Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1899-12-08

"'if. ~N|*. TOT WNIfu TOO mUOI CIHIII CHA
Drring the past year we have reduced on
force In Cuba and Puerto Rico. In Cubs
we new have 1884 officers aud i0,7po enlIste,
enlisted men srd battalion. OF 400 mer
composed OF native Puerto Ricane. Will,
stationed throughout the United states are
| olO officers and 1917 men, and In Hawai-
II officers aud fb3 enlisted men.
In restoring pearciul conditions. orderly
| rule and civic progress IN Cubn. Puerto Rice
| ard. so fnr as practicable. In the phllip
| pres. thc rehabilitation ~ the postal SCR
| Vice has been mn essential and important
part Of the work. n hecame necessary e.
| provide mail facilities both for our forces
~ occupation and Tor the native population
| To meet this repurcmcut has Involved n
erbstnntiAl rprt" structon. The existing
| srstems wore go frHgmcntary. defective and
inadequate ilni q new and comprehensive
! nrganizntiou had TO be created. American
/ i"ained oFcnls ,iayc been assigned 10 the
| flrecting npd exc utivc positions. while nn.
! ives have hecu rhi"fv employed In making
| np the body OF TIC force, In working out
! this plan the mc"it ~-le has been rigorous
ly and faithfully applied
ouR POSTAL srl ICE AT HOME AND
Though prer'o Rico and the Philippines
hold q diNorott "clHtion TO tfr nited
States. yet fnr cnpvenience OF I'm nistra-
tlon the samc rrinclplc Of an nv nomous
system has berr pxtcuded 60 g. N. The
developmcut of ne postal servi''' In ~ of
the islands has brcn rnpid arl lccc ssful.
u has moved forward on A'lcti m lines.
with free delivery. money or''N~ aud regis
try systems. and has given IT, poone mail
faculties far greater and marr reliable than
any they have eyer before enjoyed. II Is
social and business progress. hut an impOr-
tant influence In dinuslng Just under
standing of the true spirit and character of
American administration.
1hc domestic postal service continues TO
grow with extraordinary rapiditv Tho ex
ncnditures and the revenues viii each ex-
coed 500. .O00OO0 during the current ycar.
Fortunately. since th, revival of prosper
Gus tlmcs, the revenues have grown much
Sster than the expenditures. and there Is
every Indication that short period will
witness the oblitcration of the annual def
cit. In this connection the report OF the
Postmaster General emboqies statement
Of some evils which nave grown M
outside Of the contemplation Of the law I'm
the treatment Of some classes Of mall mat
ter which wrongly exercise the privilege Of
the pound rate. and shows that II this see
ondclass matter had been properly classl.
fed. and had paid the rate which II should
have paid. instead OF n postal deficit for
the last fiscal year. there would have been
a. surplus. The reform thus suggested In
the opinion Of the Postmaster General,
would not only put the postal service at
once on 4 self-sustaining basis but would
permit great and valuable improvements.
and ! commend the subject to the cOnsid-
Grafton of the Congress
HIGH EFFICIENCY OF THE NAVY.
The navy has maintained the spirit and
high efficiency which have ALWAYS chaPrC.
terized that service. and has lost~ndne Of
the gallantry in heroic action which has
sgnalized It's brilliant and glorious past
The nation has equal pride In its early ana
later achievements The officers have shown
peculiar adaptation for the performance OF
new and delicate duties which our recent
war has imposed.
II can not he doubted that Congress will
at once make necessary nrovision for the
armOr plate for the vessels now under con
tract and building. | recommend that the
Congress enact such special legislation as
may be necessary to enable the department
TO make contracts early In the coming year
for nrmor Of the best quality that can he
obtained I'm this country for the Maine.
Ohio aud Missouri and that the provision
of the act of March 3. 1890, limiting the
price Of armor to $500 per ton be revoked.
THE PENSION ROLLS DECREASING.
On the Both of June, 1899. the pension
roll Of the United States numbered a91 $40.
These include the pensioners of the army
and navy in all our wars. The number
added to the rolls during the year was 40
091. The number dropped by reason Of
death, remarriage, minors by legal llmita-
tion, failure to claim within three years,
and other causes. was 43, 1885, and the mum.
Der of claims disaiowed was 107, ,9i0 Dur
Ing the year 1884 pension certificates were
Issued, Of which 1907 were for new or
original pensions. The amount dlsbursed
for army and navy pensions during the year
was s133,355, ,05295, which was 81 .651. .461.6 81
less than the sum Of the appropriation.
The Grand Army Of the Republic. at Its
recent national encampment. held at Phil.
adelphia, has brought to my attention and
to that of the Congress the wisdom and
justice Of a modification Of the third sec
tiOn Of the act of June 81, 1890, which pro- |
vides pensions for the widows of officers
and enlisted men who served ninety days
or more during the War of the Rebellion.
and were honorably discharged provided
that such widows are without other means
Of support than their daily labor, and were
married to TIA soldier, sailor or marine on
account of whose service they claim pen
sion. prior to the date of the act. The |
present holding of the department is that |
II the Widows income aside from her daily |
abor, does not exceed In amount what her |
pension would be, to-wit, $96 per annum. |
She would be deemed to be without other |
means Of support than her daily labor, and |
would be entitled to n pension under this |
ict while IL the widows income, independ- |
INT of the amount received by her as the |
result OF her daily labor, does exceed In |
amount what her pension would be. she |
would not be penslonable under the act,
I'M advised by the Commissioner of Pen |
'lons that the amount of the income al |
Owed before title to pension would be |
barred has varied widely under different nd |
of the Pension Office, as well |
IS during different periods OF the same ad-
and has been the cause Of Just |
and criticism.
With the approval OF the Secretary Of the |
interior, the Commissioner of Pensions rec
,mmends that in order to make the prac-
ice at all times uniform, and TO do jus
ice TO lut ueDtHutnl WIDOWS, lnt amount |
II income allowed, Independent of the pro-
'eeds of her daily labor should be not less
han $3.50 per annum; and he urges that the
congress shall so amend the act as to per
nit the Pension ONCE to grant pensonable
status to widows under the terms of the |
bird section Of the act OF June 81. 1890 |
whose income aside from the proceeds OF
laily labor, is not in excess of $3.50 per an.
lum. ! believe this to be a simple act of
ustce. and heartily recommend il.
TWELFTH CENSUS NOW UNDER WAY
In accordance with the act of Congress
approved March 3, 1899, the preliminary
YORK in connection with the twelfth cen
us is now fully under way. The officers
equred for the proper administration OF
he duties Imposed have been selected. 1t
5 believed that the twelfth census will em.
'hasi2e our remarkable advance in all that
'ertains 10 national progress.
RESLRNATION or FOREST LANDS.
uratcd by the Department of the Interior
n 1897 has been continued during the past