CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



175 



tack should not rest 'altogether in the friendly dispo- 

 sition of other nations. There should be a second line 

 wholly in our own keeping. I very_urgently recom- 

 mend an appropriation at this session for the con- 

 struction of such works in our most exposed harbors. 



I approve the suggestion of the Secretary of War 

 that provision be made for encamping companies of 

 the National Guard in our coast works for a specified 

 time each year, and for their training in the use of 

 heavy suns. His suggestion that an increase of the ar- 

 tillery force of the army is desirable is also in this con- 

 nection commended to the consideration of Congress. 



The improvement of our important rivers and har- 

 bors should be promoted by the necessary appropria- 

 tions. Care should be taken that the Government is 

 not committed to the prosecution of works not of pub- 

 lic and general advantage, and that the relative use- 

 fulness of works of that class is not overlooked. So 

 far as this work can ever be said to be completed, I 

 do not doubt that the end would be sooner and more 

 economically reached if fewer separate works were 

 undertaken at the same time, and those selected for 

 their greater general interest were more rapidly 

 pushed to completion. A work once considerably 

 begun should not be subjected to the risks and dete- 

 rioration which interrupted or insufficient appropria- 

 tions necessarily occasion. 



The assault made by David S. Terry upon the per- 

 son of Justice Field, of the Supreme Court of the 

 United States, at Lathrop, Cal., in August last, and 

 the killing of the assailant by a deputy United States 

 marshal who had been deputed to accompany Justice 

 Field and to protect him from anticipated violence at 

 the hands of Terry, in connection with the legal pro- 

 ceedings which have followed, suggest questions 

 which ^ in my judgment, are worthy of the attention 

 of Congress. 



I recommend that more definite provision be made 

 by law, not only for the protection of Federal officers, 

 but for a full trial of such, cases in the United States 

 courts. In recommending such legislation I do not at 

 all impeach either the general adequacy of the provis- 

 ion made by the State laws for the protection of all 

 citizens or the general good disposition of those 

 char-Ted with the execution of such laws to give pro- 

 tection to the officers of the United States. The duty 

 of protecting its officers, as such, and of punishing 

 those who assault them on account of their official 

 acts, should not be devolved expressly or by acqui- 

 escence upon the local authorities. 



Events which have been brought to my attention, 

 happening in other parts of the country, have also 

 suggested the propriety of extending by legislation 

 fuller protection to those who may be called as wit- 

 nesses in the courts of the United States. The law 

 j compels those who are supposed to have knowledge of 

 i public offenses to attend! upon our courts and grand 

 juries and to give evidence. There is a manifest re- 

 sulting duty that these witnesses shall be protected 

 from injury on account of their testimony. The in- 

 vestigations of criminal offenses are often rendered 

 futile, and the punishment of crime impossible, by the 

 intimidation of witnesses. 



The necessity of providing some more speedy 

 method for disposing of the cases which now come 

 for final adjudication to the Supreme Court becomes 

 every year more apparent and urgent. The plan of 

 providing some intermediate courts, having final ap- 

 pellate jurisdiction of certain classes of questions and 

 cases, h;u, I think, received a more general approval 

 from the bench and bar of the country than any other. 

 Without attempting: to discuss details, 1 recommend 

 that provision be made for the establishment of such 

 courts. 



The salaries of the judges of the district courts in 

 many of the districts are, in my judgment, inadequate. 



I recommend that all such salaries now below $5,- 

 000 per annum be increased to that amount. It is 

 quite true that the amount of labor performed by these 

 judges is very unequal, but as they can not properly 

 engage in other pursuits to supplement their incomes, 



the salary should be such in all cases as to provide an 

 independent and comfortable support. 



Earnest attention should be given by Congress to 

 a consideration of the question how far the restraint 

 of those combinations of capital commonly called 

 "trusts ''is matter of Federal jurisdiction. When 

 organized, as they often are, to crush out all healthy 

 competition and to monopolize the production or sale 

 of an article of commerce and general necessity, they 

 are dangerous conspiracies acrainst the public good. 

 and should be made the subject of prohibitory ana 

 even penal legislation. 



The subject of an international copyright has been 

 frequently commended to the attention of Congress 

 by my predecessors. The enactment of such a'" law 

 would be eminently wise and just. 



Our naturalization laws should be so revised as to 

 make the inquiry into the moral character and good 

 disposition toward our Government of the persons ap- 

 plying for citizenship more thorough. This can only 

 be done by taking fuller control of the examination, 

 by fixing the times for hearing such applications, and 

 by requiring the presence of some one who shall rep- 

 resent the Government in the inquiry. Those who 

 are the avowed enemies of social order, or who come 

 to our shores to swell the injurious influence and to 

 extend the evil practices of any association that defies 

 our laws, should not only be denied citizenship but a 

 domicile. 



The enactment of a national bankrupt law of a char- 

 acter to be a permanent part of our general legislation 

 is desirable. It should be simple in its metnods and 

 inexpensive in its administration. 



The report of the Postmaster-General not only ex- 

 hibits the operations of the department for the last 

 fiscal year, but contains many valuable suggestions for 

 the improvement and extension of the service, which 

 are commended to your attention. No other branch 

 of the Government has so close a contact with the daily 

 life of the people. Almost every one uses the service 

 it offers, and every hour gained in the transmission of 

 the great commercial mails has an actual and possible 

 value that only those engaged in trade can understand. 



The saving of one day "in the transmission of the 

 mails between New York and San Francisco, which 

 has recently been accomplished, is an incident worthy 

 of mention. 



The plan suggested of a supervision of the post- 

 offices in separate districts that shall involve instruc- 

 tion and suggestion and a rating of the efficiency of 

 the post-masters would, I have no doubt, greatly im- 

 prove the service. 



A pressing necessity exists for the erection of a 

 building for the joint use of the department and of 

 the city post-office. The department was partially 

 relieved by renting outside quarters for a part of its 

 force, but it is again overcrowded. The building used 

 by the city office never was fit for the purpose, and is 

 now inadequate and unwholesome. 



The unsatisfactory condition of the law relating to 

 the transmission through the mails of lottery adver- 

 tisements and remittances is clearly stated by the 

 Postmaster-General, and his suggestion as to amend- 

 ments should have your favorable consideration. 



The report of the Secretary of the Navy shows a 

 reorganization of the bureaus of the department that 

 will, I do not doubt, promote the efficiency of each. _ 



In general, satisfactory progress has been made in 

 the construction of the new ship of war authorized 

 by Congress. The first vessel of the new navy, the 

 " Dolphin," was subjected to very severe trial tests 

 and to very much adverse criticism. But it is grati- 

 fvingto be able to state that a cruise around the world, 

 from which she has recently returned, has demon- 

 strated that she is a first-class vessel of her rate. 



The report of the Secretary shows that while the 

 effective force of the navy is rapidly increasing, by 

 reason of the improved build and armament of the 

 new ships, the number of our ships fit for sea duty 

 grows very slowly. We had, on the 4th of March last, 

 thirty-seven serviceable ships, and though four have 



