The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-12-12

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extension Of time has been agreed upon
and the President recommends COM
mission to take NJ this subject, which
commission, he suggests, might at the
same time take up "othcr general qucs-
tions dependent upon contiguity and
intercourse" " "Bcciprocity" shows mp
here, and the suggestion is quite in line
with that of President Grant, who
managed TO get up the whole Alabama
Claims questioned, with all its memora-
Die consequences. as bOhtail to the
fishery dispute ofthat day The Alaska
boundary adjoining that Of British
Columbia also needs adjustment.
There is an important piece of unan-
ished business with Mexico, viz, The
legislation needed to carry iuto cNecu-
ton the commercial treaty with that
country The message recommends the
passage Of the necessary acts Of Con
gress, but Congress Is fairly well aware
that there is not much of a concern on
the public mind about that matter, and
therefore il need not be in any special
hurry With lIayti and Peru there have
been some little bothers, but they are
either settled Or likely to be. With
Russia everything is serene. without an
if or but, or any sort of snarl. Spain
has settled by arbitration certain long
pending claims ofAmericans concerning
the ship Masonic, and the commercial
treaty with that nation has been made
the subject of further negotiations, with
a view to overcoming American obiec-
tions. A few little unplcasantncsscs
exist with Turkey. They do not threaten
war at present, and Minister Cox will
probably bring them to q satisfactory
end AMI then show the Sultan "why we
llugh.' If we have ommitel any
foreign relation it is to be regretted;
but this part of the message is too long
to so back to look.
The inadequacy of existing American
legislation touching the important
matters of naturalization, cXpatriation
and kindred subjects, including the
rights of aliens domiciled in the United
States, especially when the domiciled
alien has declared his intention to
become citizen-need further statutory
attention. The commercial relations Of
the United States with our immediate
neiShbors, and with important areas of
trallic near our shores, suggest especially
liberal intercourse between them and us:
but the President is manifeStly not in
favor of making them so liberal as to
give them the free run of the trade of
fltty-iiye millions of people for slim
chance at the trade of few hundred
thousands or even few millions, as in
the cases Of Cuba, Porto, Rico, Santo
Domingo, dc. The diplomatic and
consular service, in the opinion of the
President, ought to be rccast. He sug-
gestS Improvements also, and among
these are The appointment of a number
OF Secretaries Of Legation at large who
might be quite useful on occasion, and
detail Of officers from the army and
navy as attaches.
Speaking of the surplus revenue, the
message gets upon the tariff. In his
view of it the revision of the customs
revenue laws does not involve the uues-
tion of free trade, and then goes on to
say: Justice and fairness dictate that.
in any modification of our present laws
and in which our citizens have large in
yestments. should not be ruthlessly
injured or DESTROYED. We should also
deal with the subject in such a manner
ms to protect the interests of the Ameri-
can labor, which is the capital of our
working men; its stability and proper
remuneration furnish the most justilia-
Die preteNt for protective policy"
Ihat is reasonable and sound He
then continues: ''Within these limita-
lions certain reduction should be made
IN our customs reVenue" and
II think the reduction should be made
IN the revenue derived from tax on
the imported necessarics of life. We
thus directly lessen the cost of living in
every family in the land, and release to
the people in every humble home
larger measure Of the rewards of frugal
industry
This would have been clearer if the
necessities referred to had been speci-
fed. As it is we are left to guess. They
probably include sugar and woollen
goods. The President seems to con-
slider a reduction of duties rs a sure
road to a reGIc.ion of revenue and sur
plus, That is MormsCniQn idea, which
everybody should regret to find shared
by the President. A reduction of duties
may be Surcr road TO an increase of
surplus. On the subject of stoppingthe
coinage of the Bland silver dollar Mr..
Cleveland is very clear, strong and
sound, as the Secretary OF the Treasury
is also. lie is emphatic in recommend
ing the suspension Of the compulsory
coinage of silver dollars, for reasons
that are so cOgent and compact and
well put that We abstain from any at
tempt at their abrilgment, and refer
again TO the text of the message. No
person who feels an interest in that inn
poTtant subject should fail 10 read at
least that part Of the message and the
kindred part of the Treasury Report.
One point, however, should be referred
TO here. The President is of the opin-
ion that the power to "coin money!
given to Congress by the Constitution
does not give it the power to coin be-
yond the needs Of sufficient circulat-
iRJ medium; and does not confer the
power to buy silyer,set up a factory.and
manufacture dollars to be stored away
III order 10 make market for the own
ers Of silver mines.
The Coast Surrey, Il is suggested, had
better be turned over to the Navy De-
psrtmcnt; tie kind of justice metcd out
by some military court-martials does
not strike the President with favor: the
Signal Service not being the sort of
thing for military drill, he thinks il
ought TO be separately established"
for West Point graduates. he suggests a
change in the law to keep the coming
graduates in the army as second lieuten-
ants. Legislation is needed to regulate
the growing practice Of building bridges
over nayigable streams. This is timely.
for another obstruction is threatened on
the XIII Won Kull, in which New Jersey
also has an interest.
The foregoing matters all pertain to
the War Department; and coming to
the Navy Department the President
hopes that the day is not very far dis
tant when our Navy lhe spells il with a
big n will be such as BELTS our stand
ing among the nations OF the earth. But,
while such is his hope, he is of the opjn-
ion that il cannot reach that dignity or
any degree of usefulness until there is a
Thorough reorganization of the Navy
Department, such as will put an end TO
the abuses from which it has suffered i'm
the pGst-abuseS which have wasted
seventy-fye millions of dollars in the
last seventeen years. That is a strong
way of putting it,, but, as IL will take