The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-12-06
The Presidents MGSSagG.
MIR. ARlHUR's REQ AIMENbArIoNs To CON-
GBEss. HIS VIEWS ON FINANCE
AND COMMERCE.

WASHINGTON, December |.
The President begins his annual MESA ge
to Congress with reference to the peaceful
determination OF the Presidential contest.
and again calls the attention Of Congress to
the necessity Of providing more precise reg
ulations for counting the electoral vote. be-
Tore any conflict like that of eight years ago
shall again distract the country. After
this brief reference TO home affairs the
message, according to custom, gives an ac-
count Of the foreign relations of the United
States. There is nothing new or especially
important in this part Of the message, ex-
cept the following paragraph about Spain
and Cuba. The President says, "This goy-
ernment has more than once been called
upon of late TO take action in fulfllment Of
its international obligations towards
Spain. Agitation in the island OF Cuba
hostile to the Spanish crown having been
fomented by persons abusing the sacred
rights of hospitality which our territory al
fords, the officers Of this government haye
been instructed to exercise vigilance 10 pre-
vent nlractions OF our neutrality laws Mt
Key West and at other points near the
Cuban coast am happy to say that in
the only instance where these precautionary
measures were successfully eluded the OF
tenders when found in our territory were
subsequently tried and convicted. The
growing need of close relationship of inter-
course and traffic between the Spanish Au-
titles and their natural market in the
United States led TO the adoption in Jauu-
arY last of a commercial agreement looking
to that end. This agreement has since
been superseded by more carefully framed
and comprehensive convention, which
shall submit to the Senate for approval. 1t
has been the aim Of this negotiation 10 open
such favored reciprocal exchange Of pro.
ductions, carried under the flag of either
country, as to make the intercourse between
Cuba and Porto Rico and ourselves scarce
ly less intimate than the commercial move
ment between our domestic ports, and to
insure a re noval of the burdens on ship
ping in the Spanish Indies, of which IN the
past our ship.owners and ship-masters have
SO often had cause to complain.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.
Passing to general International matters,
the President suggests a statute providing
for official participation in international
exhibitions, urges the Importance of inter-
national copyright, suggests more stringent
statutes restricting the shipment of explos
ives and a revision Of the naturalization
laws. The President thinks at might be
wise to provide for a central bureau of
registry, wherein should be filed authenti.
Gated transcripts Of every record of natural
ization in the several Federal and State
courts, and to make proysion also for The
vacation or cancellation Of such record in
cases where fraud has been practced upon
the court by the applicant himself or when
he had renowned or forfeited his ac'
qured citizenship. A just and uniform
law tn this respect would strengthen the
hands Of the government in protecting its
citizens abroad and would pave the way
Tor Inc CONCLUSION OF treaties OF latuTaIlZd-
ton with foreign countries"
The reduction of the diplomatic and con
sular service, the President says, has been
attended with embarrassment Such mar
row restrictions are not true economy, aud
he urges the consideration Of this subject
at the present session, suggesting that more
dscrention be left to the President and
Senate in determining the diplomatic grade
proper 10 representatives abroad.
THE TREAlURY.
The President repeats the statement OF
receipts and expenditures, the estimates for
the coming year and the statistics OF i'm
ports and exports furnished by thG Secro
tary oi the Treasury, and draws attention to
some Of the Secretary's recommendations.
In particular he urges the immediate sus-
pension ofth coinage OF silver dollars. alt
appears that annually for the past six year,
there have been coined, in compliance with
the act Of February %, 1878. more than
twenty seven million silver dollars. The
number outstanding is reported to the
Secretary to be nearly one hundred and
eighty.five millions, whereof but little
more than forty millions, or less than
twenty-five per cent, are in actual circula-
ton. The mere existence OF this fact seems
to me to furnish OF itself a cogent arguMent
for the repeal of the statute which has
made such fact possible. But there are
other and graver considerations that tend
in the same directions, The Secretary
ayows his conviction that unless this coin
age and the issuance of silver certificates be
suspended silver is likely at no distant day
to become our sole metallic standard. The
commercial disturbance ami the impair
ment Of national credit that would be thus
occasioned can scarcely be oyerestimated
hope that the Secretary's suggestions re
specting the wiihdTawel from circulation Of
OF the one dollar and two dollar notes will
receive your approval. It is likely that
considerable portion of the silver now
encumhering the vaults of the Treasury
might thus find its way into the currency"
The President also urges provision for the
surrender of the trade dollars and approves
the Seeretary's other recommendations on
coinage He also recommends the passag o
of the Senate bill allowing the issue to
national banks of notes to the full face
value Of the deposited bonds.
INTERNAL TAXATION.
ain my annual message Of SS2 recon
mcnded the abolition Of all excise taxes
except those relating to distilled spirits,
This recommendation 10 now renewed in
case these taxes shall be abolished the
revenues that will still remain TO the gov
ernment will, in my OpluioD, not only
suffice to meet its reasonable expenditures
but will afford surplus large enough to
permit such tariff reduction as may seem
To be advisable when the results Of recent
revenue laws and commercial treaties shall
have shown in what quarters those reduc-
tions can be most judlcously effected.
FOREIGN TRADE.
"One OF the gravest OF the problems
which appeals to the wisdom of Congress
for solution is the ascertainment of the
most effective means for increasing our
sloreign trade ana thus relieving the depres-
ion under which our industries are now
langnshing. The Secretary Of the Treas
ury advises that the duty Of investigating
the subject be entrusted in the first instance
to competent commission. While fully
recognizing the considerations that may be
urged against this course, am nevertheless
OF the opinion that, upon the whole, no
other would be likely to effect speeder or
better results. That portion OF The Secre
tary's report which concerns the condition
Of our shipping interests cannot Ial to com
mand your attention. lie emphatically
recommends that as an incentive TO the
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