The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-12-08

Cureu REHABILITATION. 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. I recommend that an examina-
ton be made into the subjects of citizen
ship, repatriation and protection of
Americans abroad, with a view to ap-
propriate legislation.
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
declarations 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 it would
seem to follow that none would oppose
vigorous measures to eradicate it. l
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 dis
cretlon OF the congress, but it should go
as lar as under the constitution it is pos
sible to go, and should include severe
penalties against him who gives or re-
ceives bride 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-
lures 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 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, l should not call your attention
to them; but the difficulties encountered
as regards these men who have been
indicted for criminal practices are not
exceptional; 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 enforcement,
even to the point of sometimes 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 clogged
In the cases above mentioned, where 1t
has proved absolutely impossible to bring
the accused to the place appointed by the
constitution for his trial. OF recent
years there has been grave and increas-
ing complaint of the difficulty of bring
ing to justice those criminals whose
criminality, instead Of being against one
person in the republic, is against all per-
sons in the republic, because it is against
the republic itself. Under any circum-
stances and from the very nature of the
case 1t is often exceedingly difficult to
secure proper punishment of those who
have been guilty of wrongdoing against
the government. By the time the Of
fender can be brought into court the pop
ular wrath against him has generally
subsidized; and there is in most instances
very slight danger indeed of any preju-
dice existing in the minds of the jury
against him. At present the interests
of the innocent man are amply safe
guarded; but the interests of the govern
ment, that is, the interests of honest
administration, that is the interests OF
the people. are not recognized as they
the attention of the congress. Indeed, no
subject better warrants the attention OF
the bench and the bar throughout the
United States.
Hawaii and Porto Rico.
The Alaskan natives should be given
the right to acquire. hold and dispose
of property upon the same conditions as
given other inhabitants; and the priv
ilege of citizenship should be given to
such as may be able to meet certain
definite requirements. In Hawaii con-
gress should give the governor power to
remove all the officials appointed under
him. The harbor of Honolulu should be
dredged. The marine-hospital service
should be empowered to study leprosy in
the islands. I ask special consideration
for the report and recommendations OF
the governor of Porto Rico.
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 wildly 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 unwise, 1t Is
contemplate, for nation, as for an in
dividual, to use high-sounding language
to proclaim its purposes, or to take posi-
lions 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 the
force necessary to back up strong at.
titude, then it is far better not to assume
such an attitude.
Striving for World Peace.
The steady aim of this nation, as Of al
enlightened nations, should be to strive
to bring ever nearer the day when there
shall prevail throughout the world the
of ;,,c NJ
peace which are highly undesirable
which are in the long run as destructive
as any war. Tyrants and oppressors have
many times made a wilderness an6
called it peace. Many times peoples who
were slothful or timid or shortsighted
who had been enervated by ease or by
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 hide
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 these
should be Stunned as we shun upright
eous war. The goal to set before US as 6
nation, the goal which should be set be-
fore all mankind, is the attainment Of
the peace of justice. of the peace which
comes when each nation Is not merely
safe-guarded in its own rights, bu
scrupulously recognizes and performs it.
duty toward others. Generally peace tells
for righteousness; but If there is conflict
between the two, then our fealty is due
first to the cause Of Righteousness. I'm
righteous wars are common, and un
righteous peace is rare; but both should
be Stunned. The right of freedom anC
the responsibility for the exercise of thai
right cannot be divorced. One of oul
great poets has well and finely said thai
freedom is not a gift that tarries long
in the hands of towards. Neither does
it tarry long in the hands of those toe
slothful, too dishonest or too unintelli
gent to exercise it. The eternal vigilance
which is the price of liberty must be ex.
ercised, sometimes to guard against out.
side foes; although of course far more
often to guard against our own selfish
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