Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-12-05

..v1vssl,y, ,ney are dangerous conspira-
cies against the public good, and should
be made the subject of prohibitory and
even penal legislation.
Moral Character for NaturaIized Citizens.
Our naturalization laws should be so
revised as to make the inquiry into the
moral character and good disposition
toward our government of the persons
applying for citizenship more thorough.
This can only be done by taking fuller
control of the examination, by fixing the
times for hearing such applications,
and by requiring the presence of some
one who shall represent the government
in the inquiry. Those who are the
avowed enemies of social order, or who
come TO our shores to swell the in.juri-
Gus influence and to extend the evil
practices of any ASSOCIATION that defies
our laws, should not only be denied citi-
zenship but domicile.
Indian Land Titles.
A larger portion of the message is de-
voted to the titles to Indian lands. Okla.
homa, etc, than on any other subject.
but only in relation of facts with which
the reading public is familiar. On the
subject of Alaska the message proceeds:
Provisions should be made for the ac-
QUESTION of title 10 town lots in the
towns now established in Alaska, for To-
eating town sites and .ae establishment
of municipal governments. Only the
mining laws have been extended to that
territory, and no other form of titles to
lands can now be obtained. We have
fortunately not extended TO Alaska the
mistaken policy of establishing reserva--
tions for the Indian tribes, and can deal
with them from the beginning as indi-
viduals with, am sure. better results.
But any disposition of the public lands,
and any regulations relating to timber
and to the fisheries should have kindly
regard to their interests. An appropria-
ton for education shoull neither be
overlooked nor stinted. TIE smallness
of the population and the great distances
between the settlements offer serious
obstacles to the establishment of the
usual territorial form of government.
Perhaps the organization of several sub
districts, with small municipal council
of limited powers for each, would be safe
and useful.
Land Laws
In the administration of the land laws
the policy of facili .ating in every proper
way the adjustment of the honest claims
of individual settlers upon the public
lands has been pursued. The manifes5
purpose of the homestead and pre-emp-
ton laws was to promote the settlement
of the public domain by persons; having
a bona fide intent to make hone upon
Al. = ~,
well established and the requirements OF
the law have been substantially compiler
with, the claimant is entitled to promp5
and friendly consideration of his case.
But where there is reason to believe shag
the claimant is the mere agent Of AM
other, who seeking to evade law in
tended to promote small holuings and 10
secure by fraudulent methods lar5e
tracts of timber and other lands. GOti
principal and agent should not oniy be
thwartei in their fraudulent purposes,
but should be made to feel the flu penal
ties of our criminal statutes. The law
should be so administered as n to con-
found these two classes, ard to visit
penalties only upon the latter.
Pensions 10 Veterans.
The law provides a pension for every
soldier and sailor who WIS mustered into
the service of the United States during
the civil war. and is now suffering from
wounds or disease having an origin in
the service and in the line of duty. Two
of the three necessary facts, viz: mus
ter and disability. are usually susceptible
of easy proof, but the third--ori2in in
the services often difficult, and many
deserving cases impossible to establish
That very many of those who endured
the hardships of our most bloody and
arduous campaigns are now disabled
from disease that had a real but not
traceable origin in the service | do not
doubt Be 5ides these there is another
class composed of men, many Of whom
served an enlistment of three full years,
and of re-enlisted veterans who added
fourth year of service, who escaped the
casualties of battle and the assaults of
disease, who were always ready for any
detail, who were in every battle line of
their command, and mustered out
in sound health, and have, since the close
of the war, while fighting with the same
indomitahle and independent spirit the
contest of civil life, been overcome by
disease or casualties. / am not unaware
that the pension roll already involves a
very large annual expenditure; neither
am deferred by that fact from recon-
that congress grant a pension
to such honorably discharged soldiers
and sailors of the civil war as are now
dependent upon their own labor for
and by disease or casualty
are incapacitated from earning it.
Many of the men who would be in
cluded in this form of relief are now de-
pendent on public aid, and it does not,
in my Judgment. consist with the ma
tional homer that they shall continue to
subsi5t uGon the local relief given indis-
to paupers instead of upon
the special and generous provision of the
nation they served so gallantly and un-
selfishly. Our people will, am sure,
very generally approve such legislation.
There are some manifest inequalities in
the existing law that should be remedied
To some of these the secretary of the in
terror has called attention. 1t is gratify-
ing to be able to state that by the aGop-
ton of new and better methods in the
war department the calls of the pension
Office for information, as to the military
and hospital records of the pension
are now promptly answered.
that have heretofore occurred are
avoided.
Protection for Railroad Employees.
The attention of the interstate COM
merce commission has been called to the
urgent need of congressional delegation
for the better protection of the lives and
limbs of those operating the great inter-
state freight lines of the country, and
the yardmen and brakemen
A pet ton. signed by nearly 10000 rail-
way brakemen. was presented TO the
asking that steps might be
taken to bring about the use of auto
matte brakes and couplers ON freight
cars.
At meeting of state railroad COM
missiore and their accredited repre-
sentatives held at Washing ton, in March
last, upon the invitation of the interstate
commerce commission, resolution was
adopted. urging the COM
mission ''to consider what can be done
to prevent the loss of life and limb in
coupling and uncoupling freight cars,
and in handling the brakes of such cars. -
During the year ending June 30, 1888,
over 1000 railroad employees were killed
in service and more than 10000 injured.
If it is cOmuptpnt I think for CON nrracc