Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1904-12-08

sion bureau has never in its history been
managed in more satisfactory manner
than is now the case.
Indians.
The progress of the Indians toward civ
ilzation, though not rapid. Is perhaps ali
that could be hoped for in view of the
circumstances. 1t is commonly declared
that the slow advance of the Indians is
due to the unsatisfactory character of
the men appointed to take immediate
charge Of them. and to some extent this
is true. While the standard of the en-
ployes in the Indian service shows great
improvement over that of bygone years.
and while actual corruption fragrant
dishonesty is now the rare exception, it
is nevertheless the fact that the salaries
paid Indian agents are not large enough
to attract the best men to that field of
| work. To achieve satisfactory results
| the official in charge of an Indian tribe
| should possess the high qualifications
| which are required in the manager of a
large business, but only in exceptional
cases is it possible to secure men of such
a type for these positions.
Postal Service.
In the Postoffice Department the serv-
| I've has increased in efficiency and con-
ditions to revenue and expenditure
| continue satisfactory. The increase of
| revenue during the year was 1855. 1S1.1O,
| or Go per cent. the total receipts amount
| ing to s143. $50. G24.34. The expenditures
| were $152 .362. 1870. an increase OF about
9 per cent over the previous year. being
| thus SS.919. 1926 in excess OF the cur
rent revenue. Included in these expendi-
| lures was total appropriation of S12.-
| $50. 631.35 for the continuation and extern
sion of the rural free delivery service.
| which was an increase OF 1902. 237. 35
over the amount expended for this pur-
| pose in the preceding fiscal year. Large
as this expenditure has been the benefi-
| cent results attained in extending the
| free distribution of mails to the residents
| Of rural districts have justified the wis
| dom of the outlay. Statistics brought
| down to the LIST of October 1904, show
| that on that date there were 27,13S rural
routes established. serving approximately
| 1900. goo of people in rural districts re-
mote from postoffices. and that there
| were pending at that time 1859 petitions
| for the establishment of new rural routes
Unquestiona9ly some part of the general
| increase in receipts is due to the in
creased postal facilities which the rural
| service has afforded. The revenues have
| also been aided greatly by amendments
| in the classification of mail matter, and
| the curtailment of abuses of the second
class mailing privilege. The average in
| crease in the volume of mail matter for
the period beginning with 1902 and end
| ing June. 1905 Chat portion for 1905 be-
| ing estimated), is 40.47 per cent. as COM
| pared with 25.46 per cent for the period
| Immediately preceding, and 1892 for the
four-year period Immediately preceding
| that
The message here points out the
need for improvement in our consular
system, advises the creation of a ma
| tional art gallery and suggests the
enactment of a national quarantine
law.
Extravaganza in Printing.
| call your attention to the great ex-
| travagance in printing and binding gov
| eminent publications, and especially to
| the fact that altogether too many of
| these publications are printed. There is
| a constant tendency to increase their
number and their volume. 1t is an I'M
| reinstatement to say that no appreciable
harm would be caused by. and substan-
tial benefit would accrue from. decreas-
ing the amount of printing now done by
| at least one-half.
Laws Concerning Citizenship.
Not only are the laws relating to nat
uralization now defective, but those re-
| lating 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
| eXpatriation 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 a 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. 1 recommend that an examina tion
| be made into the subjects of citizenship,
expatriation 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 ouI
currency and see whether it 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
ty. Every silver dollar should be made
by law redeemable in gold at the option
of the holder.
Merchant Marine.
I especially commend to your immedi-
ate attention the encouragement of oul
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 it is indis
Densablc to keep certain facts ever be.
fore the minds of those who share in en-
acting the laws. First and foremost. le
US remember that the question of being
a good American has nothing whatever
to do with mans birthplace any more
than it has to do with his creed. Ii
every generation from the time this gov
eminent was founded men of foreign
birth have stood in the very foremos
rank of good citizenship, and that no
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 who's
ancestors came to it several generation
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 o
| creed.
There is no danger of having too man.
Immigrants of the right kind. But tn
citizenship of this country should not b
debased. 1t is vital that we should keeI
Ah5H tiic StdHudru Vi "ell-DeinS afilof
our wage-workers, and therefore W
should not admit masses of men who's
standards of living and whose persona
customs and habits are such that the
tend to lower the level of the America
wage-worker; and above all we shout
not admit any man of an unworthy type
any man concerning whom we can sa
that he will himself be a bad citizen. o
that his children and grandchildren wi
detract from instead of adding to tn
: 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 tn
power of the Congress ''to establish
uniform rule of naturalization" an
numerous laws have from time to tim
been enacted for that purpose. whic
! have been supplemented in a few state
by state laws having special application
4 There should he n commemorative revisio