Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-12-05

law as regards the Chinese laborer
skilled or unskilled. and there Is nc
excuse for any nan feeling or affect
ing to feel the slightest alarm on the
subject.
But In the effort to carry out the
policy Of excluding Chinese laborers,
Chinese coolies, grave injustice and
wrong have been done by this nation
to the people of China, aud therefore
ultimately to this nation itself. Chin
csc students, business and profession
al men OF all kinds-not only mer'
chants, but bankers, doctors, manu-.
facturers, professors, travellers. and
the l~ike-shOuld be encouraged to
come here and treated on precisely
the same footing that we treat stu.
dents. business men, travellers, and
the like OF other natiOns. Our laws
and treaties should be framed not so
as to put these people In the excepted
classes, but to state that we admit all
Chinese, except Chinese OF the coolie
class, Chinese skilled or unskilled Ia.
borers. There would not be the
least danger that any such provision
would result In any relaxation OF the
law about laborers. These will, under
all conditions be kept out absolutely,
But II will be easy to see that
both justice and courtesy are shown,
as they ought to be shown, to other
Chinese, II the law or treaty Is fran
cd as alone suggested. Examinations
should be completed at the port OF de-
rarture from China. For this purpose
there should be provided a nor ade-
quate consular service in China than
We now have. The appropriations,
both for the Office of the consuls and
for the office forces In the consulates,
should be increased.
AS a people we have talked much
Of the open door in China, and we ex-
pect and quite rightly intend TO in.
sist upon, justice being shown us by
the Chinese. But w a not expect
to receive equity unless we do equity.
We can not ask the Chinese to DO to
us what we are unwilling to do to
them. They would have a perfect
right to exclude our laboring men II
our laboring men threatened to come
into their country in such numbers as
to jeOpardize the well.being of the
Chinese population; and as, mutatis
mutandis, these were the conditions
with which Chinese immigration &C
tually brought this people face to
face. we had and have a perfect right,
| which the Chinese government In no
l trn nnntncto TN mt nc Nrrn V,n n ntn1
in the matter of restricting coolie i'm
migration. That this right exists for
each country was explicitly acknOw-
lodged in the last treaty between the
two countries. But WI must treat the
Chinese student, traveller, and bust
ness nan in a spirit of the broadcast
justice and courtesy If we expect SIM
liar treatment to be accorded to our
own people of similar rank who go
to China. Much trouble has come dur
ing the past summer from the organ
| lied boycott against American goods
which has been started III China. The
main factor in producing this boycott
has been the resentment felt by the
| students and business people Of China,
| by all the Chinese leaders, against
| the harshness of our law toward edu-
Gated Cinnamon of the professional
and business classes.
This government has the ~friendliest
| feeling for China and desires China's'
| well being. We cordially sympathize
with the announced purpose Of Japan
to stand for the integrity of China.
| such an attitude tends to the peace of
the world.
The Civil Service.
The civil service law has been on
| the statute books for twenty-five
years. Every president and a vast
majority of heads Of departments who
| have been in office during that period
have favored a gradual extension of
/ the merit system. The more thor
oughly its principles have been under
| stood, the greater has been the favor
| with which the law has been regarded
| by administrative officers. Any at
tempt to carry to the great executive
departments Of the government with
| out this law would inevitably result
in chaos. The civil service commits
sioners are doing excellent work, and
their compensation is inadequate con-
sidering the service they perform.
The statement that the examina.
tions are not practical in character Is
based on a misapprehension of the
| practice of the commission. The de.
| partments are invariably consulted as
to the requirements desired and as
to the character of questions that shall
be asked. General invitations are fire..
quently sent out to all heads of de.
partments asking whether any changes
in the scope or character of examina-
tons are required. In other words,
the departments prescribe the require.
ments and the qualifications desired,
and the civil service commission CO
operates with them In securing per.
SON with these qualifications and in.
surfing open and impartial competi-
ton. In a large number of examina-
tions (as, for example. those for
trades positions) there are no educa.
tional requirements whatever, and a
person who can neither read nor write
may pass with a high average. Va.
cancies In the service are filled with
reasonable expedition and the ma.
chinery Of the commission, which
reaches every part Of the country, is
the best agency that has yet been de.
vised for finding people with the most
suitable qualifications for the various
offices to be filled. Written competi-
tive examinations do not make an
ideal method for filling positions, but
they do represent an unreasonable
advance upon the "spoils' method,
under which outside politicians really
make appointments nominally made
by the executive officers. the appoint. |
ees being chosen by the politicians