The Dickinson press., 1884-07-26

seIv Or compeurvs-exkM1nSu TOR appoint.
mienM 70 West Point and maintained 1t 90
cadet In the case Of many officers found
that the present law which arbitrarily limits
tne term OF the commission offered con-
stans sa4,nt, temptation to changes for mere po..
the belief that the essential Modification of
that law would be in many respects advan-
tageous
My observation In the department of state
connrmed the conclusions iof my legislative
experience, and impressed me with the con-
viction that the rule of Impartial appoint
ment might with advantage be carried be-
yond any existing provision of the civil ser
vice law 1t should be applied to appoint
ments IN the consular service. Consuls
the globe with watchfulness for their coun-
try's interests. Their intelligence and COM
petency become, therefore, matters of great
public concern No man should be appointed
10 an American consulate who is not well in
structed in the history and resources of his
own country, ind in the requirements and
language OF commerce in the country to which
he is sent The same rule shodld be applied
even more rlg1dly to secretaries of legation
in our diplomatic service. The people have
the right to the most efficient agents in the
discharge OF public business and the appoint
ing power should regard this as the prior and
Interior consideration
THE MORMON QUESTION
Religious liberty is the right OF every citi-
zen of the republic Congress is forbidden
by the constitution to make any law ere
specting the establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof For q
century, under this guarantee, Protestant
and Catholic, Jew and GENTLE, have wor-
conscience. But religious liberty must not
be perverted to the justification of offenses
against the law A religious sect, strongly
ntrenched in one of the territories of the
Union, and spreading rapidly in four other
territories, claims the right to destroy the
great safeguard and imminent of social
order, and to practice as a religious privil-
ege that which is punished with severe pen
atty in every state of the Union The sacred
ness and unity of the family must be pre-
ment, as the source of orderly administra-
tlon, us the surest guarantee of moral purity
The claim of the Mormons that they are
divinely authorized to practice polygamy
should no more be admitted than the claim
OF certain heather tribes, if they should
come among us, to continue the rite of
human sacrifice The law does not interfere
With What man believes; it takes cogni-
Zance only of what he does AS citizens, the
Mormons are entitled to the same civil rights
as others, and to these they must be con-
lined Polygamy can never receive national
sanction or federation by admitting the COM
munity that upholds it as q state in the
Union. Like Others the Mormons must learn
that the liberty of the individual ceases
Wnefe The rights OF society begin.
OUR CURRENCY.
Inc people OF the United States, though
often urged and tempted, have never seri-
ously contemplated the recognition of any
other money than gold and silver-and cur,
rency directly convertible into them They
have not done so, they will not do so, under
any necessity less pressing than that of des-
pefate war. The one special requisite for the
completion of our monetary system is the
flxlng OF the relative values of silver and
gold. The large use of silver as the money
of account among Asiatic nations, taken in
connection with the increasing commerce of
the world, gives the weightiest reasons for
an international agreement in the premises
Our government should not cease to urge
value shall be reached and established-a
standard that shall enable the United States
to use the silver from it's mines as an auxil-
larry to gold in settling the balances of COM
mercial exchange.
THE PUBLIC LANDS
The strength of the republic isincreased by
the multiplication of landholders Our laws
should look to the judicious encouragement
OF actual settlers on the public domain, which
should henceforth be held as sacred trust
tendency to consolidate large tracts of land
In the ownership OF individuals OF corpora
lions should, with proper regard to vested
rights, be discouraged One hundred thou
sand acres OF land in the hands of one man
is far less profitable to the nation in every
way than when its ownership is divided
among 900 men. The evil OF permitting
large tracts OF the national domain to be con-
solidated and controlled by the few against
the many is enhanced when the persons con-
trolling it are aliens. 1t is but fair that the
public land should be disposed of only to
actual settlers and to those who are Cit
izens of the republic, or willing to become So
OUR SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Among our national interests one Ian
guishes-the foreign carrying trade 1t was
very seriously crippled in our civil war, and
another blow was given to it in the general
substitution OF steam for sail in ocean traffic
With frontage on the two great oceans,
with freiehtage larger than that of any
other nation, we have every inducement to
restore our navigation. Yet the government
has hitherto refused its help. A small share
OF the encouragement given by the govern
ment to railways and to manufactures, and
a small share of the capital and the zeal
given by our citizens to those enterprises
Would have carried our ships to every sea
and to every port. A law just enacted re-
moves some OF the burdens upon our navi-
CATION, and inspires hope that this great in
terest may at last receive it's due share of
attention All efforts in this direction should
receive encouragement.
sACREDNEss OF THE BALLOT
This survey of our condition as a nation
reminds us that material prosperity is but a
mockery if it does not tend to preserve the
liberty Of the people, A free ballot is the
safeguard OF republican institutions, without
which no national welfare is assured pop
ular election, honestly conducted, embodies
the very majesty of true government. Ten
millions of voters desire to take part in the
pending contest The safely of the repub-
lie rests upon the integrity of the ballot.
upon the security of suffrage to the citizen.
TO deposit fraudulent vote is no worse
crime against constitutional liberty than to
obstruct the deposit of an honest vote. He
who corrupts suffrage strikes at the very
root of free government He is the arch
enemy of the republic. He forgets that in
trampling upon the rights Of Others he fatally
imperils his own rights at is o good land
which the Lord our God doth give U.s." but
we can maintain our heritage only by guard
ing with vigilance the source Of popular
power am with great respect, your obedi-
ent servant, JAMES G. BLAINE