The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-04

navy and of coast defenseS should al
ways be considered as something
! which the government must pay for,
and should not be cut off through
mere consideration of economy. Our
government is able to afford a suitable
army and suitable navy. 1t may
maintain them without the slightest
danger to the republic or the cause of
free institutions, and fear of addition
al taxation ought not to change a
proper policy in this regard.
Our New Position.
The policy of the United States in
the Spanish war, and since, has given
it a position of influence among the
nations that 1t never had before, and
should be constantly exerted to Sc
curing to its bona fde citizens,
whether native or naturaliZed, respect
for them as such in foreign countries.
We should make every effort to pre-
vent humiliating and degrading pro-
hibition against any of our citizens
wishing temporarily to sojourn in for
eign countries because of race or
religion
The admission of Asiatic immi-
grants who can not be amalgamated
with our population has been made
the subject either of prohibitory
clauses in our treaties and statutes, or
of strict administrative regulation Sc
cured by diplomatic negotiation. I
sincerely hope that we may continue
to minimize the evils likely to arise
from Such immigration W1InOuI un-
necessary friction and by mutual con-
cessions between self-respecting gov
ernments- Meantime, we must take
every precaution to prevent, or, failing
that, to punish outbursts of race feel
ing among our people against foreign
ers of whatever nationality who have
by our grant a treaty right to pursue
lawful business here and to be pro-
tected against lawlesS assault or in
jury.
camf1rra nofoo4
This leads me to point out serious
defect in the present federal 1urisdic-
tion which ought to be remedied at
once Having assured to other coun-
tries by treaty the protection OF our
laws for such of their subjects
or citizens we permit to
come within our jurisdiction
We now leave to state or a city,
not under the control of the federal
government, the duty of performing
our international obligations in this
respect. BY proper legislation we
may, and ought to, place in the hands
of the federal executive the means of
enforcing the treaty rights of such
aliens in the courts of the federal gov
ernment. 1t puts our government in
pusillanimous position to make defin-
ite engagements to protect aliens and
then to excuse the failure to perform
those engagements by an explanation
that the duty to keep them is in states
or cities, not within our control. If
We would promise, We must put our
selves in a position to perform our
promise. We cannot permit the pos
sible failure of justice due to local
prejudice in any state or municipal
government to expose US to the risk
of war which might be avoided if
federal jurisdiction was asserted by
suitable legislation by congress and
carried out by proper proceedings in
stituted by the executive, in the courts
of the national government.
Monetary Reform.
One of the reforms to be carried out
during the incoming administration is
change of our monetary and bank
ing laws, so as to secure greater elias
ticity in the forms of currency avail
able for trade, and to prevent the
limitations of law from operating to
increase the embarra sSments of
financial panic The monetary COM
mission lately appointed is giving full
consideration to existing conditions
and to all proposed remedies, and will
doubtless suggest one that will meet
the requirements of BUSINESS and of
public interest. We may hope that
the report will embody neither the
narrow view of those who believe that
the sole purpose of the new system
should be to secure. a large return on
would have greater expansion of cur
rency with little regard to provisions
for its immediate redemption or ulti-
mate security. There is no subject of
economic discussion so intricate and
so likely to evoke differing views and
degmatic statements as this one. The