Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1886 — It Is Hard to Fight the Fates. [ARTICLE]

It Is Hard to Fight the Fates.

erally adequate to the needs of our intercourse. DI.KKIT HEBVICM TO HOUTS AMERICA. Petitions have, however, been presented to ' th<jt department by numerous merchants and ; manufacturi ra for the establishment of a direct ; service to the Argentine Republic, and for semimonthly dispatches to the empire of Brazil, and the aubert in commended to your consideration. It is • on obvious duty to provide the means of postal communication which our commerce requires, snd, w ith jru- j dent foiocast of results, the wisu extension of it may lead to stimulating intercourse and be- ; pome the harbinger oi i; pro..t i. hi t.udlc. which , will Oren new a.(Hues for the d <-l> s.tion of the I products of our ndustry. The circumstances of ' the count.ios at the far south of our continent I are such as to Invite our enterprise and affordthe promise of sufficient advantages to j stify an unusual effort to bring about the clOßer relations which greater freedom of communication would tend to es ablish. I suggest that, as distinguished from a grant or subsidy for the mere benefit of. any line of ; trade or travel,. whatever outlay may be Required to secure the additional postal service necessary and proper nn 1 not otherwise attainable, should be regarded as within the limit of legitimate Com pen atioij'for such ervice RECOMMENDATIONS. The extension of the free delivery service as suggested by the Postmaster General has heretofore received my sanction, and it is to be hoped a suitable enactment may soon be agreed upon. The request for an appropriation sufficient to enable the general inspection of fourth-class otfices has my approbation. I renew my approval of the recommendation of the Postmaster General that another assistant I o provided for the Postoifice Department, and I invite your attention to the several other recommendations in his report. FEDERAL PENITENTIARY. The conduct of tae Department of Justice for the last fiscal year is duly detailed in the report of the Attorney General, and I invite the earnest attention of Congress to the same, and due consideration of the recommendations therein contained. In the report submitted by this officer to the last session ■'of Congress, he strongly recommended the erection of a penitentiary for the confinement of prisoners convicted and sentenced in the United States courts, and he repeats the recommendation in his report for the last year. This is a matter of very great importance and should at once receive Congressional action. United States prisoners are "how confined in more than thirty diffi rent State prisons and penitentiaries situated in every part of the country. They are subje ted to nearly as many different modes of treatment and discipline, and are far too much removed from the control and regulation of the Government. So far as they are entitled to - humane treatment and opportunity for improvement and reformation, the Government is responsible to them and society that these things are forthcoming. But this duty can scarcely be discharged without more absolute control and discretion than is possible under the present system. , PRISON REFORM. Many of our good citizens have interested themselves, with the most beneficial results, on the question of prison reform. The General Government should be in a situnt on, since there must be United States prisoners, to furnish important aid in this movement, and should be able to illustrate what may be practically done in the direction of this reform, and to present an example in the treatment and improvement of its prisoners worthy of .imitation. With prisons under its own control, the Government could deal with the somewhat vexed question of convict labor,so far as its convicts were concerned, according to a plan of its own adoption and with due regard to the rights and interests of our laboring citizens, instead of sometimes aiding in the operation of a system which causes among them irritation and discontent Upon consideration of this subject it might be thought wise to erect more than one of these institutions, located in such places as would best subserve the purposes of convenience and economy in transportation. The considerable cost of maintaining these convicts, as at present, in State institutions, would be saved by the adoption of the plan proposed, and by employing them in the manufacture of such articles as were needed for use by the Government, quite a large pecuniary benefit would be realized in partial return for dur outlay. THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. I again urge a change in the Federal judicial system to meet the wants of the people and obviate the delays necessarily attending the present condition of affairs in our courts. All are agreed that something should be done, and much favor is shown by those well able to advise, to the plan suggested by the Attorney General at the last session of Congress, and recommended in my last annual message. This recommendation is here renewed, together with another made at the same time, touching a change in the manner of compensating district attorneys and marshals, and the latter subject is commended to Congress for its action in the interest of economy to the Government, and humanity, fairness, and justice to Our people. THE INDIAN BUREAU. The report of the Secretary of the Interior presents a comprehensive summary of the work of the various branches of the public service connected with his department, and the suggestions and recommendations which it contains for the improvement of the service should receive your careful consideration. The exhibit made of the condition of our Indian population and the progress of the work for their enlightenment, notwithstanding the many embarrassments which hinder the better administration of this important branch of the service is a gratifying and hopeful one. The funds appropriated for the Indian service for the fiscal year just passed, with the available income from Indian land and trust moneys, amounting in all to 87,850,775.12, were ample for the service under the conditions and restrictions of laws xegulating their expenditure. There remained a balance cn hand on June 30, 1886, of $1,660,023.30, of which $1,337,768.21 are permanent funds, for fulfillment of treaties and other like purposes, and the remainder, $323,255.09, is subject to be carried to the surplus fund as required by law. The estimates presented for appropriations for the ensuing fiscal year amount to $5,908,673.64, or $-142,386.20 less than those laid before Congress last year. The present system of agencies, while absolutely necessary and well adapted for the management of Indian affairs and for the ends in view when it was adopted, is, in the present stage of Indian management, inadequate, standing alone, for the accomplishment of an object which has become pressing in imi ortanco--the more rapid transition from tribal organizations to citizenship of such portions of the Indians as are capabldof civilized life. When the existing system was adopted the Indian race was outside of the limits of organized States and Territories, and beyond the immediate reaou and operation of civilization, and all efforts were mainly directed to tho maintenance of friendly relations and tho preservation of peace and quiet on the frontier. All • this is now changed. There is no such thing as the Indian frontier. Civilization, with the busy hum of industry and the influence of Christianity, surrounds these 1 eople at every point. None of the tribes are outside of the bounds of organized government and society, except that tho Territorial system has not been extended over that jortion of the country, known as the Indian Territory. As a race the Indians are no longer hostile, but may be considered as submissive to the control .of the Government, as few of them only uro troublesome. Except tho fragments of several bands, all are now gathered upon reservations. It is no longer possible for them to subsist by the chisse and the spontaneous productions of the earth. With an abundance of land, if furnished with the means and implements for profitable husbandry, their life of entire dependence upon Government rations from day to day is no longer defensible. Their Inclination, long festered by a defective of control, is to cling to the habits and customs of th^d^ ancestors, ahd they struggle with pereistenclßjagainst the ehangj of life which their altered circumstances press upon them. But barbarism and civilization can not livo together. It is {impossible that such incongruous conditions should co-exist on the same soil. They ore s portion of our people, are under the authority of our Government, and have a peculiar claim upon, and are entitled to, the fostering care and protection of the nation. The Government can not relieve itself of this responsibility until they are so far trained and civilized as to be able wholly to manage and care for themselves. The path in 5, which they should walk must be clearly marked out for them, and they must be led or guided nntil they are familiar with the way and competent to assume the duties and responsibilities of out citizenship. Progress in this great work will continue only at the present slow pace and at great expense, Unless the system and mothods of management ore improved to meet the changed conditions and urgent demands of the service. The Agents having general charge and supervision, in many-cases, of more than 5,000 Indians, scattered over large reservations, and burdened with details of accountability for funds and supplies, have time to look after the industrial training and improvement of a few Indians only: the many are neglected and remain idle ana dependent—conditions not favorable for progress or civilization. The compensation allowed these Agents and the conditions of the service are not calculated to secure workmen who are fitted by Ability aud skill to properly plan and intelligently direct the methods best adapted to produce the most speedy results and permanent benefits. Hence the necessity for a supplemental agenev or system, directed to the end of promoting the general and more rapid transition of tribes from habits and customs of barbarism to the ways of civilization. AUXILIARY INDIAN COMMISSION. With an anxious desire to devise some plan of operation by which to secure the welfare of

the Indians, and to relieve the Treasury as far as possible from the support of an idle and dependent population, I recommended, tn my previous annual Diessaje, the passage of a law authorizing the appointment of a commission as an in- i str imentality, auxiliary to those already established for the care of the Indians. It was designed that this commission should be composed of six intelligent and capable persons, three to be detailed fiom the army, .having practical ideas up.m the sub.ect’ of the iroaincnt of Indians and interested in { taeir wellard, and that it should | he charged, under the direction of the Secretary of the lut. rior, with the management of such matters of detail as cannot, with the present organization, ba properly and suscessfudy conducted, and which pres -nt diiorent phases, as ths Indians themselves differ in their progress, needs,disposition.and capacity tor improvement cr immediate self-support. By the aid of such commission, much unwise and useless expendi- j ture of money, waste of materials and unavail- I /png efforts might lie avoided; and it is hoped { that this or some measure which toe wisdom of Congress may bettor devise, to supply the deficiency of the present system, may receive your consideration, and that appropriate legislation be provided. The time la ripe for the work of such an ag incy. ; EDUCATION OF INDIAN YOUTH. There is less opposition to the education and training of ttie.lndian yonth. as shown by the increased attendance upon tho schools, and , there is a yielding tendency for the individual holding of lands. Development and advancement in these dire tiom are essential, and should have every encouragement. As the rising generation are taught the language of civilization, and trained in habits of industry, they should assume tho duties, privileges, and responsibilities of citizenship. LANDS IN SEVERALTY.’ No obstacle should Hinder the looat’dn end settlement of any Indians willing to take land in severalty. Ou the contrary, the inclination to do so should be stimulated at all times by proper expedients ; but there is no authority of law tor making allotments on some of the reservations, and on others the allotments provided for are io email that the Indians, though ready and desiring to settle down, ore not willing to accept such small areas when their resen ations contain ample lands to afford them homesteads of sufficient size to meet their present and future needs. The ine./ialities of existing special Jaws and treaties should be corrected, and some general legislation on the subj ct should be provided, so that tne more progressive members of the different tribes may be sett ed upon homesteads, and by their example teach others to follow, breaaing away from tribal customs and substituting tueretor the loVe of home, the interest of the family, and the rule of the State. The Indian character and nature are’such that they ore not easily led while brooding over unadjusted wrongs. This is specially so regarding their lauds. Matters arising from the construction and operation o£ railroads across some of the reservations, and claims of title and right of occupancy set up by white persons to some of the best land within other reservations, require legislation for their final adjustment. The settlement of these matters will remove many embarrassments to progress in the work of leading the Indians to the adoption of our institutions and bringing them under the operation, the influence ana the protection of the universal laws of our country. THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. The recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior and the Commissioner of the General Land Office, looking to the better protection of public lands and of the public surveys, the preservation of national forests, the adjudicate n of grants to States and corporations, and of private land claims, and the increased efficiency of the public lands service, are commended to the attention of -Congress. To secure the widest distribution of public lands in limited quantities among settlers of residence and cultivation, and thus make the greatest numbers of individual homes, was the primary object ol the public land legislation in the early days of the Republic. This system was a simple one. It commenced with an admirable scheme of public surveys, by which the humblest citizen could identify the tract upon which he wished to establish his home. The,, price of lands was placed within thereachgQf the enterprising, industrious and honest'p*fMWa citizens of the country, it was soon found, however, that the object of the laws was perverted under the system of cash sales from a distribution of land among the people to an accumulation of land capital by wealthy and speculative persons. To check this tendency a preference right of purchase was given" to settlers on the land, a plan which culminated in the general pre-emption act ol 1811. The foundation of this system was actual residence and cultivation. Twenty years later the homestead laws were devised to more surely place actual homes iu the possession of actual cultivators of the soil. The .land was given without price, the sole condition being residence, impiovemeut and cultivation. Other laws have followed, each designed to encourage the acquirement and use of land in limited individual quantities, but in later years these laws, through vicious administrative methods aud under changed conditions of communication and transportation, have been so evaded and violated that their beneficent purpose is threatened with entire defeat. The methods cf such evasions and valuations are set forth in detail in the reports of the Secretary of the Interior and Commissioner of the General Land Office. The rapid appropriation of our public lauds without bena fide settlement-) or cultivation, snd i o; only without intention of residence, but for the purpose of their aggregation in large holdings, in many cases in the hands of foreigners, invitee the serious and immediate attention of Congress. The energies of the Land Department have been devoted during the present administration to remedy defects and correct abuses in the public land service. The results of these efforts aro so largely in the nature of reforms in the process and methods of our land system as to prevent adequate estimates, but it appears, by a compilation from the reports of the Commissioner of the. General Land Office, that the immediate eff ct in leading-eases which have come.to a ttuU termination has been the restore:ion to the mass of public lands of 2,759,000 acres ; that 2,370,000 acres are embraced in investigations now pending before the department or the courts, and that action-of Congress has been asked to effect tho restoration of 2,790,001 acres additional, besides which 4,0:0,0j0 acres have been withheld from reservation and the rights of entrv thereon maintained. I recommend tho REPEAL OF THE PRE-EMPTION AND TIMBERCULTURE ACTS, and that the homestead laws be so amended as to better secure compliance, and -cultivation for tho period of five years from date of entry without commutation or provision for speculative relinquishment. I also recommend the repeal of the desert land laws, unless it shall be tne pleasure of Congress to so amend these laws as to render them less liable to abuse, Tho facility with which transfers are made results in land accumulation instead of land distribution, and that the public domain be secured to settlers, it may be deemed advisable "to provide by legislation some guards and cheeks upon the alienation Of vested rights and lands covered thereby-until patents issue. FENCINe*PUBLIC LANDS; Last year an executive proclamation was issued directing the removal of fences which inclosed the public domain. Many of these have been removed, in obedience to such order, but much of the public land still remains within the lines of these unlawful fences. The ingenious methods resorted to in order to continue these trespasses, and the hardihood of the pretenses by which, in some cases, such iuclosures are justified, are fully detailed in the report of the Secretary of the Interior. The removal of the fences still remaining, which inclose public hinds, wiH be enforced with all tho authority ahd means with which the executive branch of the Government is or shall be invested by the Congress for that purpose. 1 GOVERNMENT PENSIONS. The report of the Commissioner of Pensions contains a detailed and most satisfactory exhibit of the operations of toe Pension Bureau. During the last fiscal year the amount of work done was the largest in any year since the organization of the bureau; aiid it has been done at less cost than during the previous year in every division. On the 30th day of June, 1886, there were 365,783 pensioners on the rolls of the bureau. Since 1861 there have been 1,018,735 applications for pensions filed, of which 78,834 were based Upon service in the war of 1812. There were 621,751 of these applications allowed, including 60,178 to tho soldiers of 1812 and their widows. The total amount paid for pensions since 1861 is $808,'524,817.57. The number of new pensions allowed during the year ended June 30, 1886, is 40,857. a larger number than has been alios eJ in any year save one since 1861. The names of 2,229 pensioners which had been previously dropped from the pension roll were restored during the year, and after deducting those dropped within the same time for various causes, a net increase remains for the year of 20,658 names. From January 1, 1861, to December 1, 1885, 1,967 private pension nets had been passed. Since the last-mentioned date, and during the last session of Congress, 644 such acts became laws. \ SPECIAL PENSION LAWS. , i-., : It seems to me that no one can examine our nasion establishment and its operations without being convinced that through its instrumentality justice can be very nearly done to all who are entitled under present laws to the pension bounty of the Government. But it is undeniable that cases exist well entitled to relief in which the Pension Bureau is powerless to relieve the really worthy cases. Of this class are such as only lack by misfortune the kind or quantity of proof which the law and. regulations of the bureau require,, or which, though their merit is apparent,

for some reason or other, can not rte justly dealt with through general laws. These conditions fully justify application to the Congress and special enactments, but resort to the Congress for a special i>ension oct .to over-rule the deliberate and careful determination of tin- j Pension Bureau on the merits, or to secure : favorable action when it oould not be expected under the moat liberal execution of general | laws, it must be admitted opens the uoorto allowance of questionable claims, and presents t>. the legislative and executive branches of the Government applications concededly not within the law and plainly devoid of merit, but so surrounded by sentiment and patriotic feeling that they arc hard to resist. FRAUDULENT PENSION CLAIMS. {'suppose it will not bo denied that many claims for pension are made without merit, and that many have beon allpwed upon fraudulent ■ representations. This has been declared from the Pension Bureau, not only in this but in prior administrations. The usefulness and the justice of any syste m for the distribution of pensions depend upon the equality and uniformity of its operation. It will be seen irom the report of the Commissioner that there are now paid by the Government 131 different rates of pension. The Commissioner estimates, irom tho lest information he can obtain, that 9, uO of those who have served in tho army and navy of the Unit >d States a o now supported in whole or la part from public funds or by organized cnariti< s, exclusive of those in soldiers' homes under the direction and control of tho Government. Cnly 13 per cent, of therfoaro pensioners, while, of the entire number of mon furnished for th i lute war, something like 20 percent., including their widows aud have been or now are iu the receipt of pensions. The American people, with a patriotic and grateful regard for our ex-soldiers, too broad and too sacred t j be monopolized by any special advocates, aro not only willing, but anxious that equal and exact justice should be done to all honest claimants for pensions. In their sight the friendless and destitute so'dier dependent on public charity, if otherwise entitled, hasjprecisely the same right to share in the provision made for those who fought thoir country’s battles. as those better able, through friends and influence, to push their claims. Every pension that is granted under our present plan upon any other grounds than actual service, injury, or disease incurred in such service, and every instance of the many in which pensions are increased on other grounds than the merits of the claim, work an injustice to the brave and crippled, but poor and friendless, soldier, who is neglected, or who must bo content with the smallest sum allowed under general laws. There are far too many neighborhoods in which are found glaring cases of inequality of treatment in tne matter of pensions; and they are largely due to a yielding in the Pension Bureau to importunity on * the part of ' -those other , than the pensioner, who are especially interested, or they arise from special acts passed for the benefit of individuals. The men who fought side by si ie should stand side by side when they participate in a grateful nation’s kind remembrance. Every consideration of fairness and justice to our ex-soldiers, and the protection of the patriotic instincts of our citizens from perversion and violence, point to the adoption of a pension system broad and comprehensive enough to cover every contingency, and which shall make unnecessary an objectionable volume of special legislation. As long as we adhere to the principle of granting pensions for service, and disability as tne result of the service, tho allowance of pensions should bo restricted to cases presenting these features. Every patriotic heart responds to a tender consideration for those who, having served their country long and well, are reduced to destitut on and dependenca, not as an incident of their service, but with advancing age, or through sickness, or misfortune. We are all tempted by the contemplation of such a condition to supply relief and aro often impatient of the limitations of public duty. Yielding to no one sh the desire to indulge this feeling of consideration, I can not rid myself of the conviction that if these ex-soldiers are to be relieved they and their cause are entitled to the benefit ot an enactment under which relief may be claimed as a right, and that such relief should be granted under the sanction of law, not in evasion of it; nor should worthy objects ot care, all equally entitled, flwateiuittad to the unequal operation of sympathe tender mercies ot social and political influence, with their unjust discriminations. The discharged soldiers aud sailors of the country aro our fellow-citizens and interested with us in tne passage and faithful execution of wholesome law. They can not be swerved from their duty of citizenship by artful appeals to their spirit of brotherhood, born of common peril and suffering, nor will they exact as a test of devotion to their welfare a willingness to neglect public duty in their behalf. THE PATENT OFFICE. On the 4th of March, 1885, the current business ot the Patent Office was on au average five and a half months behind At the close of the last fiscal year such current work was but three months in arrears, and it is asserted aid believed that in the next few months the delay in obtaining’au examination of. an application for a patent will be but nominal Tne number of applications for patents during the last fiscal year, includ- ■ ing re-issues, designs, trade-marks and labels, equal 40,678, which is considerably in excess of the number received during the preceding year. The receipts ot the Patent Office during the year aggregate 5i,250,167.80, enabling the office tj turn into the Treasury, over and above all expenditures, about $163,701.73. The number of patents granted during tho last fiscal year, including reissues, trade-marks, designs, and labels, was 29,610—a number aso quite largely in excess of that of any preceding year. The report of the commissioner shows the office to be in a prosperous condition, and consequently increasing in its business. No increase of force is asked for. The amount estimated for the year ending June 30, 1837, was $833,960. The amount estimated for the fiscal year ending June .30, 1888, is $778,779. THE SUBSIDIZED RAILROADS. The Secretary of the Interior suggests a change in the plan for ths payment of the indebtedness. of the Pacific subsidized roads to the Government. His suggestion has the unanimous indorsement of the persons selected by the Government to act as Directors of those roads and protect the interests of the Ujiited States in the board of direction. In considering the plan proposed, the sole matters which should be taken into account, in my opinion, are the situation of the Government as a creditor, and the surest way to secure the payment ot the principal and interest of its debt. INTERSTATE TRAFFIC. By a recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States it has been adjudged that the laws of the several States are inoperative to regulate rates of transjiortation upon railroads, if such regulation interferes wi h the rate of carriage from one State into another. This important field of control and regulation having been thus left entirely unoccupied, the expediency of Federal action upon tne subject is worthy of consideration. CAPITAL AND LAB'. R. The relations of labor to capital and of laboring men to their employers are of the utmost concern to every patriotic citizen. When these arc strained and distorted, unjustifiable claims are apt to 1 be insisted upon by both interests, and in the controversy which results ihe welfare of all and the prosperity of the country are jeopardized, i Any intervention of the General Government, within the limits of its constitutional authority, to avert such a Condition should be willingly accorded. In a special message transmitted to Congress at its last session I suggested the enlargement of our present Labor Bureau and adding to its present functions the power of arbitration in cases where diljerences arise between employes and employers. When these differences reach such a stage as to resud in the nterruption of commerce between tne Slates of this remedy by the General Government might be regarded as entirely within its constitutional powers; and I tliink we might reasonably hope that such arbitration commission, if carefully selected and if entitled to the confidence of the parties to be affected, would be voluntarily called to the settlement of controversies of less extent and not necessarily within the domain of Federal regulation. I am of the opinion that this suggestion is worthy the attention of Congri ss. But after all has been done by the passage of laws, either Federal dr State, to relieve a situation full of solicitude, much more remains to be accomplished by the reinstatement and cultivation of a true American sentiment, which recognizes the equality of American citizenship. This, in the light of our traditions i.nd in loyalty to rtlie spirit of our institutions, would teach that a hearty co-operation on the part of' all interests is the surest path to national greatness ami the happiness of all our people; that capital should, in recognition of the brotherhood of our citizenship, and in a spirit of American fairness, generously accord to labor its just compensation and consideration, and that contented labor is capital’s best protection and faithful ally. It would teach, too, that the diverse situations at our people are inseparable from our civilization; that every citizen should, in his sphere, beacon-' tributor to tho general ?ood ; that capital does not-necessarily tend to tbe oppression of labor, and that violent disturbances and disorders alienate from their promoters true American sympathy and kindly feeling. THF. AGRICULTURAL BUREAU The Department of Agriculture, representing the oldest and largest of our industries, is subserving well tho purpose of its organization. By tne introduction of new subjects of farming enterprise, and by opening new sources of agricultural wealth and the dissemination pt early information concerning production and prices, it has contributed largely to the country'« prosperity. Through thia agency, advanced thought and investigation touchinc the snbjectrithaa in

charge, should, among other things, lie pract’cally applied to the home production, at a low cost, ot articles of too I which are now imported from abroad, t-uch an innovation will necessarily, of course, in tho beginning, be within the domain of intelligent experiments, and the subject in e\ery stage should receive all possible encouragement tiom th j Government. 'l'tio interests of millions of our citizens engaged in agriculture arelnvol . od in an enlargement of tho results of tnelr lanor; and a zealous regard for their welfare should be a willin * tribute to those whose productive returns urj a main source of our progress and power. ’ ’ ' CATTLE DISEASE; Tho existence of pleuro JmeumonK among tho cattle of various States has lai to bu densoine. and, in some ciises, dlsast.ous restrictions in an important branch of our commerce, threatening to affect the quantity and quality of dur food supply. This is a nu tter of such importance, and of suo'i fan-reaching consequences, that I hope it will ongaga ihe serious attention of the Congress to tbe end that such a remedy may be applied as to tho limits of a constitm tioi.al delegation of power to the General Government will ptrmit I commend to the consideration of tho Congress the repor. of tbe Commissioner, and his suggestions concerning the interests intrusted to his care. CIVIL-HEIIVICR REFORM,--The continued operation of the law relating to our civil servlce bas added to the most convincing proofs of its necessity and uses. IneSs. It is a fact worthy of note that every public officer who has a just idea of his duty to the people testifies to the value of this reform. Its stanchest friends are found among those who understands, it best, and its warmest support irs are those who are rostri-i ied and protected by its requirements. The meaning of such restraint and protection is not appreciated l>y those w ho want places under the Government, regardless of merit and efficiency, nor by those who insist that the selection for such places should rest upon a proper credential showing active partisan work. They mean to public officers tbe only opportunity afforded them to attend to public business, and they mean to the good people of the country the better p rformance of the work of their Governmont. It is exceedingly strangs that the scope and nature of this reform are so little understood, and that so many things not included within its plan are called by its name. When cavil yields more fully to examination, the system will have large additions to the number of its friends. Our civil service reform may be imperfect in some of its details; ■it may be misunderstood and opposed; it may not always be faithfully applied; its designs may sometimes miscarry through mistake or willful intent; it may sometimes tremble under the assaults of its enemies, or languish under the misguided zeal of impracticable friends, but if the people of this country ever submtt to the banishment of Its underlying principle from the operation of their Govemment, theyTvitt abandon the surest- guarantee of th 3 safety and success of American institutions. I invoke for this reform the cheerful and ungrudging support of Congress. I renew my recoiiimendation, made last year, that the Commissioners be made equal to other officers of the Government having like duties and responsibilities, und I hope that such reasonable appropriations may be made as will enable them to increasu the usefulness of the cause they have charge of. ■ FREEDMAN’S BANK DEPOSITORS. I desire to call the attention of the Congress to a plain duty which the Government owes to the depositors in the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company. This company was chartered by the Congress for tho benefit of the most illiterate and humble of our people, and with the intention of encouraging them in industry and thrift. Most of the branches were presided over by officers holding the commissions and clothed in the uniform of the United States. These and other circumstances r asonably, I think, led these simplu people to supposs that the invitation to deposit their hard-earned savings in this instituticn implied an understanding on the part of their Government that their mone/ should be safely kept for them. When this company failed it was liable in the sum of $2,931,925.22 to 61,131 depositors. Dividends amounting in the aggregate to 62 per cent, have been declared, and thesum ealledfor and paid of such dividends seemsrto be $1,643,181.72. This sum, deducted from the entire amount of deposits, leaves $1,291,744.50 still unpaid. Past experience has shown that quite a large part of this sum will not be called for. There are assets still on hand amounting to the estimated sum of $16,600. I think the remaining thirty-eight per cent, of such ot these deposits as have claimants should be paid bv the Government upon principles of equity and fairness. The report of the Commissioners, soon to be Bid before Congress, will give more satisfactory details on this subject. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. The control ot the affairs of the District of Columbia having been placed in the hands of purely executive Officer , while the Congress still retains all legislative authority relating to., its government, it becomes my duty to make known the pressing needs of the District, and reebrnm nd their consideration. The laws of the District appear to be in an uncertain and unsatisfactory condition, aud their codification or revision is mueh needed. During the past year one of the bridges leading from the District to the State of Virginia became unfit for use and travel upon it was forbidden. This leads me to suggest that the improvement of all the bridges crossing the Potomac and its branches from the City of Washington is worthy of the attention of Congress. The Commissioners of the District represent that the laws regulating the sale of liquor and granting licenses therefor should be at once amended, and that legislation is needed to consolidate, define, a.id enlarge the scope aud powers of the charitable, and penal institutions within the District. I suggest that the Commissioners be clothed with the power to make, within fixed limitations, police regulations. I believe this power granted and carefully guarded would tend to subserve the good order of the municipality. It seems that trouble still exists growing out of the occupation of the streets and avenues by certain Tttliroft'ds h'itvttig■"WeiF'TfeT'iinfir iff the city. It is very important that such laws should be enacted upon this subject as will sec:« e to the railroads all the facilities they require for tbe transaction of their business, and at the same time protect citizens from injury to thoir persons or property. The'Commisioners again complain that the accommodations afforded them for the necessary offices for District business and for the safe keeping of valuable books arid papers, aro entirely inefficient. I rec< ininomlythat this condition of affairs be remedied by Congress, and that suitable quarters ba furnished for the needs of the District Government. CONCLUSION. In conclusion, I earnestly invoke such wise action on the part of tnepeopl?rs legislators as will subserve the public g >od, and demonstrate, during the remaining days < f the Con ress as at pres nt organized, its ability and 1 cli»>-.tiou to so meet the people's heeds tout it shall be gratefully remembeie 1 by an expectant constituency. Grover Cleveland. Washington,. December 6, 1886.

The most peaceable and dangerous man in all th s I nited States lives in Murray County, Georgia. He is kindhearted, good-tempered, never had a quarrel in his life, wouldn’t hurt a flv, and everybody is afraid of him. About a year ago he was cutting wood, when the ax flew off the handle and killed a man who had come to pay him SSO; he never got a cent of the money. The next week, while ferrying a friend across a river, he ran the boat against a snag and his friend was drowned. About a month later he felled a tree on a stranger who was lying asleep in the woods, killing him instantly. Not long after he shot at a wild turkey and killed a neighbor whom he didn’t see at all. Three weeks afterward he lighted a kerosene lamp, when it suddenly exploded, burning to death a colporteur to whom the inoffensive Georgian had courteously extended the hospitality of his home. His last public act was to cross the st eet with a ladder on his shoulder, last Fourth of July, while the procession was passing, and, when somebody shouted to him to “hurry on,” he obligingly turned around and started back. The procession was laid out and the day spoiled. —Burdette. Most metals and alloys shrink or contract on cooling. But an alloy which will expand on cooling may be made of lead nme parts, antimony two parts, bismuth one part. This alloy can be advantageously used to fill small boles and defects in iron castings. Senatoe Mahone plays a fine game at billiards, but billiards do not count so much as good dinners in politics..