Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1882 — Report of the Secretary of War. [ARTICLE]

Report of the Secretary of War.

The annual report of Secretary of War Lincoln shows that the expenditures of the War Department for the fiscal year ending June 30,1832, were $45,349,319. Tbe appropriations for the current year are $55,663,430, and the estimates for the year 1883-64 are $38,897,620. This groat decrease is, however, apparent rather than real, as the estimates include only $4,513,603 for pnbllo works, the items for improving rivers and harbors and for the improvement of the Mississippi river under tbe River Commission being omitted by Mr. Lincoln. Nearly $1,800,000 extra is oelced for the maintenance of the army and the Military Academy, and the Secretary concurs in Gen. Sherman's recommendation for sn increase of 5,<>00 enlisted men, making the limit 30,000. During tbe past year (hero were 7,341 enlistments and re-enlistments and 8,731 desertions from the army. Mr. Ltnooln thinks it would be better and cheaper to raise the soldiers’ pay to sl6 per month than to be called on to ropuoe so many of them. He is In favor of the substantial encouragement of the militia servioe, and directs attention to the anomalous condition of the law governing retirement, and to the Insufficiency of existing laws to punish raiders into tne Indian Territory.