The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1904-12-09

silent recommend that an examination
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 the duty. take up the matter OF our
currency and see whether 1t Is not pos
sible to secure an agreement In the busi-
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
IT, Every silver dollar should be made
by law redeemable in gold at the option
of the holder.
Merchant Marine.
1 especially commend to your immedi-
ate attention the encouragement of our
merchant marine by appropriate legisla-
ton.
Tariff.
On the tariff shall communicate with
you later.
immigration and Naturalization.
In dealing with the questions of immi-
| grafton and naturalization 1t is indis-
|
fore the minds of those who share in en-
acting the laws. First and foremost, let
| us remember that the question of being
| good American has nothing whatever
to do with 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
| 10, ,,, I,,t ix,a ald nf Arlar
lean activity; while to try to draw dis
tinction between the man whose parents
| came to this country and the man whose
| ancestors came to 1t several generations
back is a 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 we'll 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 COHCeTHlTS WilOH We fCdii say
that he will himself be 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
uniform rule of naturalization" and
| numerous laws have from time to time
been enacted for that purpose. which
have been supplemented in a 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 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 insdious as the
corruption of the electorate. No one de-
tends or excuses corruption, and it would
| seem to follow that none would oppose
vigorous measures to eradicate 1t. l
| recommend the enactment OF law d.
rected against bribery and corruption in
| Federal elections. The details of such
law may be safely left to the wise dscre-
ton of the Congress, but it should go
| as far as under the Constitution 1T Is
possible to go. and should include severe
penalties against him who gives or re-
| ceives bride intended to influence his
act or opinion as an eector; and provi-
sions 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 Iatten-
| ton 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 ndict-
| 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 it's borders The wheels Of
| justice should not be clogged, as they
have been clcgged in the cases above
mentioned, where it has proved absolute
| ly 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. No
subject better warrants the attention Of
the Congress. Indeed, no subject better
warrants the attention of the bench and
the bar throughout the United States.
Many suggestions for the improve
| want of conditions in Alaska are