Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-12-15

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repatriation, and protection Of Ameri-
cans abroad. with a view to appropriate
legislation.
Currency.
The attention OF the Congress should
be especially given to the currency ques-
ton. and that the standing committees
on the matter In the Two houses charged
with the duty. take up the matter Of our
currency and see whether IL is not pos
sible to secure an agreement in the busl-
ness worlo 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 Jaw redeemable In gold at the option
Of the holder.
Merchant Marine.
/ especially commend to your immedi-
ate attention the announcement OF our
merchant marine by appropriate leglsla-
ton.
Tariff.
On the tsrlfr shall communicate with
you later.
immigration and Naturalization.
In dealing with the questions OF immi-
grafton and naturalization II 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 IL 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 I'm one but in every field of Amer
lean activity; while to try TO draw dis
tinction between the man whose parents
a. a this Cpunf1.y nd no man xyb0aa
ancestors came to II several generations
back Is a mere absurdty. Good Ameri-
canism Is 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
debascd. 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 It 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 i'm few states
by state laws having special application.
There should be a 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
ization 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 naturalizations
conferred.
Protection Of Elections.
The power of the government to pro-
tect the integrity of the elections Of it's
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 II would
seem to follow that none would oppose
vigorous measures to eradicate 1t.
recommend the enactment of a law d.
rected against bribery and corruption in
Federal elections. The details of such
law may be safely left to the wise discre-
tlon Of the Congress, but II should go
as far as under the Constitution it is
possible to go, 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-
slOns for the publication not only Of the
expenditures for nominations and cleo
lions 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-
tion Of the Congress than that portion of
the report of the Attorney General 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 special
cases, should not call your attention to
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 kind
| to what occurs again and again in the
| case Of criminals who have sufficient
means TO enable them TO take advantage
| OF a system of procedure which has
grown up in the Federal courts and
which amounts in effect to making the
law easy Of enforcement against the man
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 cases
| the writ Of the United States should run
| throughout its borders. The wheels OF
| justice should not be clogged. as they
have been clcgged in the cases above
mentioned, where it has proved absolute
| ~ impossible to bring the accused to the
place appointed by the Constitution for
| his trial.
| At present the interests OF the limo
cent man are amply safeguarded: but
| the interests OF the government, that is
| the interests of honest administration
| that is the interests OF the people, are
| not recognized as they should be. Nc
subject better warrants the attention OF
i the COnRreRa Indeed no subject batteY