Mr. FERNLEY.-Some gentlemen interested on the other side of the question find it utterly impossible to be here to-morrow morning. For that reason we ask the convention to take up this important subject at the afternoon session to-day. I move that the report of the Committee on Parcels Post be presented at the beginning of the afternoon session to-day. If the gentlemen of the convention will vote in favor of that motion I assure you that we will make but a very brief argument, and it will not take up very much time this afternoon.

Mr. ROBINSON, of Philadelphia.-There is already a special order that takes precedence, that of the report of the Committee on Nominations shall be considered as the first order of business this afternoon.

The PRESIDENT.-That will only take a few minutes.

Mr. FERNLEY.-Then make this the second order of busi

ness.

The PRESIDENT.-The question is upon Mr. FERNLEY'S motion to take up the report of the Parcels Post Committee as the second order of business this afternoon.

The motion was agreed, to and it was so ordered.

IMMIGRATION.

Dr. WILSON, of Philadelphia.-Mr. President, I wish to offer a resolution on immigration. I refer to the bottom of page 27 and pages 28 and 29 of the Programme for the resolutions which have been sent in.

Dr. WILSON read the report of the Committee on Immigration, which, after certain changes were made therein, is printed hereafter.

Dr. WILSON.-I move the adoption of this report.

Mr. GIBSON, of New York.-I would like to ask whether the information the Government shall furnish to these immigrants, to be given them at the ports of embarkation or in the countries where they reside, is to be printed in their language or in ours.

The PRESIDENT.-Dr. WILSON will answer that question.

Dr. WILSON. We shall be glad to accept that suggestion.

The SECRETARY.-Will you add that to your report?

Dr. WILSON.-We will be glad to do so.

The PRESIDENT.-That is a very good suggestion.

As modified, as indicated above, the report of the committee was adopted in the form following:

Your Committee on Immigration begs leave to report as follows:Resolved, That the National Board of Trade is strongly opposed to any and all legislation intended to discriminate against Japan or her citizens, but on the contrary it is believed that every effort should be made to cultivate and promote the most intimate commercial relations between the two countries, and that all privileges now enjoyed by the most favored nations should continue to be extended to the Japanese.

Resolved That we deprecate all unnecessary harshness in the administration of the laws, rules and regulations governing the admission of the exempt classes of Chinamen into the United States, and believe that all Chinese travelers, merchants, traders and students should be admitted upon the presentation of passports issued by American officials in China.

Resolved, That in order to prevent the undue concentration of immigrants to some parts of our country and to encourage their better distribution in sections where conditions may be more favorable, the United States Government shall furnish to incoming immigrants, at the port of entry, and also, so far as may be found practicable before their departure from their own country, trustworthy information, printed in the language of the country of the immigrants, regarding the resources and the conditions of life which confront the followers of different occupations in various States and territories.

Resolved, That we recommend to Congress that it furnish sufficient means to the Commissioner-General of Immigration to improve the facilities for handling immigration at the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific ports in order especially to promote the better distribution of immigrants over the entire country.

ORDER OF BUSINESS.

Mr. LOGAN, of Pittsburg.—It seems to me that our plans of appointing committees and their meetings are not what they should be; that we lose much valuable time and a great many members are really prohibited from being at the meetings of the convention to hear the discussions and the reports of

committees, which is really what we come here for. Therefore I move that the President of the National Board of Trade be requested, in appointing committees, to name the time and place when and where each committee shall meet, fixing the meetings in such a way that they will be likely to have time enough to complete their work and be ready to report at the first session of the body on the second day, even if their sittings might have to be held and continued to a later hour than usual. I move that the President be instructed, or requested, to make his appointments and fix the hours and places of meetings of committees for our next session.

Mr. ROBINSON, of Philadelphia.—I desire to add the suggestion that the Secretary, in communicating with the comstituent bodies, request them to suggest names of delegates for appointment on the different committees.

The PRESIDENT.-He always does that and delegates are always appointed according to request. We have had some complications because the Secretaries of some of the constituent bodies have asked the President to place, say, one man on as many as six different committees.

Mr. ROBINSON.-I think the Secretary then should request them hereafter to suggest only one man on each committee. Mr. LOGAN. I will accept that suggestion.

Mr. LOGAN's motion as modified was agreed to.

The PRESIDENT.-In this connection it occurs to the Chair to suggest that it might be profitable for this Board to have more than three days for these annual meetings, and the Chair is seriously considering whether he will not recommend that at the next meeting, and thereafter, we should limit ourselves to three days, as has been usual, but if necessary take four days.

CIVIL SERVICE FOR THE THIRTEENTH CENSUS. Mr. EDSON, of Washington.-Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to introduce a resolution.

The PRESIDENT.-Is it a long one? We must adjourn at I o'clock so as to be ready to proceed to the White House

CIVIL SERVICE FOR THE THIRTEENTH CENSUS.

III

and be there at 2.30 o'clock to pay our visit of courtesy to the President of the United States. The Chair will first ask Mr. EDSON to read the resolution, and then the Chair will take the sense of the body upon its consideration.

Mr. EDSON read as follows:

WHEREAS, The time for the thirteenth decennial census of the United States will soon arrive, and the Congress of the United States is likely, at its present session, to consider legislation fixing the manner in which the employees of the Census Bureau shall be selected; and

WHEREAS, The President of the United States, the Civil Service Commission of the United States, and Honorable Carroll D. Wright and Honorable Robert P. Porter, former Directors of the Census, have strongly urged that the efficiency of the official force would be enhanced and the cost of the census decreased by placing the Census Bureau under civil service law, the same as other branches of the executive departments; and

WHEREAS, The National Board of Trade believes that the selection of census employees by other methods, in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth census imposed an unnecessary burden of expense upon the taxpayers of the country, which the enforcement of the competitive merit-test would prevent; now, therefore be it

Resolved That the National Board of Trade strongly urges that the force to be employed in taking the thirteenth census, except supervisors and enumerators whenever it is impracticable to satisfactorily apply said methods to these classes of employees, be selected under the civil service law and regulations.

By unanimous consent the Board proceeded to the consideration of the foregoing resolution.

The PRESIDENT.-The question is now upon the adoption of the resolution.

Mr. CARTER, of Boston.-As a practical business man, I think we believe that the Government shall be conducted upon practical business methods. I do not see how there can be a dissenting vote against the adoption of that resolution for putting the Census Department, as far as possible, under civil service rules, rather than under the old patronage plan, which increases expense and decreases efficiency. I hope there will not be a dissenting vote. There is now a bill pending in Congress, in the line of the old patronage system, which, if enacted, will certainly increase the expense and make less the efficiency.

The PRESIDENT.-Gentlemen, are you ready for the question on the new resolution reported by Mr. EDSON?

The resolution was adopted unanimously.

At 1 o'clock P. M., on motion, a recess was taken to 3 o'clock P. M. During the recess the delegates, as a body, paid a visit of courtesy to the President of the United States.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

The Board was called to order by the President at 3.06 o'clock P. M.

The PRESIDENT.-Gentlemen of the Board, I have asked Mr. AMBROSE SWASEY, of Cleveland, First Vice-President, to take the Chair.

Mr. SWASEY took the Chair.

NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.-Agreeably to the action taken by the convention this morning, the first business will be the presentation and consideration of the report of the Nominating Committee.

Mr. VIAUX, of Boston.-Mr. President, your committee reports the following nominations:

Frank D. La LANNE, President, Philadelphia, Pa. [Applause.]

P. M. ESTES, First Vice-President, Nashville, Tenn. [Applause.]

CLINTON WHITE, Second Vice-President, Boston, Mass. [Applause.]

WM. R. TUCKER, Treasurer, Philadelphia Pa. [Applause.] Gentlemen of the convention, I voice the unanimous sentiment of the committee, which is doubtless the expression of the entire Board, that this organization has been most fortunate in its President. He has been no perfunctory officer, content to fulfil with tact and dignity the limited duties of