The "addtonal" appropriation for 1896 was appropriated in two sessions of Congress-651-1) and (5-2).

The "additional" appropriation for 1898 includes $50,000,000, which was appropriated for "national defense.'

6,449,009.38

02,547,793.06

5,482,801.32

53,582,770.99

4,375,858.78

69,516,7.5.45

6,290,760.80

84,382,551.50

2,795,257.30

81,672,618.73

6,127,974.16

103,633,15.10

15,084,317.81

115,420,997.75

2,417,019.56

101,508,719.93

90,693,218.32

The United States has not the slightest wish to establish a universal protectorate over other American States, or tʊ bécome responsible for their misdeeds.-From President Rooseveit's The Mource Doctrine, American Ideals, p. 248.

Nothing strikes a deadlier blow at liberty than the insidious appeals made in her name in times of public excitement.-Postmaster-General Cortelyou on Lincoln's Influence on American Life, jor

We ask for a great navy, we ask for an armament fit for the nation's needs, not primarily to fight, but to avert_fighting. Preparedness deters the foe and maintains right by the show of ready might without the use of violence.-From President Roosevelt's "Washington's forgotten maxim," American ideals, p. 288.

* 5 * 2 2 . 1 125 68 Protection

saves to the world the useless expense, and labor of shipping products from one country to another and turns these into productive sources of wealth.-Judge William Lawrence, of Chiq, in the American Economist.

Plans have been suggested for the migration of the negroes to some other country, where they would live by themselves and grow up by themselves, and have a society, by themselves, and create a nation by themselves, Such a suggestion is chimerical. The negro has no desire to go, and the people of the South would seriously object to his going, -Hon. Wm. H. Taft, at Plymouth Church, Brooklyn.

Summary of vessels in the United States Navy June 30, 1908.

Expenditures on vessels under construction to March 31, 1908.

Amount expended under increase of the Navy appropriations on all vessels other than those above named (including $2,500,000, approximate cost of equipage of monitors and torpedo boats), $45,500,721.20.

Total..

21,214,886.50

The present business system of the country rests on the protective tariff and any attempt to change it to a free trade basis will certainly lead to disaster.-Hon. Wm. H. Taft, at Columbus, Ohio.

The representative government that has served us well for 130 years has not been for Mr. Bryan sufficiently expressive of the will of the people. We must call upon fourteen million electors to legislate directly. Could any more burdensome or inefficient method be devised than this? I believe that the referendum under certain conditions and limitations in the subdivisions of a State on certain issues may be healthful and useful, but as applied to our national government it is entirely impracticable.-Hon. Wm. H. Taft, at Columbus, Ohio.

Cost of all vessels of the new Navy.

STATEMENT SHOWING COST OF EACH COMPLETED BATTLESHIP, ARMORED CRUISER, PROTECTED CRUISER, AND UNPROTECTED CRUISER BUILT UNDER APPROPRIATIONS FOR INCREASE OF THE NAVY TO MARCH 31, 1908.

WORK OF THE POST OFFICE DEPART

MENT.

The business of the Post Office Department is a reliable index to the general condition of the country and the postal receipts for the last fifteen years show conclusively that our people have been prosperous and our business more active since the return of the Republican party to power than ever before in the history of the country. The following table gives the figures of

receipts for the years indeed,

(Dem.) 1893....

(Dem.) 1894

(Dem.) 1895..

(Dem.) 1896.

(Dein.) 1897.

1898

1899

1900.

1901.

1902

1903

1904.

1905.

1906.

1937

$75,896,933.16

75,080,179.04

70,983,128.19

82,499.208.40

82,663,462.73

-89,012,618.55

95,021,384.17

102,354,379.29

111,631,193.39

121,848,047.26

134,224,443.24

143,582,624.34

152,826,585.0

167.932,782.95

183,585,005,57

The increase of nearly $108,000,000.00 in fifteen years shows a truly marvelous development.

Rural Delivery.

The responsibility for the permanent introduction of the wonderful system of delivery of mail to rural communities in the United States belongs to the administration of President McKinley and its continuation and remarkable development to the administration of Roosevelt. The service is now in operation on 39,270 routes, serving 16,000,000 people.

In 804 counties the service is so complete that all of the people outside of cities can receive their mail by rural letter carriers.

During the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1908, the cost of the service will exceed $35,500,000.

The material benefits which it has brought to rural communities are incalculable. Subscriptions to newspapers, both local and metropolitan, have increased enormously, and farmers are able to keep advised of the daily market quotations and to sell their products to the best advantage. The increased circulation of newspapers and periodicals has made the service of great educational value, broadening the minds of the people through a better knowledge of the affairs of the outside world and engendering a desire for intellectual development. As a: further result of the installation of the rural delivery service thousands of miles of roads have been improved, thus increasing farm values in some cases twenty-five per cent. No other agency has contributed so largely to making farm life more attractive.

The Investigations and Their Result.

None of the reforms following the investigation of 1903 was more important or resulted in greater benefit to the general public than that which was effected in the office of the Assistant Attorney General, in pursuance of which many hundreds of fra: dulent schemes and lottery enterprises have been suppressed... · Most of these schemes had grown up and flourished in consequence of the failure to enforce the statutes authorizing their suppression. and through their operation losses aggregating many millions of dollars were annually suffered by people of small or redexate mens and to whom such losses meant peculiar hardship. The strict and systematic enforcement of the

statutes empowering the Postmaster General to exclude from the mails matter of every kind relating to fraudulent schemes and lotteries and to withhold from delivery mail addressed to persons or concerns carrying on such enterprises, has reduced the number of such schemes to the minimum and protected the public from enormous losses.

Millions Saved in Mail Transportation.

The pay for railroad mail service is fixed by statute and based upon the average daily weight of mails.

Since 1873 it had been the uniform practice to use the number of week days in the weighing period as the divisor for determining the average daily weight in accordance with the construction put upon the words "working days." Postmaster General Meyer issued an order on June 7, 1907, following one issued in March, 1907, by Postmaster-General Cortelyou, having the same object in view, which provided that the whole number of days included in the weighing period should be used as a divisor for obtaining the average weight per day. It is estimated that the saving will approximate $4,619,285 annually.

From October 1, 1908, the letter postage between this country and England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales is two cents an ounce instead of 5 cents an ounce. This reduction is expected to result ultimately in an increase of receipts because it has always been found that a reduction of the letter rate resulted finally in increasing the revenue. The lower postage will lead also to freer commercial intercourse. Our manufacturers are increasing their sales in the United Kingdom and must rely to a great extent upon the mails for orders and additional trade. Further, it will be a great boon to our adopted English-speaking citizens and their connections in this country, particularly those of limited means, as it will enable them to keep up correspondence with their relations and friends in the old countries at domestic rates.

Postal Savings Banks.

The leading governments of the world have postal savings banks, with the exception of the United States and Germany, the latter country, however, having a splendid system of municipal savings banks. Since 1872 the introduction of such a service has been discussed in the United States, and the measure now before Congress which was favorably reported on by the Senate Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads will become a law at the next session. Its enactment is desired in order to encourage economy and thrift among the wage-earners and people of moderate means, and to afford a place of deposit, free from any possibility of doubt or suspicion, for small savings, which in the aggregate amount to vast sums of money and which are otherwise hoarded and kept out of circulation through ignorance or lack of confidence.

More than seven million immigrants landed in this country during the last ten years, and nearly a hundred million dollars were sent out of the country last year by these people. In many instances it has been found that, for want of postal savings banks, money orders are being bought payable to the purchaser, good for one year.

Improved Conditions.

It has been the aim of the Post Office Department to improve the conditions under which its employees work, namely:

By shortening the hours of labor.

By basing promotions entirely on merit rather than favoritism, and by securing legislation that provides for annual increases in salaries as the employees prove their worth.

The postal service itself has been further improved by the introduction of better business methods. Without materially increasing the expense, the Department has secured more commodious and better equipped post office quarters throughout the country, to the greater convenience of the people and advantage to the service.

Appointment of Postmasters.

The policy of retaining in office postmasters who are performing their duties satisfactorily has resulted in improving the efficiency of the service.