The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-06

ample target practice, ample practice of every kind at sea We should sub stitute for comparatively inefficient types-the old thirdclass battle ship Texas, the single-turreted monitors above mentioned, and indeed all the monitors and some of the old cruisers ! l-efficient modern. seagoing vessels. Seagofng torpedo-boat destroyers should i be substituted for some of the smaller 1 torpedo boats, During the present Con- gress there need be no additions to the i aggregate number of units of the Navy. ! Our Navy though very small relatively to the navies of 0her nations, is for the present sufficient in point of num- bers for our needs, and while we must constantly strive to make it's efficiency higher, there need be no additions to the total number of ships now built and building, save in the way of sub stitution as above outlined. I recOm- mend the report of the Secretary of the Navy to the careful consideration of the Congress, especially with a view 1 to the legislation therein advocated. Naturalization Laws.
 | During the past year evidence has accumulated to confirm the expressions 1 contained in my last two annual mes sages as to the importance of revising by appropriate legislation our system of naturaIizing aliens. I apointed last , March a commission to make q careful examination of our naturalization laws, and to suggest appropriate measures to avoid the notorious abuses resulting from the improvident or unlawful 1 granting of citizenship. This conlmis- l sion, composed of an officer of the De partment of State, of the Department i of Justice, and of the Department of ! Commerce and Labor, has discharged 1 the duty imposed upon it, and has sub i mitted a report, which will be trans mitted to the Congress for its consid- i eratin, and, I hope, for its favorable action.
 ! The distinguishing recommendations of the Commission are:
 First. A Federal bureau of natural ization, to be established in the De- partment of Commerce and Labor, to supervise the administration of the na- turalization laws and to receive returns of naturalizations pending and accom- piished.
 Second. Uniformity of naturaliza- tion certificates, fees to be charged, and procedure.
 Third. More exacting qualifications for citizenship.
 l Fourth. The preliminary declaration of intention to be abolished and no alien to be naturalized until at least ninety days after the filing of his pe- tition.
 Fifth. Jurisdiction to naturalize aliens to be confined to United States district courts and to such state courts as have Jurisdiction in civil actions in which the amount in controversy is un- limited; .in cities of over 100000 in- habitants the United States district courts to have exclusive jurisdiction in the naturalization of the alien resi- dents of such sities
 Criminal Laws.
 In my last message I asked the at- tention of the Congress to the urgent need of action to make our criminal law more effective; and I most earn estly request that you heed to the re- port of the Attorney-GeneraI on this subject. Centuries ago it was especial ly needful to throw every safeguard round the accused. The danger then was lest he should be wronged by the state. The danger is now exactly the reverse. Our laws and customs tell im- mensely in favor of the criminal and against the interests of the public he has wronged. Some antiquated and rJ11ac ;al, T the threatened rights of private citi- zens, now merely work harm to the general body polite. The criminal law of the United States stands in urgent need of revision. The criminal process of any court of the United States should run throughout the entire territorial extent of our country. The delays of the criminal law, no less than of the civil, now amount to a very great evil.
 Breaches of Trust in Public Service.
 There seems to be no statute of the United States which provides for the punishment of a United States attor- ney or other officer of the Government who corruptly agrees to wrongfully do or wrongfully refrain from doing any act when the consideration for such corrupt agreement is other than one possessing money value. This ought to be remedied by appropriate legislation Legislation should also be enacted to cover, explicitly, unequivocaIly and beyond question, breach of trust in the shape of prematurely divulging official secrets by an officer or employee of the United States, and to provide 8 suit able penalty therefor. Such officer or employee owes the duty to the United States to guard carefully and not to divulge or in any manner use, pre-. maturely. information which is access
 sible to the officer or employee by req
 son of his official position. Most
 breaches of the public trust are already
 covered by the law. and this one should |, be. It is impossible, no matter how
 much care is used, to prevent the occa- , sional appointment to the public ser
 vice of g. man who when tempted ; proves unfaithful; but every means should be provide dto detect and every
 effort made to punish the wrongdoer , So far as in my power lies each anG
 every such wrongdoer shall be relent- , lessIy Esunted down; in no instance in the past has he been spared: in nc , instance in the future shall he be spar ed. His crime is 8 crime against every