The vacation by judicial decrees of fraudulent certificates of naturalization, upon bills in equity filed by the Attorney-General in the circuit court of the United States, is a new application of a familiar equity jurisdiction.  Nearly one hundred such decrees have been taken during the year, the evidence disclosing that a very large number of fraudulent certificates of naturalization have been issued.  And in this connection I beg to renew my recommendation that the laws be so amended as to require a more full and searching inquiry into all the facts necessary to naturalization before any certificates are granted.  It certainly is not too much to require that an application for American citizenship shall be heard with as much care and recorded with as much formality as are given to cases involving the pettiest property right.

At the last session I returned without my approval a bill entitled “An act to prohibit bookmaking and pool selling in the District of Columbia,” and stated my objection to be that it did not prohibit but in fact licensed what it purported to prohibit.  An effort will be made under existing laws to suppress this evil, though it is not certain that they will be found adequate.

The report of the Postmaster-General shows the most gratifying progress in the important work committed to his direction.  The business methods have been greatly improved.  A large economy in expenditures and an increase of four and three-quarters millions in receipts have been realized.  The deficiency this year is $5,786,300, as against $6,350,183 last year, notwithstanding the great enlargement of the service.  Mail routes have been extended and quickened and greater accuracy and dispatch in distribution and delivery have been attained.  The report will be found to be full of interest and suggestion, not only to Congress, but to those thoughtful citizens who may be interested to know what business methods can do for that department of public administration which most nearly touches all our people.

The passage of the act to amend certain sections of the Revised Statutes relating to lotteries, approved September 19, 1890, has been received with great and deserved popular favor.  The Post-Office Department and the Department of Justice at once entered upon the enforcement of the law with sympathetic vigor, and already the public mails have been largely freed from the fraudulent and demoralizing appeals and literature emanating from the lottery companies.

The construction and equipment of the new ships for the Navy have made very satisfactory progress.  Since March 4, 1889, nine new vessels have been put in commission, and during this winter four more, including one monitor, will be added.  The construction of the other vessels authorized is being pushed both in the Government and private yards with energy and watched with the most scrupulous care.