the
Postmaster General Pmbodies statement
Of some evils which nave grown M
outside of the contemplation of the law In
the treatment of some classes of mail mat
ter which wrongly exercise the privilege Of
the pound rate. and shows that If this sec
| ond class matter had been properly claSsl-
fed. and had paid the rate which it should
have paid, instead OF postal dehclt for
the last fiscal year, there would have been
II surplus. The reform thus suggested. In
the opinion of the Postmaster General,
would not only put the postal service al
once on a self-sustaining basis. but would
permit great end valuable improvements
and commend the subject to the consid
Grafton of the Congress.
THE PENSION ROLLS DECREASING
On the Both of June 1899, the pension
roll Of the United States numbered l,519
These include the pensioners of the army
and navy in all our wars. The number
added to the rolls during the year was 40,
991 The number dropped by reason Of
death, 1emarriage, minors by legal limita
tion, failure to claim within three years
and other causes, was 43, 1S6, and the mum
ber of claims disallowed was 107, ,019. Dur
ing the year S9,634 pension certificates were
issued. of which 37,077 were for news o
original pensions. The amount disburseC
for army and navy pensions during the yea
was $133355, ,05205, which was $1.651, 46l.6
less than the sum Of the appropriations
, TWELFTH CENSJS NOW UNDER WAY
, In accordance with the act of Congress
, approved March 3, 1899, the preliminar,
work in connection with the twelfth cen
sus is now fully under way The officer
required for the proper administration o
the duties imposed have been selected.
Is believed that the twelfth census will EN-
phasZe our remarkable advance In all tina
z pertains to national progress.
/ AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT DOING
GOOD WORK.
The Department Of Agriculture Is cor
D stantly consulting the needs of producer
= in all the States and Territories. 1t Is IN
Il ,ttt,r DO Via MT nf II
= and promoting fuller diyerSihcation OF crop'
= Grains grasses, fruits, legumes and vegt
G tables are imported for all parts of tn
j. United States. Under this encouragement
/ the sugar beet factory multiplies in tn
North aud far West, semi mitrOpical plant
are sent TO the South, and congeninl cl
= mates are sought for the choice Droduc Ion
J. of the far East The hyhridtZing of fru
j. trees and grains Is conducted in the scare
[ for varieties adapted to the eXacting cond
I tiOns.
t There is widespread interest in the in
prOyemPnt of 0Ur public highways Mt III
{ present time. and the Department of Agr
! culture is cooperating with the people
9 each locality in making the best pOssib
roads from local material and In eXper
Il menting with steel tracks.
THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION DIS
/ CCSSED.
e On the 10th of December. 1898, the treat
4 Of peace between the United States an
u u Spain was signed. 1t provided among OF
= er things that Spain should ccGe to Il
u United States the urchipyia iago known as Il
Philippine Islands: that the United Stat
= should pay to Spain the sum of twenty mi
u lions Of dollars, and that the civil righ
y and political status of the native inhal
q tantS of the territories thus ceded to 4
u United States should he determined hv q
!, Congress. The treaty was ratified by Il
~ Senate on the 9th of February. 1899, and
= the Government of Spain on the 18th
- March following.
;, In this manner the Philippines came
u the United States. The Islands were ced
u by the Government OF spain. which h;
u ~ been In undiSputed possession Of them T
,e centuries. They were accepted not mere
u hy our authorized Commissioners In Par
IL under the direction or he Executive. u
=. by the excellent and well-cOnSdcred acti'
y Of the representatives OF the people IN Z
United States, In both Houses OF Congre'
a | had every reason to believe. and 81
81 bclieye. that this transfer of severe .gn
. was in accordance" with the wishes and Z
d. aspirations Of the great mass Of the III
L pino people.
he From the earliest moment no opportu
re ity was lost ~ assuring The Dcup'c of {
c. Islands of our ardent desire for their W
R ment tn do everything pNsSihle 10 advan
their Interests. To INV order cf the lAth
IN May 1898. the commander ~ tho militia
80 ] cxncdit ION dispatched tp the Phltnpin
or . WAS instructed 10 declare Tint we came .
IT. . to make war upon the people n that cot
NJ Z try. nor upon any u1-iy or facti
as I among them. hut 90 project them IN tn
o. I homes. in their empluymonts. ard In IN
q ! personal and RELIGIOUS rights; that th'
id I should be no doubt as o. the para mnu
10 I authority there. on the 1Ith n August
of was decided that There must he no i1
.e- OCCUPATION with the iu~u, gents; th1t I
ld United States must preserve the pefcr q
q u=N