Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-03-05

culture as a potent influence in the perfect
notification of our people. The men who
have invested their capital ia these enter
prisee: the farmers who have felt the ben
eft of their neighborhood, and ;he men
who work in shop or field Will not fail ia
find and to defend community OF inter
est
Is il not quite possible thst the trainers
and the promoters of the great mining ano
manufacturing enterprises, which haYe re-
Gently been established ID the South, may
vet find that the free ballot of the work
ipgmau, without distinction OF race, Is
need for their defense Rs veil as for bis
own.
SOUTHERN POLICY.
do not doubt that If those men in the
South. who now accept the tariff views OF
Clay and the constitutional expeditions OF
Whistler, would coursgeously svow and
defend their real convictions, they would
not find it difficult by friendly instruction
and co-operation TO mske the black man
their efficient and safe ally, not only in es-
tablshiug correct principles in our national
admi istrstioD, but in procuring for their
local communities the benefit Of social or
der and economical and honest govern
ment. At lenst until the good offices of
kindness and education have been fairly
tried, the contrary conclusion cannot be
plausibly urged.
have altogether rejected the sugges-
ton of a special executive policy for any
sec ion of our country. 1t is the duty OF
the executive to administer and enfore in
the methods and by the instrumentslities
pointed out and provided By the uonstitu-
ton all the laws enacted by Congress.
These laws sre general and their sdminis-
tration should be uniform and equal. As
a citizen may not elect what laws he will
obey, neither may the executive elect
which lie will enforce. The duty to obey
and to execute embrscss the Constitution
in its entirety end the whole code Of laws
enacted rnder it. The evil example
of permitting individuals, corporations or
communities to nullify the laws because
they cross some selfish or local interests or
prfiudicss, i5 full of danger, not only to
the nation at large, but much more TO
those who use the pernici0us expedient to
escape their Just obligations or to obtain
an unjust advantage over Others. They
will presently themselves be compelled 10
appeal to the Law for protection, and those
who would use the law ss defense must
not deny that use of it to othere. II our
great corporations would more scrupulous-
ly observe their legal limitations and du-
ties they would have lees cause to COM
plain of the unlawful limitations Of their
rights or OF violent interference with their
operations.
THE SAFEGUARD OF SOCIAL ORDER.
The community that by concert, open
or secret, among IFS citizens denies To
portion of i;s members their plain rights
under the law has severed the only safe
bond of social order and prosperity. The
evil works from a bad center both ways.
II demOralizes tboee who practice It, and
destroys the faith Of these who suffer by
it, io the efficiency of the law as safe
protector. The mau in whose breast that
faith has been dsrkened, is naturally the
subject OF dangerous and uncanny sug-
gestions. Those who use unlawful meth
DDS, il moved by no higher motive
than the sel6shne;s that prompted them,
NAV well stop and inquire what is 10 be
the end of this. An unlawful expedieHt
cannot become permanent condition Of
government. If the educated and irfiu-
entail classes in a community either prsc-
tice or connive at the systematic violation
of laws that seem to them to cross their
convenience, what can they expect when
the lesson that convenience or supposed
Glass interest ia a sufficient cause for law
leeeness has been we'll learned by the *
norant classes? A community where law
is the rule of conduct, and where courts,
not MODS, execute its penalties, is the
only attractive field for business, invest
ments and honest labor.
OUR NATURALIZATION LAWS
should be go amended es to make the in
quiry into the character and good disposi
ton of persons applying for citizenship
more careful and searching Our existing
laws have been in their administration an
unimpressive and often an unintelligible
form. We accept the man as q citizen
without any knowledge of bis fitness, and
he assumes the duties Of citizenship with
ont any knowledge as to what they are.
The privileges of American citizenship are
so great and its duties 80 grave, that we
may well insist upon good knowledge of
every person applying for citizenship, and
good knowledge by him Of our ine,itu
ti0ne.
We should not CEASE TO be hospitable to
immigration, but we should cease 10 be
careless and to the character Of il. There
are men OF ell races, even the best, whose
coming is necessarily burden upon our
public revenues or threat to social order,
These should be identified and excluded.
We have happily maintained policy of
avoiding all interference with European
affairs. We have been only interested
spectators Of their contentious ia diploma
cy and IN war-ready TO use our friendly
offices TO promote peace, but never obtrud-
ing our advice and never attempting I'M
fairly to coin the distresses Of other pow
era into commercial advantage to ourselves.
We have a just right 10 expect that our
European policy will be the American
policy of European courts.
THE PANAMA CANAL.
1t is manifestly incompatible with those |
precautions for our peace and safety which |
all great powers habituslly observe and en-
n
shorter water way between our eastern
and western seaboards should be domino
ted by any European government. that we
may confidently expo. that such pur-
pose will not be entertained by any friend
ly power. We shall in the future, as in
the past, use every endeavor TO maintain
and enlarge our friendly relations with
all the great powers, but they will
not expsct US to look kindly upon shy
project that would leave us subject to the
dangers CT hostile observation or en-
vironmeBt. We have rot sought to DOM
mate or to absorb any Of cur weaker
Deighbors, bat rather to sid and encourage
them to establish free and stable govern
ments, resting upon the consent of their
own people. We have clear right to ex-
pect therefore that no European Govern
ment will seek TO establish colonial DEEPEN
denotes upon the territory of these In
dependent American States. That which
a sense of justice restraints us from seeking,
thew NAV be reasonably expected willingly