The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-12-06

class-that II, the class Of Chinese T.
b0rers, skilled and unskilled - legiti.
nately come under the head Of unde.
sirable immigrants to this country.
But in the effort to carry out the pol
Icy of excluding Chinese laborers, Chi
nese coolies, grave injustice and wrong
have been done by this nation to the
people of China and therefore ultimate
" to this nation itself. Chinese stu
dents, business and professional men
of all kinds, not only merchants, but
bankers, doctors, manufacturers. pro-
lessons, travellers and the like, should
be encouraged to come here and treat
ed on precisely the same footing that
we treat students, business men, trav.
elers and the like Of other nations.
As a people we have talked much Of
the open door in China, and we expect,
and quite rightly intend to insist upon,
justice being shown US by the Chinese.
But we cannot expect to receive equity
unless we do equity.
The Civil Service.
Heads Of executive departments and
members Of the commission have call
ed my attention to the fact that the
rule requiring a filing Of charges and
three days notice before an employee
could be separated from the service for
i~nef1ciency has served no good pur-
pose Whatever. Experience has shown
that the rule Is wholly ineffective to
save any man IL a superior for i'm
proper reasons wishes to remove him
and Is mischievous because 1t some.
times serves to keep In the service in
competent men not guilty Of specific
wrongdoing. Having these facts in
view, the rule has been amended by
providing that where the inefficiency or
incapacity m within the personal
knowledge of the head of a department
the removal may be made without no.
tice, the reasons therefor being filed
and made a record Of the department.
The absolute right of removal rests
where 1t always has rested, with the
head Of a department. The change is
merely II of procedure. 1t was much
needed, and it Is producing good re-
suits.
Our copyright laws need revision.
Philippines and Other Islands.
During the last year the Philippine
Islands have been slowly recovering
from the series Of disasters which since
American occupation have greatly re.
duced the amount Of agricultural prod
ucts below what was produced In Span
ish times.
The agricultural conditions Of the Is.
lands enforce more strongly than ever
the argument in favor of reducing the
tariff on the products Of the Philippine
Islands entering the United States. I
earnestly recommend that the tariff
now imposed by the Dingley bill upon
the products Of the Philippine Islands
be entirely removed, except the tariff
on sugar and tobacco, and that that
tariff be reduced to Is per cent Of the
present rates under the Dingley act;
that after July /, 1909. the tariff upon
tobacco aud sugar produced In the
Philippine Islands be entirely removed
and that free trade between the islands
and the United States In the products
Of each country then be provided for
by law.
In my judgment, immediate steps
should be taken for the fertilization Of
Hawaii. This is the most important
point in the Pacific to fortify in order
to conserve the interests Of this coun-
try. 1t would be hard to overstate the
Importance Of this need. Hawaii Is too
heavily taxed. Laws should be enact
ed setting aside for a period of, say,
twenty years IS per cent Of the internal
revenue and customs receipts from Ha-
wall as a special fund to be expended
in the islands.
I earnestly advocate the adoption Of
legislation which will explicitly confer
American citizenship on all citizens Of
Porto Rico.
l wish also to call the attention Of
the congress to n question which at
fects our insular possessions generally
namely, the need of an increased lib
erality in the treatment Of the whole
franchise question In these islands.
I earnestly ask that Alaska be given
an elective delegate.
Admission to Statehood.
I recommend that Indian Territory
and Oklahoma be admitted as one state
and that New Mexico and Arizona be
admitted as state.
The Panama Canal.
Active work in canal construction,
mainly preparatory, has been In prog
ress for less than a year and a half.
During that period two points about
the canal have ceased to be open to
debate. First, the question Of route;
second, the question Of feasibility. The
point which remains unsettled Is wheth-
er the canal shall be one Of several
locks above sea level or at sea level
with a single tide lock. On this point
l hope to lay before the congress at an
early day the findings Of the advisory
board of American and European en-.
gineers.
In addition to s~anitating the isthmus,
satisfactory quarters are being provld.
ed for employees and an adequate sys.