The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-12-04

up to 15,000, which the Taft Commis- sion believe will be more effective in de- teeting and suppressing guerrillas, assas- sins, and ladrones than our own soldiers.
 The full discussion of this subject by the Secretary of War in his Annual Re port is called to your earnest attention.
 l renew the recommendation made in my last Annual Message that the Con gress provide special medal of honor for the volunteers, regulars, sailors, and marines on duty in the Philippines who voluntarily remained in the service after their terms of enlistment had expired. favor the recommendation of the Sec retary of War for the detail of officers from the line of the Army when vacan- cies occur in the Adjutant Generals De partment, nspector-General's Depart ment Quartermaster's Department Sub sistence Department, Pay Department | Ordnance Department, and Signal Corps
 The Army can not be too highly com mended for it's faithful and effective service in active military operations ill the field and the difficult work of civil administration.
 The continued and rapid growth of tho postal service is a sure index of the great and increasing business activity of the country. Its most striking new de- velopment is the extension of rural free delivery. This has come almost wholly within the last year. At the beginning 1 of the fiscal year 1S99-19O0 the number of routes in operation was only 391, and most of these had been running less than ! twelve months. On the 18th of Novem- Der, 1900, the number had increased to 2,614, reaching into forty-four States and Territories, and serving a population Of 1 1,S01 ,524. The number of applications now pending and awaiting action nearly { equals all those granted up to the present i time, and by the close of the current fiscal year about 4,000 routes will have ! been esta blished, providing for the daily | delivery of mails at the scattered homes of about three and a half millions of rural population.
 | This service amelorates the isolation of farm life, conduces to good roads, and Quickens and extends the dissemination of general information. Experience thus far has tended to allay the apprehension that it would be so expensive as to for bid it's general adoption or make it serious burden Its actual application has shown that it increases postal re- ceipts, and can be accompanied by re- ductions in other branches of the service, so that the augmented revenues and the accomplished savings together material : ly reduce the net cost. The evidences which point to these conclusions are pre- scented in detail in the Annual Report of the PostmasterG General, which with its recommendations is commended to the consideration of the Congress. The full 1 development of this special service, how ever, requires such a large outlay of money that it should be undertaken only l after careful study and thorough un- 1 derstanding of all that it involves. 1 Very efficient service has been rendered l by the Navy in connection with the in surrection ill the Philippines and the re cent disturbance in China.
 1 A very satisfactory settlement has been made of the long-pending question of the manufacture of armor plate. A reasona- l ble price has been secured and the neces- I sity for Government armor plant avoid l ed.
 1 1 approve of the recommendations of the Secretary for new vessels and for l additional officers and men which the re ! quired increase of the Navy makes nee l essary. I commend to the favorable ac- l tion of the Congress the measure now ! pending for the erection of a statue to 1 the memory of the late Admiral David 1 D. Porter. | commend also the estab- 1 lishment of national naval reserve and l of the grade of vice-admiral. Provision | should be made, as recommended by the l Secretary, for suitable rewards for spe. { cial merit. Many officers who rendered the most distinguished service during the recent war with Spain have received in return no recognition from the Congress The total area of public lands as given l by the Secretary of the Interior is ap ! proximately LOTT ,8S1 .662 acres, of which 1 917, 135, ,SS0 acres are undisposed of and ! 154, 745, TSP acres have been reserved fol 1 various purposes. The public lands dis l posed of during the year amount to 13, l 453, ,SS7 06 acres, including 62, ,4230S !. acres of Indian lands, an increase Of l 4,271, ,474.80 over the preceding year i The total receipts from the sale of public ! lands during the fiscal year were S4,379,. ! 758.1O, an increase of $1,309, ,620.76 over the preceding year.
 { The results obtained from our forest policy have demonstrated its wisdom and the necessity in the interest of the public 1 for its continuance and increased appro
 priations by the Congress for the carry ing on of the work On June 30, 1900 there were thirty seven forest reserves
 created by Presidential proclamations under section 24 of the act of March 8 1891, embracing an area of 46,425, ,52a 1 acres.
 During the past year the Olympic Re serve, in the State of Washington, was reduced 265, 0l0 acres, leaving it's present area at 1 1923. $40 acres. The Prescott Re serve, in Arizona, was increased from 10,240 acres to 423. 3.680 acres, and the 1 Big Horn Reserve, in Wyoming, was in, creased from 1,12T,6 acres to 1,1S0,- 800 acres. A new reserve, the Santa Ynez, in California, embracing an area of IA, ,000 acres, was created during this year On October 10 1900, the Grow l Creek Forest Reserve, in Wyoming, was created, with an area of 56,320 acres.
 At the end of tbe fiscal year there were on the pension roll 993,529 names, a net increase of 2,010 over the fiscal year 1899 l The number added to the rolls during the year was 45,344. The amount disbursed for army pensions during the year was l S134, TOO, ,597 24, and for navy pensions $3, ,761, ,53341, a total of $138,462, ,130,65 I leaving an unexpended balance of $5,. | 542, .25 to be covered into the Treas