News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-12-06

district courts and to such state courts
as have jurisdiction in civil actions in
which the amount in controversy is I'M
limited; in cities of over 100000 inhab-
itants the United States district courts
to have exclusive jurisdiction in the
naturalization of the alien residents of
such cities.
Criminal Laws.
In my last message l asked the at
tention of the congress to the urgent
need Of action to make our criminal
law more effective, and l most ear
nestly request that you pay heed to
the report of the attorney general on
this subject
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, unequivocally and be-
yond question breach of trust in the
shape of prematurely divulging official
secrets by an officer or employee of the
United States and to provide suitable
penalty therefor.
Merchant Marine.
To the spread of our trade in peace
and the defense of our flag in war
great and prosperous merchant marine
is indispensable. We should have ships
of our own and seamen of our own to
convey our goods to neutral markets
and in case of need to reinforce our
battle line. 1t cannot but be a source
Of regret and uneasiness to us that the
lines of communication with our sister
republics of South America should be
chiefly under foreign control. 1t is not
good thing that American merchants
and manufacturers should have to send
their goods and letters to South Amer
lea via Europe if they wish security
and dispatch. Even on the Pacific,
where our ships have held their own
better than on the Atlantic our mer-
chant flag is now threatened through
the liberal aid bestowed by other gov
ernments on their own steam lines. l
ask your earnest consideration of the
report with which the merchant ma
rine commission has followed it's long
and careful inquiry.
1t is a matter Of unmiXed satiSfac-
ton once more to call attention to the
excellent work of the pension bureau,
for the veterans of the civil war have
a greater claim upon us than any other
class of our citizens. To them first of
all among our people honor is due.
immigration.
AS | said in my last message to the |
congress, we cannot have too much |
of the right sort, and we
should have none whatever of the |
wrong sort.
The questions arising in connection |
with Chinese immigration stand by |
themselves. The conditions in China
are such that the entire Chinese cody |
,lass-that is, the class of Chinese la
)orerS, skilled and unSkilled - legiti- |
nately come under the head of unde- |
;irable immigrants to this country. |
But in the effort to carry out the pol |
cy of excluding Chinese laborers, Chi |
lese coolies, grave injustice and wrong |
nave been done by this nation to the
people of China and therefore ultimate
Y to this nation itself Chinese stu
Tents, business and professional men
If all kinds, not only merchants, but
bankers, doctors, manufacturers, pro-
essOrS, travellers and the like, should
,e encouraged to come here and treat
ID on precisely the same footing that
We treat students, business men, trav-
lers and the like of other nations.
AS a people we have talked much of
he open door in China, and we expect,
nd quite rightly intend to insist upon,
Justice being shown US by the Chinese.
But we cannot expect to receive equity
.nless we do equity.
The Civil Service.
Heads of executive departments and
MEMBERS of the commission have call
d my attention to the fact that the
ule requiring a filing Of charges and
hree days notice before an employee
ould be separated from the service for
deficiency has served no good pur-
ose whatever. Experience has shown
hat the rule is wholly ineffective to
ave any man if superior for i'm
roper reasons wishes to remove him
nd is mischievous because it some
ines serves to keep in the service in
men not guilty Of specific
Having these facts in
lew, the rule has been amended by
roviding that where the inefficiency or
comes within the personal
of the head of department
he removal may be made without no.
Ice, the reasons therefor being filed
nd made record of the department.
he absolute right of removal rests
7here it always has rested, with the
cad Of a department. The change is
lerely one of procedure. 1t was much |
eeded, and it is producing good re-
ults.
Our copyright laws need revision.
philiDpfueS and Other Islands