The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1909-12-17

predecessor, he states, resulted in the
recommendation that the Civil Ser
vice be reclassified according to the
kind of work, so that the work re-
quiring most application and knowl-
edge and ability shall receive most
compensation. I believe such
change would be fairer to the whole
force and would permanently improve
the personnel of the service.
The President adds:
81 am strongly convinced that no
other practical solution of the diff
culties presented by the superannua-
tion of civil servants can be found
than that of system of civil pen
sions."
I regret to refer to the fact of the
discovery of extensive frauds in the
collection of the Customs revenue at
New York City, in which number of
the subordinate employees in the
weighing and other departments
were directly concerned and in which
the beneficiaries were the American
Sugar Refining Company and others.
The frauds consisted in the payment
Of duty on underweights of sugar.
The Government has recovered from
the American Sugar Refining Com
pany all that it is shown to have
been defrauded of. 1t would seem
to me that an investigation of the
frauds by Congress at present, pend
ing the probing by the Treasury De-
partment and the Department of JUS
tice, as proposed, might be giving
immunity and otherwise prove an
embarrassment in securing conviction
of the guilty parties.
By reason of what is known in the
recent Tariff bill as the maximum
and minimum" clause, the President
says, "fear has been expressed that
this power conferred and duty i'm
posed on the executive are likely to
lead to tariff war. beg to express
suit need be anticipated.
Continuing this subject, he re-
marks:
The new tariff law enables me to
appoint a new tariff board to assist
me in connection with the Depart
ment Of State in the administration of
the minimum and maximum clause
of the act and also to assist officers
of the Government in the administra-
tion of the entire law.
have therefore appointed tariff
board consisting of three members
and have directed them to perform
all the duties above described. This
work will perhaps take two or three
years.
Nothing, however, halts business
and interferes with the course of
prosperity so much as the threatened
revision of the tariff, and until the
facts are at hand, after careful and
deliberate investig -tion, upon which
such revision ca, properly be under
taken, it seems to me unwise to at
tempt it.
In the interest of immediate econ
omy and because of the prospect Of a
deficit have required reduction in
the estimates of the War Department
for the coming fiscal year which
brings the total estimates down to an
amount forty-five millions less than
the corresponding estimates for last
year.
The coast defenses of the United
States proper are generally all that
could be desired.
There is, however, one place where
additional defense is badly needed,
and that is at the mouth of Chesa-
peake Bay, where it is proposed to
make an artificial island for fort
which shall prevent an enemy's fleet
from entering this most important
strategical base of operations on the
whole Atlantic and Gulf coasts. ]
hope that appropriate legislation will
be adopted to secure the construction
of this defense.
The return of the battleship feet
from it's voyage around the world In
more efficient condition than when
it started was a noteworthy event OF
interest alike to our citizens and the
naval authorities of the world.
Owing to the necessity for economy
in expenditures, I have directed the
curtailment of recommendations fol-
naval appropriations so that they are
thirty-eight millions less than the
corresponding estimates of last year
and the request for new naval con-
struction is limited to two first-class
battleships and one repair vessel.
The generosity of Congress having
provided in the present naval OBJ
servatory the most magnificent and
expensive astronomical establishment
in the world, the President urges q
provision by law for the appointment
of an eminent astronomer as the Off.
cial head of the observatory.
The deplorable delays in the ad-
ministration of civil and criminal law
have received the attention of com.
mittees of the American Bar associa'
ton and of many State bar associa.
tions, as well as the considered
thought of judges and jurists. In
my Judgment, change in Judicial
procedure, with view to reducing
its expense to private litigants in civil
cases and facilitating the dispatch OF
business and final decision in both
civil and criminal cases, constitutes
the greatest need in our American
constitutions.
I therefore recommend Legislation
providing for the appointment by the
President of commission with au,
thority to examine the law and equity
procedure of the Federal courts oi
first instance, the law of appeals from
those courts to the courts of appeals
and to the Supreme Court and the
costs imposed in such procedure upon
the private iitigants and upon the
public treasury and make recon-
mendation with view to simplifying
and expediting the procedure as far
as possible and making it as mex.
pensive as may be to the litigant of
little means
The President also recommends
that, in compliance with the Repub-
Iican Partv's platform promise on the
subject of legislating against the
practice of Issuing injunctions with,
out previous notice, an appropriate
law to that end be adopted.
The jurisdiction of the general
Government over interstate commerce