Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-12-06
President S
Message.
Continued from page five.)
Continued from page flve.)


Promotions should be made solely
with regard to the good of the service.
Congress ought to provide, the presi-
dent adds, for field exercises. He con-
tinues:
Action should be taken in reference
to the militia and to the raising of vol
unteer forces. Our militia law is OBJ
solete and worthless. The organization
and armament of the national guard of
the several states, which are treated
as militia in the appropriations by the
congress, should be made identical with
those provided for the regular forces
The obligations and duties of the guard
in time of war should he carefully de-
fined and system established by law
under which the method of procedure
of raising volunteer forces should be
prescribed in advance.
The Merit System.
The president indorses the merit sys-
TEN of making appointments and says:
| recommend the passage of Il law
which will extend the classified serv-
ice to the District of Columbia or will
at least enable the president thus to eX-
tend it. In my judgment all laws pro-
vidng for the temporary employment
of clerks should hereafter contain a
provision that they be selected under
tile civil service law.
1t 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. The Importance
| 1,n rlnp i..n Inv
the passage of rev laws is emphasized.
The president then turns to the In
dian question. He says:
We should now break up the tribal
funds, doing for them what allot-
ment does for the tribal lands - that
is, they should be divided into individ-
ual holdings. There will be transit
ton period during which the funds
will in many cases have to be held i'll
trust This is the case also with the
lands. A stop should be put upon the
indiscrimnate permission to Indians to
lease their allotments. The effort
should be steadily to make the Indian
work like any other man on his own
ground. The marriage laws of the In
dams should be made the same as those
of the whites. In the schools the edu-
cation should be elementary and large
ly Industrial
Cordial support from congress and
people is asked for the st. Louis expo
sition The Charleston exposition is
commended to the good will of the
people. The work of the Pan-Amercan
exposition is praised.
1t is recommended that the census
office as now constituted should he
made a permanent government bureau.
The Postal Service.
A tribute is paid to the postal service,
and the extension of free rural delivery
is commended. The postollce depart
ment should be sustained, the president
says, in its efforts to remove the abuses
in connection with second class mail
matter.
Much attention is paid to the situa-
ton in China. and the progress toward
the establishment of peace there is re-
capitulated. Stress is laid on the i'm
portance of our continuing to advocate
, moderation in the dealings with China
The president concludes his message as
follows:
The death of Queen Victoria caused
the people of the United States deer
and heartfelt sorrow, to which the gov
, ernmeut gave full expression. When
President Mckinley died, our nation in
turn received from every quarter of the
British empire expressions of grief and
sympathy no less sincere. The deatl
of the Empress Dowager Frederick of
Germany also aroused the genuine sym
pathy of the American people, and this
sympathy was cordially reciprocatcd
by Germany when the president was
: assassinated. Indeed, from every quar-
ter of the civilized world we received
at the time of the presidents death as
surances of such grief and regard as t.
touch the hearts of our people. In tho
midst of our affliction we reverently
thank the Almighty that we are al
peace with the nations of mankind
!; and we firmly intend that our policy
shall be such as to continue unbrokel
= these international relations of mutua
respect and good will.