Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-12-06


including among many other things what |
ever concerns labor and all matters affect |
ing the great business corporations and
our merchant marine.
With the sole exception of the farming
interest no one matter is of such vital
moment to our whole people as the well
fare of the wage-worker. If the farmer
and the wage-worker are well off, it is
absolutely certain that all others will be
well off too. 1t is, therefore, a matter
for hearty congratulation that. on the
whole wages are higher today in the
United States than ever before in our
history and far higher than in any other
country. The standard of living Is also
higher than ever before. Every effort of
legislator and administrator should be
bent to secure the permanency of this
condition of things and its improvement
wherever possible.
Chinese Exclusion.
Not only must our labor be protected
by the tariff, but it should also be pro-
tected, SO far it is possible, from the
presence in this country of any laborers
brought over by contract. or Of those who
coming freely, yet represent a standard
OF living so depressed that they can un
dersell our men in the labor market and
drag them to a lower level. l regard 1t as
necessary. with this end in view, to re-
enact Immediately the law excluding Chi
nese laborers. and to strengthen it wher
forcement entirely effective.
Trades Unions.
The most vital problem with which this
country and for that matter the whole
civilized world, has to deal, Is the prob
lem which has for one side the better
ment of social conditions, moral and ply
scal. in large cities. and for another side
the effort to deal with that tangle of far
reaching question which we group togeth-
er when we speak of "labor.' The chieE
factor in the success of each man-wage-
worker, farmer and capitalist alike-mhst
ever be the sum total OF his own in
dividual Qualities and abilities. Second
only to this comes the power of act
ing in combination or association with
others. Very great good has been and
viii be accomplished by associations or
| unions of Wage-workers. when managed
with fo-ethought and when they com
zine insistence upon their own rights with
| law-abiding respect for the rights of 9TH
| erS. X
Better immigration Laws Needed.
| Our present immigration laws are un-
| satisfactory. We need every honest and
efficient immigrant fitted to become an
American citizen, every Immigrant VINO
comes here to stay, who brings here
| strong body, a stout heart. good head.
and resolute purpose to do his duty well
in every way, and to bring up his chill
dren as law-abiding and God-fearing
.nonbers of the community. But there
should be a comprehensive law enacted
with the object of working a three-fold
Improvement over our present system.
| First, we should aim to exclude absolute
| ~ not only all persons who are known to
| be believers in anarchistic principles or
members of anarchistic societies, but also
all persons who are of a low moral ten
| dency or OF unsavory reputation. This
means that we should require a more thor
ough system of inspection abroad and a
more rigid system of examination at our
| immigration ports, the former being es-
| Decially necessary.
The second object of a proper imnigra-
| ton law ought to be to secure, by a care
'ul and not merely perfunctory educa
tional test, some intelligent capacity to
| appreciate American institutions and act
| sanely as American citizens. This would
not keep out all anarchists, for many o
| them belong to the Intelligent crilnina
class. But it would do what Is also In
point, that is, tend to decrease the sum
of ignorance, so potent in producing the
envy, suspicion, malignant passion and
latred of order, out of which anarchistic
sentiment inevitably springs. Finally, all
persons should be excluded who are below
l certain standard of economic fitness tc
enter our industrial field as competitors
wtth American labor
Both the educational and economic tests
in a wise imn grafton law should be de
signed to protect and elevate the genera
body, polite and social. A very close su
: pervision should be exercised over thu
steamship cor panies, which mainly bring
over the immigrants. and they should b.
he'd to strict accountability for an,
Tariff Revision Hurtful.
There is general acquiescence in ou
present tariff system as a National policy
The first requisite to our prosperity is tn
continuity and stability Of this economi
than to disturb the business interests o
. the country by any general tariff chang
2 at this time
4 Reciprocity must be treated as the hand
D maiden of protection. Our first duty /
/ to see that the protection granted by tn
in eYegy a5s it is he eeded
for SO far as it can safely be done with
out injury to our home industries.
1 ask the attention of the Senate t
the reciprocity treaties laid before it b.
; ny predecessor.
Condition of the Merchant Marine
. The condition of: the American mer
chant marine is such as to call for imme
our merchant marine should be utterl
/; Insignificant in comparison to that o
, forms of business We should not Ionge
submit to conditions under which only
! trif1ing portion of our great commerce
carried in our own ships.
Financial Matters.
The act of March "a, 1900 intended un
aquivocally to establish gold as the stand
lrd money and to maintain at a parit
herewith all form of the money .mediur
in use with US, has been shown to b
timely and judicious. The price of ou
Government bonds in the worlds mar
{ let. when compared with the price G
t | milar obligations issued by. other ma
|, | tions, is a fiattering tribute to our publ
: credit. This condition it IS evidently de
5 | sirable to maintain
In many respects the National bankin
{ | law furnishes sufficient liberty for tn
{ proper exercise of the banking function
E but there seems to be need of bette
: safeguards against the deranging inf1uenc
e If commercial crises and financial panic:
: Moreover, the currency of the countr
: should be made responsive to the dc
J. | mands of our domestic trade and com
: merce.
Surplus in the Treasury.
4 The collections from duties on import
| and internal taxes continue to exceed tn
y ordinary expenditures of the Government
!. | thanks mainly to the reduced Army e1
| penditures. The utmost care should b
taken not to reduce the revenues SO ths
Q there will be any possibility of deficit
/ but, after providing against any such cor
ltingency, means should be adopted whic
IS will bring the revenues more nearly witt
: in the limit of our actual needs. In HI
!, II report to the Congress the Secretary of ii
= Treasury considers all these questions {
q length, and I ask your attention to tn
If report and recommendations.
I call especial attention to the need
strict economy in expenditures. The ia,
"a that our National needs forbid US to
l. niggardly in providing whatever is actua
y ly necessary to our well-being shou
&c make US doubly careful to husband OF
IS National resources as each of us HUSBAND
" his private resources by scrupulous avoit