Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1904-12-09

curse to our government; and II Is the
affair of every honest voter, wherever born,
to see that no fraudulent voting Is allowed,
! that no fraud in connection with natural
ization is permitted
Naturalization Laws Need Revision.
There should be a comprehensive revi-
sion 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 prescribed;
| publication of impending naturalization
| applications should be required In advance
| of their hearing in court; the form and
wording of all certificates issued should be
uniform throughout the country, and the
| courts should be required to make returns
to the secretary of state at stated periods
| OF all naturalizations conferred.
| Not only are the laws relating to
naturalization now defective, but those
relating to citizenship of the United
States ought also to be made the subject
OF scientific inquiry with view to prob
| able further legislation. BY what acts
eXpatriaton may be assumed to have
| been accomplished, how long an Amer
lean citizen may reside abroad and re-
ceive the protection of our passport,
| whether any degree of protection should
be extended to one who has made the
| declaration of intention to become citi-
| zen of the United States but has not Sc
cured naturalization, are questions of
serious import, involving personal rights
| and often producing friction between this
| government and foreign governments.
| Yet upon these questions our laws are
! silent. l recommend that an eXamina-
tion be made into the subjects of citizen
ship, expatriation and protection of
| Americans abroad, with a view to ap-
| propriate legislation.
Protection of Elections.
The power OF the government to pro-
| feet the intnpritv n al of Itc
own officials is inherent and has been
recognized and affirmed by repeated
declarations of the supreme court. There
Is no enemy of free government more
dangerous and none SO insidous as the
corruption of the electorate. No one de-
fends or excuses corruption, and 1t would
seem to follow that none would oppose
vigorous measures to eradicate it. 1
recommend the enactment of a law di-
rected against bribery and corruption in
federal elections. The details such a
law may be safely left to the wise dis
cretion of the congress, but 1t should go
as far as under the constitution it is pos
sible to go, and should include severe
penalties against him who gives or re-
ceives a bribe intended to influence his
act or opinion as an elector; and pro-
visions for the publication not only OF
the expenditures for nominations and
elections of all candidates but also OF
all contributions received and expendi-
|
Our Foreign Policy.
In treating of our foreign policy and OF
the attitude that this great nation should
assume in the world at large, 1t is alb
solutely necessary to consider the army
and the navy, and the congress, through
which the thought of the nation finds Its
expression, should keep ever vividly in
mind the fundamental fact that it is i'm
possible to treat our foreign policy
whether this policy takes shape in the
effort to secure justice for others OF
justice for ourselves, save as conditioned
upon the attitude we are willing to take
toward our army and especially toward
our navy. 1t is not merely unwlse, it is
contemplate, for nation, for an in
dividual, to use high-sounding language
to proclaim it's purposes, or to take posi-
tions which are ridiculous If unsupported
by potential force. and then to refuse tc
provide this force. If there is no inten
ton of providing and of keeping thC
force necessary to back up a strong at
titude then it is far better not to assum,
such an attitude.
; Striving for World Peace.
: The steady aim of this nation, as OF al
| enlightened nations, should be to striv
, | to bring ever nearer the day when ther,
shall prevail throughout the world th
| peace of justice. There are kinds o
peace which are highly undesirable
, which are in the long run as destructive
as any war. Tyrants and oppressors hav'
. many times made a wilderness anS
called it peace Many times peoples wht
!. were slothful or timid or shortsighted
: who had been enervated by ease or b,
, luxury, or misled by false teachings
have shrunk in unmanly fashion from
doing duty that was stern and. that need
ed self-sacrifice. and have sought to hid
from their own minds their shortcom
ings, their ignoble motives, by calling
them love of peace. The peace of tyran
nous terror. the peace of craven weak
ness. the peace of injustice. all thes
;, should be stunned as We shun unright
u eous war. The goal to set before US as
. nation, the goal which should be set be
e fore all mankind Is the attainment O
= the peace of Justice, of the peace whic
. comes when each nation is not merel
u safe-guarded in its own rights, bu
9 scrupulously recognizes and performs it
. duty toward others Generally peace tell
!. Il for righteousness; but IL there Is confiiC
u between the two, then our fealty Is du
70 first to the cause of righteousness Un
3 righteous wars are common, and un
u righteous peace is rare; but both shoul
: be Stunned. The right of freedom an
l. the responsibility for the exercise of tina
right cannot be divorced. One of ou
great poets has well and finely sad tina
n freedom is not a gift that tarres lon
q in the hands of towards. Neither doe
q it tarry long in the hands of those to
a | slothful, too dishonest or too unintell
4 gent to exercise it. The eternal vigilanc
n which is the price of liberty must be e>
J., ercised, sometimes to guard against ou
"a side foes; although of course far moi
Al often to guard against our own selfs
~ or thoughtless shortcomings
Not Ready for Disarmament.
II these self-evident truths are kept b'
" fore us, and only If they are SO kept befol
:, u.s. we shall have a clear idea of what oil
-. foreign policy in its larger aspects shou
"a be. 1t is our duty to remember that nj
~ ton has no more right to do injustice
q another nation, strong or weak. than q
~ Individual has to do injustice to anoth
40 individual; that the same moral law apple
a in one case as in the other. But we mu
y, also remember that 1t is as much the du
=, of the nation to guard Its own rights al
- its own interests as 1t Is the duty of Il
Ia individual so to do. Within the nation Il
- individual has now delegated this rig
to the state. that is. to the representati
of all the individuals. and II is a maxi
te OF the law that for every wrong there is
r remedy. But in international law we ha
not advanced by any means as far '