The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-12-07

l nus now EedCucu q IdlIly nl8u BtdUudru
| Of efficiency. This standard must not
only be maintained, but increased II
does not seem to me necessary, how
sver, that the navy should, at least In
the immediate future. be increased be
yond the present number Of units.
What Is now clearly necessary is to
substitute efficient for inefficient units
as the latter become worn but or as II
becomes apparent that they are use
less. Probably the result would be
attained by adding a single battleship
to our navy each year. the superseded
or outworn vessels being laid up or
broken up as they are thus replaced.
Naturalization.
On this subject I recommend:
First-A federal bureau of naturali-
ment Of commerce and labor, to su-
pervise the administration of the natu-
I ralization laws and to receive returns
Of naturalizations pending and accom-
plished.
Second.-Uniformity 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 fling of his petit
ton.
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 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 | asked the at
tention of the congress Il the urgent
need OF action to make our criminal
law more effective, and 1 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 wrongfuIly do
OF 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 pr~ematurely divulging 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 q
great and prosperous merchant marine
is Indispensable. We should have ships
Of our own and seamen of our own to
convey u goods TO neutral markets
and In case Of need to r%e-enforce our
battle line. 1t cannot but be q source
OF regret and uneasiness to us that the
lines Of communica ion with our sister
republics of South America should be
chiefly under foreign control. 1t 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 III 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. !
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 10 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.
40 4 sdtu III NY idot ncSodSc W llc
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
| cl~ass-that-is, the class Of Chinese la
borers, skilled and unskilled legiti-
mately come under the head OF unde-
sirablc immigrants to 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
ly 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 end treat
ed on precisely the same footing that
we treat students, business men, trav-
elers and the Ike 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.