Morning journal and courier., 1884-12-02

country, in return for reciprocal rights abroad,
 is one that may justly challenge your atten-
 tion. It is true that conventions will be ne-
 cessary for fully accomplishing this result,
 but until Congress shall by statute fix the
 extent to which foreign holders of copyright shall be here privileged, it has been deemed
 inadvisable to negotiate such conventions
 For this reason the United States were not
 represented at the recent conference at Berne
 AGAINST DYNABIITERs.
 recommend that the scope of the neutral
 ity laws of the United States be so enlarged
 as to cover all patent acts of hostility com
 mitted in our territory and aimed against
 the peace of a friendly nation. Existing statutes prohibit the fitting out of armed ex-
 petitions and restrict the shipment of ex-
 plosives, though the enactments in the lat
 ter respect were not framed with regard to
 international obligations, but simply for the
 protection of passenger travel. All these
 statutes were intended to meet special emer-
 gencies that had already arisen. Other emergencies have arisen since, and modern
 ingenuity supplies means for the organiza- tion of hostilities without open resort to the vessels or to ihbustering parties.
 I see no reason why overt preparations in this country for the commission of criminal acts, such as are here under consideration, should not be alike punished here. Such acts ere intended to beucUmnitted in our own country, or in foreign country with which we are at peace. The prompt and thorough treatment of this question is which inti-
 mately concerns the national honor. -. - REVISION OF NATURALIZATION LAWS. I Our existing naturalization laws also need revision. Those sections regarding persons residing within the limits of the United States in 1794 and 1798 have now only historical interest. Section 217, recognizing the rights of the children of naturaIized parents, is ambiguous in it's terms and partly obsolete. There are special provisions of law favoring the naturalization of those who serve in the army or merchant vessels, while no similar privileges are granted those who served in the navy or marine corps.
 A uniform rule of naturalization, such as ! the constitution contemplates, should, among ! other things, clearly define the statutes of I persons born within the United States, sub l ject to foreign power (section 1, ,992) and of minor children of fathers who have declared their intention of becoming citizens, but have failed to perfect their naturalization. I It might be wise to provide for central bu- reau of registry, wherein should be filed au- thenticated transcripts of every record of naturalization in the several federal and State courts, and to make provisions for the vacation and cancellation of such record ! in cases where fraud had been practiced up- on the court by the applicant himself, or where he had removed or forfeited his ac- quired citizenship. A just and uniform law in this respect would strengthen the hands of the government in protecting it's citizens abroad and would pave the way for the con clusion of treaties of naturalization with for sign countries.
 OUR FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES,. The legislation of the last session effected in the diplomatic and consular service cer- tain changes and reductions, which have been productive of embarrassment. The population and commercial activity of our country steadily on the increase, and are giving rise to new, varying and often delicate relationships with other countries. Our for eign establishment now embraces nearly double the area of operation that it occupied twenty years ago. The confinement of such a service within the limits of expenditure then established is not, it seems to me, in accordance with true economy. A commun- ity of sixty millions of people should be ade- quately represented in it's intercourse with ! foreign nations. A project for the reorgani- zation of the consular service and for read justing the scheme of extra territorial juris- 1 diction is now before you. If the limits of a short session will not allow of it's full sideration, trust that you will not fail to make suitable provision for the present needs 1 of the service.
 It has been customary to define in the ap- ! propriation acts the rank of each diplomatic office to which salary is attached. I sug ! gest that this course be abandoned, and that i it be left to the President, with the advice | and consent of the Senate, to fix from time 1 to time the diplomatic grade of the represen- tatives of this government abroad as may seem advisable, provision being definitely | made, however, as now, for the amount of
 salary attached to the respective stations. The Finances.
 The condition of our finances and the op- erations of the various branches of the pub | lie service which are connected with the Treasury department are very fully discussed ! in the report of the Secretary. Then fol- ! low statistics from the Secretary report. SILVER COINAGE SUSPENSION I concur with the Secretary of the Treas | ury in recommending the immediate suspen- l sion of the coinage of silver dollars and of l the issuance of silver certificates. This is a matter to which, in former communications, have more than once invoked attention of the I national legislature. It appears that annual f ly, for the past six years, there have been ] coined, in compliance with the requirements 1 of the act of February 28 1878, more than l twenty-seven million silver dollars. The | number outstanding is reported by the | Secretary to be nearly one hundred and l eighty-fve million, whereof but little more ! than forty million, or less than twenty-two l per cent, are in actual circulation
 | The mere existence of the fact seems to me 1 to furnish of itself a cogent argument for the ] repeal of the statute which has made such l fact possible, but there are other and graver l considerations that tend in the same direc- l tion The Secretary avows his conviction 1 that unless this coinage and the issuance of silver certificates be suspended silver is like
 ly at no distant day to become our sole metal lie standard The commercial disturbance l and the impairment of the national credit
 that would ensue can scarcely be overesti- mated.
 l I hope that the Secretary's suggestions ! specting the withdrawal from circulation of I the one dollar and two dollar notes will re- sc1 n11r # siderable portion of the silver now accumu- lated in the vaults of the treasury might thus find it's way into the currency.
 l While trade dollars have ceased for the
 present to be an element of active disturb
 ance in our currency system some provision
 should be made for their surrender to the ! government. In view of the circumstances
 under which they were coined and of the
 fact that they have never had legal tender
 quality there should be offered for them only
 slight advance over their bullion value.
 The Secretary in the course of his report l considers the propriety of beaut!ty1ng the de- ! signs of our subsidiary silver coins and of so increasing their weight that they may bear
 their due rate of value to the standard dol lar. His conclusions in this regard are cor
 dially approved.
 l ABOLITION OF EXCISE TAXES.
 In my annual message of 1882 I recom- l mended the abolition of all excise taxes, ex- cept those relating to distilled spirits. This
 recommendation is now renewed. In case
 these shall be abolished the revenues that
 will still remain to the government will, in
 my opinion, not only suffice to meet its reas-
 enable expenses, but will afford surplus
 large enough to permit such
 1 TARIFF REDUCTION
 as may seem to be advisable when the results 1 of recent revenue laws and commercial trea-
 ties shall have shown in what quarters these
 5saso okoI One of the eravest of the problems which ap 1 peal to the wisdom of Congress for solution is the ascertainment of the most effectual 1 means of increasing our foreign trade and thus relieving the depression under which | our industries now languishing. The l of tho Traae11rv adJ that the