Mfl 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



there are two which I would especially invite you 

 to consider : Flnt, the importance for preparing for 

 war in time of peace by providing proper armament 

 for our sea-coast defenses. Proper armament is of 

 vastly more importance than fortification!. The 

 latter can be supplied very speedily for temporary 

 purposes when needed; the former cannot. The 

 aeeond U the necessity of reopening promotion in 

 the staff corps of the Army. Particularly is this 

 necessity felt in the medical, pay, and Ordnance De- 

 portments. 



At this time it is necessary to employ " contract 

 surgeons " to supply the necessary medical attend- 

 ance required by the army. 



Vi ith the present force of the Pay Department it 

 is now difficult to make the payments to troops pro- 

 vided for by law. Long delays in payments are 

 productive of desertions and other demoralization, 

 and the law prohibits the payment of troops by 

 other than regular Army pay-masters. 



There are now sixteen vacancies in the Ordnance 

 Depart men t, thus leaving that branch of the service 

 without sufficient officers to conduct the business of 

 the different arsenals on a large scale if ever re- 

 quired. 



WATT DEPAHT1IEXT. 



During the past year our Navy has been depleted 

 by the sale or some vessels no longer fit for naval 

 service, and by the condemnation of others not yet 

 disposed of. This, however, has been more than 

 compensated for by the repair of six of the old 

 wooden ships, and by the building of eight new 

 aloops-of-war, authorized by the last Congress. The 

 building of these latter has occurred at a doubly 

 .ate time. They are about being completed at 

 ii time when they may possibly be much n. 

 and the work upon them has not only given 

 employment to thousands of men, hut has no doubt 

 he means of keeping open establishments for 

 other work at a time of great financial distress. 



Since the commencement of the last month, how- 

 ever, the distressing occurrences which have taken 

 place in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, almost on 

 nr very seaboard, while they illustrate most for- 

 cibly the necessity always existing that a nation 

 situated like ours should maintain in a state of pos- 

 sible efficiency a navy adequate to its responsibilities, 

 has at the same time demanded that all the effective 

 force we really have shall he put in Immediate readi- 

 ness for warlike service. This has been and is being 

 done promptly and effectively, and I am assured that 

 all the available ships and every authorized man of 

 the American Navy will be ready for whatever 

 action is required for the safety of our citizens or 

 the maintenance of our honor. This, of course, will 

 require the expenditure in a short time of some of 

 the appropriations which were calculated to extend 

 through the fiscal year, but Congress will, I doubt 

 M"t, understand and appreciate the emergency, mid 

 will provide adequately, not only for the present 

 preparation, but for the future maintenance, of our 

 naval force. The Secretary of the Navy has, during 

 the past year, been quietly putting some of our 

 effective monitors in condition for service, and thus 

 the exigency finds us in a much hotter condit: 

 work than we could poasibly have been without his 

 action. 



rosT-omcx PiPABrmmT. 



A complete exhibit i presented, in the accompany- 

 ing report of the Postmaster-General, of the opera- 

 ti n of the Post-office Department during the year. 

 The ordinary postal revenues for the fiscal year 

 1 June 80. 187S, amounted to $22,998,741. f.7, 

 ami the expenditures of all kinds to $1!" 

 The increase of revenues over 1872 wss $1,081.816.- 

 80. and the Ineroasc of expenditures 2,42,758.8. 



Ittdepemlr-nt .if ttip payments made from special 

 appropriation* for mail-steamship lines, the nmount 

 drawn from the general Treasury to meet 

 was $*,8S,476. The constant and rapid extension 



of our postal service, particularly upon railways, and 

 the improved facilities for the collection, transmis- 

 sion, distribution, and delivery of the mails, 

 are constantly being provided, ae . in- 



creased expenditures of this popular branch of the 

 public service. 



The total number of post-offices in operati' : 

 June 80, 1878, was 88,244. a net increase of 1,881 

 over the number reported the preceding year. The 

 number of |>n -i.trntiul offices was 1,868, an increase 

 of 168 during the year. The total length of railroad 

 mail-routes at the close of the year was 63,487 i 

 nn increiise of 6,546 miles over the ^rear 1872. Fifty- 

 nine railway post-office lines were in operation June 

 80, 1878, extending; over 14,866 miles of railroad- 

 routes, and performing an aggregate service of 84,925 

 miles daily. 



The number of letters exchanged with foreign 

 countries was 27,4(9,186, an increase of 8,006,686 

 over the previous year, and the postage tin 

 amounted to $2,021,810.86. The total weight of cor- 

 respondence exchanged in the mails with European 

 countries exceeded 912 tons, an increase of 92 tons 



he previous year. The total cost of the I 

 States ocean-steamship service, including $726,000 

 paid from special appropriations to subsidized lines 

 of mail-steamers, was $1,047,271.86. 



New or additional postal conventions have 

 concluded with Sweden, Norway, Belgium, (in- 

 many, Canada, Newfoundland, and Japan, reducing 

 postage rates on corn annsng**) with 



those countries ; and further efforts have been made 

 to conclude a satisfactory postal convention with 

 FrancCj but without success. 



I invite the favorable consideration of Congress to 

 the suggestions and recommendations of the Post- 

 master-General for nn extension of the free-delivery 

 i-v-ti m in all cities having a population of not ]er 

 tnan ten thousand ; f"r tin- prepayment of postapet n 

 newspapers and other printed matter of the second 

 class ; for a uniform postage and limit of weie.lt 

 on miscellaneous matter; for adjusting the 

 pensation of all postmasters not appointed by the 

 President, by the old method of commissions on the 

 actual receipts of the office, instead of the )' 

 mode of fixing the salarv in advance upon .- 

 returns: and especially do I urge favorable action 

 by Congress on the important recommendations c f 

 the I'ont master-General for the establishment of 

 s postal savings depositories. 



Your attention is also again called to n considera- 

 tion r,f the question of postal telegraphs, and the 

 arguments adduced in support thereof, in the hope 

 that you may take such action in connection then - 

 with us in your judgment will most contribute to the 

 best interests of the country. 



nXTAKTHEKT OF JTBTICI. 



Affairs in Utah require your early and special 1 1- 



n. The Supreme Court <t t i.tcs, 



in the cose of Clint' n . Englcbrccht, decided that 



the United States Marshal of that Territory could 



not lawfully summon jurors for t! i.Tts ; 



and those courts hold that the territorial marshal 



cannot lawfully perform that duty, because he is 



i by tin- legislative Assembly and not appoint, d 



as provided tor in the act organising the Territory. 



All proceedings at law are practically abolish. 



"iis.nnd there have been but few or no 

 jury trials in the c!i.-triet cnurts of tln.t 

 the last session of Congress. IV 

 without protection by the courts, and crimes go un- 

 punished. To prevent anarchy there, it is abso- 

 lutely necessary tbnt fonirrei'S provide the 

 with some iin.de of obtaining jurors, md 1 i 

 mend legislation to that end; and; 

 bate court* of the Territory, now assuming to ifsue 

 writs of injunction and habtat corpvt, and i 

 criminal cases and questions as to IM 

 denied all jurisdiction not possessed ordinarily by 

 courts of that description. 



