The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-04

fathers have stood valiantly in the fore front of the battle.
 Appointments to Office.
 The merit system of making appoint
 ments is in its essence as democratic
 and American as the common school
 system itself It simply means that in
 clerical and other positions where the
 duties are entirely non-political, all ap-
 plicants should have a fair field and no
 favor, each standing on his merits as
 he is able to show them by practical test. Written competitive examinations
 offer the only available means in many
 cases for applying this system. In oth- 1 CT cases, as where laborers are em-
 ployed, a system of registration un-
 doubtedly can be widely extended.
 There are, of course places where the
 written competitive examination can not be applied, and others where it of fers by no means an ideal solution but
 where under existing political condi-
 tions it is through an imperfect means
 yet the best present means of getting
 satisfactory results.
 Wherever the conditions have permit ted the application of the merit system l in it's fullest and widest sense, the gain
 to the government has been immense. The navy-yards and postal service illus ! trate, probably better than any other
 branches of the government, the great
 gain in economy, efficiency and honesty due to the enforcement of this principle.
 I recommend the passage of law
 which will extend the classified service 1 to the District of Columbia, or will at 1 least enable the president thus to eX- 1 tend it. In my judgment all laws pro- | viding for the temporary employment ] of clerks should hereafter contain provision that they be selected under the civil service law.
 It is important to have this system obtain at home, but it is even more inn portant to have it applied rigidly in our insular possessions. Not an office should be filled in the Philippines or Porto Rico with any regard to the mans partisan affiliations or services, with any regard to the political, social or personal influence which he may have at his command; in short, heed should be paid to absolutely nothing save the mans own character and ca pacity and the needs of the service.
 The administration of these islands should be as wholly free from the sus- picion of partisan politics as the ad- ministration of the army and navy. All that we ask from the public servant in the Philippines or Porto Rico is that he reflect honor on his country by the way in which he makes that country's rule d benefit to the peoples who have come under it. This is all that we should ask, and we cannot afford to be content with less.
 The merit system is simply one meth cd of securing honest and efficient ad- ministration of the government; and in the long run the sole justification of any type of government lies in it's prov ing itself both honest and efficient.
 The Consular Service.
 The consular service is now organ ized under the provisions of law passed in 1856, which is entirely made ' quate to existing conditions. The in- | terest shown by so many commercial | bodies throughout the country in the | reorganization of the service is hearti- ly commended to your attention. Sev eral bills providing for a new consular service have in recent years been sub mitted to the congress. They are based upon the just principle that appoint ments to the service should be made only after practical test of the ap- plicant's fitness, that promotions should be governed by thrusworthiness adap- tability and zeal in the performance of duty, and that the tenure of office should be unaffected by partisan con 
 The guardianship and fostering of our rapidly expanding foreign commerce, the protection of American citizens re- sorting to foreign countries in lawful pursuit of their affairs, and the main tenance of the dignity of the nation abroad, combine to make 1t essential that our consuls should be men of char acter, knowledge and enterprise. It is true that the service is now, in the main, efficient, but standard of ex- 3ellence cannot be permanently main aimed until the principles set forth in he Bills heretofore submitted to the on this subject are enacted nto law.
 The Indian Question. In my judgment the time has arrived when we should definitely make up our minds to recognize the Indian as an in- lividual and not as a member of a : ribe The general allotment act is a { mighty pulverizing engine to break up l he tribal mass It acts directly upon ] he family and the individual Under ( ts provisions some sixty thousand In- ians have already become citizens of 2 he United States. We should now t reak up the tribal funds, doing for t hem what allotment does for the tribal [ ands; that is, they should be divided C 1to individual holdings. There will be i
 transition period during which the I unds will in many cases have to be r cid in trust. This is the case also with V he lands. A stop should be put upon r he indiscriminate permission to Indi a ms to lease their allotments. The ef- u fort should be steadily to make the In l. ian work like any other man on his n wn ground. The marriage laws of c ne Indians should be made the same f s those of the whites. a In the schools the education should e elementary and largely industrial. he need of higher education among s le Indians is very, very limited. On s