Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1905-12-07

the liberal aid bestowed by other gov
ernments ON their own steam lines. L
ask your earnest consideration OF the
report with which the merchant ma
rlne commission has followed its long
ana careful inquiry.
Ii Is a matter Of unmixed eatiSfac-
ton once more to call attention to the
excellent work Of the pension bureau,
for the veterans of the civil war have
n greater claim upon us than any other
class Of our citizens. To them first OF
all among our people honor is due
Immigration.
As | said In my last message to the
congress, we cannot have too much
immigration of the right sort, and we
should have none whatever OF tho
wrong sort.
The questions arising In connection
with Chinese immigration stand by
themselves. The conditions In China
are such that the entire Chinese cody
class-that is, the class OF Chinese L.
borers, skilled and unskilled = legih-
mately come under the head Of nnde-
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
ly to this nation itself Chinese stu
dents, business and professional men
of all kinds, not only merchants, but
bankers, doctors, manufacturers, pro-
fessors, 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 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 filing Of charges and
three days notice before an employee
could be separated from the service for
inefficiency has served no good pur-
pose whatever. Experience has shown
that the rule Is wholly ineffective to
save any man IL 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 byi
providing that where the ineffidency Or
incapacity comes within the personal
knowledge Of the head OF department.
the removal may be made without mo-
tice, the reasons therefor being f1led
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 Ia
merely one of procedure. It was much
needed, and 1t is producing good re-
suits.
Our copyright laws need revision.
Philippines and other fs1and4,
During the last year the Philippine
Islands have been slowly tecovering
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 tho is-
lands enforce more strongly than eyer
the argument In favor Of reducing the
tariff on the products OF the Philippine
Islands entering the United States. I,
earnestly recommend that tho tariff
now imposed by the Dingley bill Upon
the products of the Philippine Islands
be entirely removed, except the tarift
on sugar and tobacco, and that that
tariff be reduced to 25 per cent OF the
present rates under the DingleT act;
that after July /, 1909, the tatin upon
tobacco and sugar produced In the
Philippine Islands be entirely removed
and that free trade between the islAndG
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 fortincation OF
Hawaii This Is the most important
point in the Pacific to fortffy 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 O period Of. say.
twenty years 75 per cent Of the intefna1
revenue and customs receipts from Ha-
wall as special fund to be expended
In the islands.
/ earnestly advocate the adoption OF
legislation which will explicitly corfer
American citizenship on all citizens Of
Porto Rico.
I wish also to call the attention or
the congress to 6ne question which at
fects our insufhr 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.
/ recommend that Indian Territory.
and Oklahoma be admitted a5 one state
and that New Mexico and Arizona be
admitted as one state.
4AG 11aWk4 Nnn8&s
Active work in canal construction
mainly preparatory, has been In prog
ress for less than a year and bali.
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 Ia Wheth-
er the canal shall be one Of several
locks above sea level or ut sea level
with a single tide lock. On this point
1 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 sanitating the isthmus,
quarters are being provid-
ed for employees and an adequate sys-
tenn of supplying them with wholesome
food at reasonable prices has been Gre
ated. Hospitals have been established
and equipped that are without superb
ors of their kind anywhere. During
the past year q large portion Of the,
plant with which the work Is to be
done has been ordered. 1t is confident
" believed that by the middle OF the
year sufficient proper
ton Of this plant will have been In.
stalled to enable us to resume the work
l.