Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-12-15

silent. recommend thar an cNarnina tion
be made into the subjects of citizenship.
| expatriation, and protection of Ameri-
cans abroad, with view to appropriate
legislation.
Currency.
The attention OF the Congress should
! be especially given to the currency ques-
tion. and that the standing committees
on the matter in the two houses charged
with tina duty, take up the matter of our
currency and see whether II Is not pos
sible to secure an agreement in the bust
ness world for lettering the system; the
| committees should consider the question
| of the retirement of the greenbacks and
| the problem OF securing in our currency
| such elasticity as is consistent with safe
| ~. Every silver dollar should be made
| by law redeemable in gold at the option
| of the holder
I Merchant Marine.
| I especially commend to your immedI-
| ate attention the encouragement of our
| merchant marine by appropriate legisla-
| ton.
Tariff.
| On the tariff I shall communicate with
| you later
| immigration and Naturalization.
| In dealing with the questions of imm-
| grafton and naturalization it is indls-
| pensable to keep certain facts ever be-
| fore the minds Of those who share in en-
| acting the laws. First and foremost let
| us remember that the question of being
! a good American has nothing whatever
| to do with a mans birthplace any more
| than 1t has to do with his creed. In
| every generation from the time this gov
| eminent was founded men of foreign
| birth have stood in the very foremost
| rank of good citizenship, and that not
| merely In one but in every field of Amer
| lean activity; while to try to draw a dis
tinction between the man whose parents
came to this country and the man whose
| ancestors came to 1T several generations
| back is mere absurdity. Good Ameri-
| canism is a matter of heart. Of consci-
| ence, of lofty aspiration, of sound com
| mon sense, but not of birthplace or of
| creed.
There is no danger OF having too many
| immigrants of the right kind. But the
| citizenship of this country should not be
| debased. 1t is vital that we should keep
high the standard of well-being among
| our wage-workers and therefore we
| should not admit masses of men whose
standards of living and whose personal
| customs and habits are such that they
| tend to lower the level of the American
wage worker; and above all we should
| not admit any man of an unworthy type
any man concerning whom we can say
| that he will himself be a bad citizen, or
| that his children and grandchildren will
| detract from instead of adding to the
sum of the good citizenship of the coun-
try. Similarly we should take the great
est care about naturalization.
| Under the Constitution 1t Is in the
power of the Congress "to establish a
uniform rule of naturalization" and
| numerous laws have from time to time
been enacted for that purpose, which
| have been supplemented in few states
by state laws having special application.
There should be comprehensive revision
of the naturalization laws. The courts
| having power to naturalize should be
| definitely named by national authority;
the testimony upon which naturalization
may be conferred should be definitely pre-
scribed; publication of impending natural
| izatlon applications should be required in
advance of their hearing in court; the
form and wording of all certificates issued
should be uniform throughout the coun-
try, and the courts should be required to
make returns to the Secretary of State
at stated periods Of all naturalzations
| conferred.
Protection Of Elections.
The power of the government to pro-
tect the integrity of the elections OF its
own officials Is inherent and has been
| recognized and affirmed by repeated dec
larations of the Supreme court. There
is no enemy of free government more
dangerous and none so insidious as the
corruption of the electorate. No one de-
tends or excuses corruption, and 1t would
seem to follow that none would oppose
vigorous measures to eradicate it. /
| recommend the enactment of a law d.
rected against bribery and corruption in
| Federal elections. The details of such a
| law may be safely left to the wise discre-
ton OF the Congress, but it should go
as far as under the Constitution 1t is
possible to 60 and should include severe
penalties against him who gives or re-
ceiVes a bride intended to influence his
act or opinion as an elector; and provi-
sions for the publication not only of the
expenditures for nominations and cleo
tions OF all candidates but also OF all
contributions received and expenditures
made by political committees.
Delays In Criminal Prosecutions.
No subject is better worthy the atten-
ton Of the Congress than that portion OF
the report of the Acknowledgement deal
ing with the long delays and the great
obstruction to justice experienced in the
cases of Beavers, Green and Gaynor, and
Benson. Were these isolated and specia
cases. should not call your attention tc
them; but the difficulties encountered as
regards these men who have been indict-
ed for criminal practices are not excep-
| tional; they are precisely similar in kline
to what occurs again and again in the
case OF criminals who have sufficient
means to enable them to take advantage
of system of procedure which has
grown up in the Federal courts anC
which amounts in effect to making tn,
law easy of enforcement against the maj
| who has no money, and difficult of en-
forcement even to the point of some
| times securing immunity, as regards the
man who has money. In criminal case.
the writ of the United States should rur
throughout its borders. The wheels o
Justice should not be clOgged as the!
have been clcgged in the cases above
mentioned, where 1t has proved absolute
~ impossible to bring the accused to tn,
place appointed by the Constitution 70
! his trial.
At present the interests of the limo
cent man are amply safeguarded; bu
the interests of the government. that is
the intepests of honest administrators
r that is the interests OF the people, ar
not recognized as they should be. N
subject better warrants the attention o
the Congress. Indeed. no subject bette
2 warrants the attention of the bench an,
the bar throughout the United States.
MANY suggestions for the improve