The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-12-03

diction. When organized, as they often are, to
crush ont all healthy competition, and to mono
commerce and general necessity, they are dan
gerous conspiracies against the public good, and
should be made the subject Of prohibitory and
even penal legislation.
THE NAVY.
Tho President speaks hopefully of the
new navy, but says that the number of
available vessels is increasing slowly
because the old wooden ships become
useless almost as fast as the new ones
can be built. While new iron vessel
can do as much fighting as two wooden
ones she cannot do as much cruising. On
March last there were thirty-seven
ships, but although four have since been
added the number has not been increased
because in the same time four have been
lost or condemned. Twenty-siX additional
vessels have been authorized. The Presi-
dent concurs in the recommendation of
the Secretary Of the Navy that the con-
struction of eight armored ships, three
gunboats and five torpedo boats be au-
thorized.
PENSIONS.
Dealing with the subject of pensions
the President says
am not unaware that the pension-roll already
involves very large expenditure, neither am
deferred by that fact from recommending that
Congress grant pension to such honorably dis
charged soldiers and sailors of the civil war as
having rendered substantial service during the
war are now dependent upon their own labor for
a maintenance, and by disease or casualty are
incapacitated from earning it. Many of the
men who would be included in this form of re-
lief are now dependent upon public aid,
and it does not in my judgment consist
with the national honor that they shall
continue to subsist upon the local relief given
indscriminately to paupers instead of upon the
special and generous provision of the nation
they served so gallantly and unselfishly. Our
people will am sure, very generally approve
guPb LEGISLATION And a0uallV that he
survivors of the Union Army and Navy will feel
q grateful sense of relief when this worthy and
suffering class of their comrades is fairly cared
for.
There are some manifest inequalities in the
existing law that should be remedied. To some
of these the Secretary of the Interior has called
The Worlds Fair gets a word emphas-
izing the Importance of such a show to be
held 'in some one of our great cities" !"
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
On the 4th of March last the Civil Service Com
mission had but single member. The yacan-
cies were filled on the ith day of May, and since
then the commissioners have been industriously,
though with inadequate force. engaged in
that cordial support would be given them in
the faithful and impartial enforcement of the
statute, and of the rules and regulations adopted
The reform of the civil service will make no
safe or satisfactory advance until the present
law and its equal administration are well estab-
uSDeQ III Ine cOuIQence OF tne people, IL Will Dc
my pleasure. it is my duty. to see that the
law is executed with frmness and impartiality.
If some of it's provisions have been frauduiently
evaded by appointing officers, our resentment
should not suggest the repeal of the law, but re-
form in its administration.
NATIONAL CONTROL OF ELECTIONS.
Considerable space in the last part of
the message is devoted to consideration
of the ballot. The Southern question:
gets an old fashioned review, and the
President says that sin many parts of
the country where the colored population
is large the people of that race are, by
various devices, deprived of any effective
exercise of their political rights and
many of their civil rights" The import
ant part of his recommendation in this
matter is as follows:-
There is no evil, however deplorable, which
can Justify the assumption, either on the part OF
the Executive or of Congress. OF powers not
granted; but both will be highly blamable if all
the powers granted are not wisely but firmly
used to correct these evils. The power to take
the whole direction and control OF the election
of members of the House of Representatives Is
clearly given to the General Government. A
partial and qualified supervision of these cleo
lions is now provided for by law, and in my
opinion this law may be so strengthened and ex
tended as to secure, the whole, better results
than can be attained by a law taking all the pro
cesses of such election into Federal control.
Government appropriations for ocean
mail service in American ships, and the
formation of naval reserve of mer.
chant vessels are recommended.