Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-03
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
[continuea from First Page.l


With the sole exception of the farming
interest. no one matter is of such vita
moment to our whole people as the vel
fare OF the ge-workers. II the farm
CT and the wage worker are we'll off. il
is absolutely certain that all others viii
be well off, too 1t is therefore matter
for hearty congratulations that on the
whole wages are higher today in the
United States than ever before in oui
history and far higher than in any 9TH
err country. The standard of living IS al
SO higher than ever before. Every eff
fort of legislator and administrators
should be bent to secure the permanen
cy of this condition of things ana its
improvement wherever possible. Not
only must our labor be protected by the
tariff, but it should also be protected so
far as it is possible from the presence
in This county of any lahorers brought
over by contract, or of those who, COM
ing freely. yet represent standard OF
living so depressed that they can un-
dersell our men in the labor market and
drag them to lower level. 1t regard
it as necessary with this end in view,
to re-enact Immediately the law eXclud-
ing Chinese laborers and to strengthen
wherever necessary in order to make its
enforcement entirely effective.
immigration Laws Needed.
/, Our present immigration laws are
unsatisfactory. We need every honest
! and efficient immigrant fitted to become
an American citizen, every immigrant
who comes here to stay, who brings
here strong body, a stout heart, a
good head, and resolute purpose to do
his duty well IN every way and to bring
up his children as law abiding and God
fearing members of the community. But
there should be comprehensive law
/, enacted with the object of working a
threefold improvement over our present
system. First, we should aim to eX-
clude absolutely not only ell persons
swho are known to be believers in an
tarchistic principles or members If an
archistic societies. but also all persons
who are OF low moral tendency or of
unsavory reputation. This means that
I'VE should require q more thorough sys-
TEN of inspection abroad and more
rigid system OF examination at our Inn
migration ports, the former being espe-
cially necessary
The second object of a proper i'm
migration law ought to be to secure by
a careful and not merely perfunctory
educational test some intelligent capac-
sity to appreciate American institutions
and act sanely as American scitizens.
This would not keep out all anarchists,
for many of them belong to the intelli-.
gent criminal class. But it would do
what is also in point. that is, tend to de-
crease the sum of ignorance, so Potent
in producing envy, suspicion, inalig-
nant passion, and hatred of order, out
of which anarchistic sentiment newt
ably springs. Finally, all persons should
be excluded who are below certain
standard of economic fitness to enter
our industrial field as competitors with
American labor. There should be prop
er proof of personal capacity to earn an
American living, and enough money to
insure a decent start under American
conditions This would stop the influx
OF cheap labor, and the resulting COM
petition which gives rise to so much
bitterness in American Industrial life:
and it would dry up the springs OF the
residential social conditions in our
great cities, where anarchistic organic
ations have their greatest possibility of
growth
Both the educational and economic
tests in a wise immigration law should
be designed to protect and elevate the
general body polite and social. A Very
close supervision should be exercised
over the steamship companies which
mainly bring over the immigrants, and
they should be held to strict account
ability for any infraction Of the law.
There is general acquiescence IN our
present tariff system as national pol
tional policy. The first requisite TO oui
prosperity is the continuity and stabll-
ity OF this economic policy. Nothing
could be more unwise than to disturb
the business interests of the country
by any general tariff change al this
time. Doubt, apprehension. uncertainty
are exactly what we most wis., to avoid
in the interest of our commercial and
material well-being. Our experience in
the past has shown that sweeping revi-
Eions of the tariff are apt to produce
conditions closely approaching panic
in the business world. Yet it is not only
possible, but eminently desirable, to
combine with the stability of our econo-
mic system a supplementary system of
reciprocal benefit and obligation with
other nations. Such reciprocity is an
incident and result of the firm estab-
llshment and preservation OF our pres
ent economic policy. 1t was specially
provided for in the present tariff law.
! Reciprocity must be treated as the
handmaiden of protection. Our first
duty is to see that the protection
granted by the tariff in every case where
III is needed is maintained. and that reci-
sprocity be sought for SO far as it can
safely be done without injury to our
home Industries. Just how far this is
must be determined according to the in
.dfvidual case, remembering always that
every application of our tariff policy to
inject our shifting national needs must
be be conditioned upon the cardinal fact
that the duties must never be reduced
below the point that will cover the diff
ference between the labor cost here and
abroad. The well-being of the wage
worker 10 a prime consideration of our
entire policy of economic legislation.
Subject to this proviso of the proper
protection necessary to our Industrial
we'll being at home, the principle of
reciprocity must command our hearty
support. The phenomenal growth Of our
export trade emphasizes the urgency of
the need for wider markets and for a
liberal policy in dealing with foreign
nations. Whatever is merely petty and
vexatious in the way Of trade restric-
tons should be avoided. The customers