CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



149 



The domestic postal service continues to grow 

 with extraordinary rapidity. The expenditures 

 and the revenues will each exceed $100,000,000 

 during the current year. Fortunately, since the 

 revival of prosperous times the revenues have 

 grown much faster than the expenditures, and 

 there is every indication that a short period will 

 witness the obliteration of the annual deficit. In 

 this connection the report of the Postmaster-Gen- 

 eral embodies a statement of some evils which have 

 grown up outside of the contemplation of law in 

 the treatment of some classes of mail matter which 

 wrongly exercise the privilege of the pound rate, 

 and shows that if this matter had been properly 

 classified and had paid the rate which it should 

 have paid, instead of a postal deficit for the last 

 liscal year of $0,010,000, there would have been 

 on one basis a surplus of $17,037,570, and on an- 

 other of $5,733,836. The reform thus suggested, in 

 the opinion of the Postmaster-General, would not 

 only put the postal service at once on a self-sus- 

 taining basis, but would permit great and valuable 

 improvements, and I commend the subject to the 

 consideration of the Congress. 



The navy has maintained the spirit and high 

 ciliciency which have always characterized that 

 service, and has lost none of the gallantry in heroic- 

 action which has signalized its brilliant and glori- 

 ous past. The nation has equal pride in its early 

 and later achievements. Its habitual readiness for 

 every emergency has won the confidence and ad- 

 miration of the country. The people are interested 

 in the continued preparation and prestige of the 

 navy and will justify liberal appropriations for its 

 maintenance and improvement. The officers have 

 shown peculiar adaptation for the performance of 

 new and delicate duties which our recent war has 

 imposed. 



It can not be doubted that Congress \vill at once 

 make necessary provision for the armor plate for 

 the vessels now under contract and building. Its 

 attention is respectfully called to the report of the 

 Secretary of the Navy, in which the subject is fully 

 presented. I unite in his recommendation that the 

 Congress enact such special legislation as may be 

 necessary to enable the department to make con- 

 tracts early in the coming year for armor of the 

 best quality that can be obtained in this country 

 for the Maine, Ohio, and Missouri, and that the 

 provision of the act of March 3, 1899, limiting the 

 price of armor to $300 per ton be removed. 



In the matter of naval construction Italy and 

 lapan, of the great powers, laid down less tonnage 

 in the year 1899 than this country, and Italy alone 

 has less tonnage under construction. I heartily 

 concur in the recommendations for the increase of 

 the navy, as suggested by the Secretary. 



Our future progress and prosperity depend upon 

 our ability to equal, if not surpass, other nations 

 in the enlargement and advance of science, indus- 

 try, and commerce. To invention we must turn 

 as one of the most powerful aids to the accom- 

 plishment of such a result. The attention of the 

 Congress is directed to the report of the Com- 

 missioner of Patents, in which will be found valu- 

 able suggestions and recommendations. 



On the 30th of June, 1899, the pension roll of 

 the United States numbered 991,519. These in- 

 clude the pensioners of the army and navy in all 

 our wars. The number added to the rolls during 

 the year was 40,991. The number dropped by 

 reason of death, remarriage, minors by legal lim- 

 itation, failure to claim within three years, and 

 other causes, was 43,186, and the number of claims 

 disallowed was 107.919. During the year 89,054 

 pension certificates were issued, of which 37,077 

 were for new or original pensions. The amount 



disbursed for army and navy pensions during the 

 year was $138,355,052.95, which was $1,651,461.61 

 less than the sum of the appropriations. 



The Grand Army of the Republic at its recent 

 national encampment held in Philadelphia has 

 brought to my attention and to that of the Con- 

 gress the wisdom and justice of a modification of 

 the third section of the act of June 27, 1890, which 

 provides pensions for the widows of officers and 

 enlisted men who served ninety days or more dur- 

 ing 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 the soldier, sailor, or marine on 

 account of whose service they claim pension prior 

 to the date of the act. 



The present holding of the department is that 

 if the widow's income aside from her daily labor 

 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 a pension 

 under this act; while if the widow's income inde- 

 pendent of the amount received by her as the re- 

 sult of her daily labor exceeds $96, she would not 

 be pensionable under the act. I am advised by the 

 Commissioner of Pensions that the amount of the 

 income allowed before title to pension would be 

 barred has varied widely under different admin- 

 istrations of the Pension Office, as well as during 

 different periods of the same administration, and 

 has been the cause of just complaint and criticism. 



With the approval of the Secretary of the In- 

 terior the Commissioner of Pensions recommends 

 .that, in order to make the practice at all times 

 uniform and to do justice to the dependent widow, 

 the amount of income allowed independent of the 

 proceeds of her daily labor should be not less than 

 $250 per annum, and he urges that the Congress 

 shall so amend the act as to permit the Pension 

 Office to grant pensionable status to widows under 

 the terms of the third section of the act of June 

 27, 1890, whose income aside from the proceeds of 

 daily labor is not in excess of $250 per annum. 

 I believe this to be a simple act of justice and 

 heartily recommend it. 



The Dawes Commission reports that gratifying 

 progress has been made in its work during the pre- 

 ceding year. The field work of enrollment of four 

 of the nations has been completed. I recommend 

 that Congress at an early day make liberal appro- 

 priation for educational purposes in the Indian 

 Territory. 



In accordance with the act of Congress approved 

 March 3, 1899, the preliminary work in connection 

 with the twelfth census is now fully under way. 

 The officers required for the proper administration 

 of the duties imposed have been selected. The pro- 

 vision for securing a proper enumeration of the 

 population, as well as to secure evidence of the 

 industrial growth of the nation, is broader and 

 more comprehensive than any similar legislation 

 in the past. The director advises that every need- 

 ful effort is being made to push this great work 

 to completion in the time limited by the statute. 

 It is believed that the twelfth census will em- 

 phasize our remarkable advance in all that per- 

 tains to national progress. 



Under the authority of the act of Congress ap- 

 proved July 7, 1898, the commission consisting of 

 the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, and the Secretary of the Interior has made 

 an agreement of settlement, which has had my 

 approval, of the indebtedness to the Government 

 growing out of the issue of bonds to aid in the 

 construction of the Central Pacific and Western 

 Pacific Railroads. The agreement secures to the 



