The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-12-08

ranzauon laws ana 10 receive returns
Of naturalizatlons pending and accom-
plshed.
Second.-Unlformity Of naturalization
certificates, fees to be charged, and
procedure.
Thlrd.-More exacting qualifications
for citizenship.
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 petit
ton.
Fifth. - Jurisdiction to naturallze
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 inhab-
ltants 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 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, unequiyocally and be-
yond question breach Of trust I'm the
shape Of prematurely diyulging official
secrets by an officer or employee Of the
United States and to provide a suitable
penalty therefor.
MERCHANT MARINE.
To the spread Of our trade In peace
and the defense Of our flag in war a
great and prosperous merchant marine
is indispensable. We should have ships
Of our own aud seamen OF our own TO
convey our goods to neutral markets
and in case Of need to re-enforce our
battle line. II cannot but be 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. II is not
a good thing that American merchants
and manufacturers should have to send
their goods and letters TO South Amer
lea via Europe II 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 its 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
immigration 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
class-that is, the class of Chinese Ia
borers, skilled and unskilled - leglti-
mately come under the head OF unde-
sirable immigrants 10 this country.
But in the effort to carry out the pol
icy Of excluding Chinese laborers, Chi
nese coolies, grave injustice and wrong
have been done by this nation to the
people Of China and therefore ultimate
" to this nation itself. Chinese stu
dents. business and professional men
Of all kinds, not only merchants, but
bankers, doctors, manufacturers, pro-
fessors. travellers and the like, should
be encouraged to come here and treat
ed on precisely the same footing that
we treat students, business men, tray
elers and the like Of other nations.
As a people we have talked much OF
the open door In China. and we expect
and quite rightly intend to Insist upon,
justice being shown US by the Chinese.
But we cannot expect to receive equity
unless we do equity.
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
Heads of executive departments and
members Of the commission have call
cd my attention to the fact that the
rule requiring a filing Of charges and
three days notice before an employee
could be separated from the service for
lnefliciency has served no good pur-
pose whatever. Experience has shown
that the rule is wholly Ineffective TO
save any man II a superior for i'm
proper reasons wishes to remove him
and is mischieyous because II some
times serves to keep In the service in
competent men not guilty OF specific
wrongdoing. Having these facts In
view. the rule has been amended by
providing that where the inefiiciency or
lncapaclty comes within the personal
knowledge Of the head Of a department
the removal may be made without no
tice. the reasons therefor being filed
and made a record Of the department
The absolute right Of removal rests
where 1t always has rested, with the
head Of a department. The change Is
merely one Of procedure. II was much
-..H.1 IA r.rn1npfun good rQ.