The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-09-20

Importation of labOrers under cont act
| they will have no inducement to come. an
the employer no InduceInent to send tt
them. In the earlier years of our histOf
public agencies TO promote immigratiU
were common. The pioneer wanted
/, neigbbor with more friendly instincts tina
the Indian: labor was scarce and fully em
pioyed. But the day of the immigration
bureau has gone by. While our doors vii
continue open to proper immigration, "
do not need to issue social Invitations t
the inhabitants of other countries to com
to our shores or share our citizenship. In
deed, the necessity of some inspection an(
limitation is obvious. We should resolutel,
refuse to permit foreign paupers and Grim
inals to our ports. We are also clearI
under a duty TO defend our civilization BY
excluding alien races whose ultimate as
similation with our people is neither pos
sible nor desirable. The family has beer
the Deuclus OF our best immigration, an(
the home the most potent assinilating
force in our civilization.
The objections To Chinese immigration
are distinctive and conclusive, and are
now so generally accepted as such that the
question has passed entirely beyond the
stage of argument. The laws relating to
this subject would, if | should be charged
with their enforcement, be faithfully exc
cuted. Such amendments or further leg
lslatiOn as may be necessary and proper to
prevent evaSionS of the laws and to stop
! further Chinese immigration would also
meet my approval. The expression of the
convention upon this subject is in entire
harmony with my views.
| Our civil compact is a government by
majoriJies, and the law loses its sanction
and the magistrate our respect when this
compact is broken. The evil results of
election frauds do not expend themselves
| upon the voters who are robbed of their
| rightful influence in public affairs. The
| individual. or com unity, or party that
practices or connives at election frauds
has suffered irreparable injury, and will
| sooner or later realize that to exchange the
American system of majority rule for
minority control is not only unlawful and
unpatriotic, but very unsafe for those who
promote it. The diSfranchisement of a
single legal elector by fraud or intimida-
tion is a crime too grave to be regarded
lightly. The right of every qualified
elector to cast one free ballot and to have
it honestly counted must not be ques
toned. Every constitutional power should
be used to make this right secure and pun
ish frauds upon the ballot. Our colored
people do no AJAX special legislation in their
interest, but only to be made secure in the
| common rights of American citizenship.
They will, however, naturally mistrust
the sincerity of those party. leaders who
appeal to their race for support only in
those localities where the suffrage is free
and election results doubtful, and compass
their disfranohisement where their votes
would be controlling and their choice can
not be coerced.
The nation, not less than the States. is
dependent for prosperity and security upon
the intelligence and morality of the peo-
pie. This common interest very early
suggested national aid in the establish
ment and endowment of schools and col
legeS in the new states. There is, | be-
leye, a present exigency that calls for still
more liberal and direct appropriations in
aid of common school education in the
States.
The territorial form of government is a
temporary expeGient, not a permanent
civil condition. Ii is adap ted to the eX-
igency that suggested it, but becomes in-
adequate and even oppressive when applied
to fixed and populous communities. Sey
eral territories are well able to bear the
burdens and discharge the duties of free
Commonwealth in the American union.
70 EXCLUDE them is to deny the just rights
of their people and may well excite their
political preference of the people of a ter
ritory should close against them the hospi
| table door which has opened to two thirds
OF the existing States. But admission
should be resolutely refused to any Terri
tory a majority Of whose people cherish
institutions that are repugnant to our civ
iliZation or inconsistent with a republican
form of government.
The declaration of the convention against
''all combinations of capital, organized in
trusts or otherwise to control arbitraly the
condition of trade among our citizens is
in harmony with the views entertained
and publicly expressed by me long before
the assembling of the cow ention. Ordi
nariIy capital shares the losses Of idleness
with labor. but under the operation of the
trust, in some of its forms. the wage
worker alone suffers loss, while idle capt.
tai receives its dividends from trust
fund. Producers who refuse to join the
combination are destroyed, and competi-
ton as an element of prices is eliminated.
1t cannot be doubted that the legislative
authority should and will find method of
dealing fairly and effectively with these
and other abuses connected with this sub
ject.
1t can hardly be necessary for me to say that
am heartily in mpathy with the declaration
of the convention upon the subject of pensions
| and what they suffered had some opportunity
to observe, and in a small measure, to exper-
fence. They gave ungrudgingly: it was not a
| trade, but an Offering. The M easure was heaped
up. running over. What they.achieved only a dis
tant generation can adequately tell Without
attempting to discuss particular propositions,
may add that measures in behalf of the sur
viying veterans of the war and of the families
of their dead comrades should be conceived
and executed in spirit of justice and of the
most grateful liberality, and that in the COM
petition for civil appoin tments honorable mil
should aDOrOOriate
ton.
The law regulating the appointments to the
classified civil service received my support in
the Senate. in the belief that 1t opened the way
| to much needed reform. still think so, ant
therefore cordially approve the clear and forci-
| BILE expression of the convention upon this sub
| ject. The law should have the aid of a friendly
Interpretation and be faithfully and vigorously
| enforced. All appointments under it should be
| absolutely free from partisan consideration
and influence Some extensions of the class
| flied list are practicable and desirable and
| further legislation extending the reform to
other branches of the service to which it is ap-
| plicable would receive my approval In APP
| pointmentS to every grade and department,
fitness, and not party service. should be the es-
sential and discriminating test, and fidelity
| Only the interest of the public service should
| suggest removals from office; know the prac-
tical difficulties attending the attempt to apply
| the spirit of the civil service rules to all ap
| pointn.ents and removals. 1t Will, however, be
my sincere purpose, if elected. to advance the
| reform.
| 1 notice with pleasure that the convention
| did not omit to express it's soicitude for the
| promotion of virtue and temperance among our
people. The republican party has always been
| friendly to every thing that tended to make the
| home lie of our people nee, pure and prosper
Gus. and will in the future be true to it's history
| in this repect.
| Our relations with foreign powers should be
| characte rjzed by frendliness and respect. The
| right of our people and of our ships TO hospi-
| table treatment should be insisted upon with
| dignity and firmness. Our nation is too great,
| both in material strength and in moral power
| to indulge in buster or TO be suspected OF TIM
| orousness. Vacillation and inconsistency are
| as incompatible with successful diplomacy as
| they are with the national dignity. We should
| especially cultivate and extend our diplomatic
| and commercial relations with the Central aud
| South American States Our fisheries should
| be fostered and protected The hardships and
| risks that are the necessary incidents of the
| business should not lie increased by an inhos-
| pitable exclusion from the near-lying ports.
| The resOui ces of q firm, dign1Hed and conSlS-
tent diplomacy are undoubtedly equal to the
prompt and peaceful solution of the difficulties
| that now exist. Our nei shhors will surely not
expect in our ports commercial hospitality
they deny to us in theirs.
| l cannot extend this letter by special ref
erence to other subjects upon which the con-
venlion gave an expression. In respect to them.
| as well AS to those have noticed, AN in en-
lire agreement with the declarations of the
| convention The resolutions relating to the
coinage, to the rebuilding OF the navy, to coast
Gefences and to public lands express eonclu-
| senate. Inviting a calm and Thoughtful eonsid-
Grafton of the these public questions. we sub
nit them TO the peOples Their intelligent pa
triotism and the good providence that made
and has Ike pt us a nation will lead them to q
| wise and safe conclusion.