The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-12-08

class-that is, the class Of Chinese Ia
borers, skilled and unskilled = legiti-
mately 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
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
I'd 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
inefficiency has served no good pur-
| nose whntever. Experience has shown
that the rule Is wholly ineffective to
save any man If a superior for i'm
proper reasons wishes to remove him
and is mischevous because it 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 comes within the personal
knowledge of the head of department
the removal may be made without no
tice, the reasons therefor being filed
and made record Of the department.
The absolute right of removal rests
where it always has rested, with the
head of q department. The change Is
merely one 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.
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 25 per cent Of the
present rates under the Dingley act;
| that after July 1, 1909, the tariff upon
tobacco and 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 period of, say,
| twenty years 20 per cent Of the internal
revenue and customs receipts from Ha-
wall as q special fund to be expended
| in the islands.
! l earnestly advocate the adoption OF
legislation which will explicitly confer
| American citizenship on all citizens OF
Porto Rico.
| / wish also to call the attention OF
the congress to one question which af
| fects our insVlar possessions generally
| namely, the need Of an increased lib
| crafty in the treatment of the whole
| franchise question in these islands.
| / earnestly ask that Alaska be given
an elective delegate.
Admission to Statehood.
1 recommend that Indian Territory
and Oklahoma be admitted as one state
and that New Mexico and Arizona be
admitted as one state.
The Panama Canal.
Active work in canal construction,
mainly preparatory, has been in prog.
ress for less than year and Il 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 q single tide lock. On this point
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,
satisfactory quarters are being provid'
ed for employees and an adequate sys-
tenn Of supplying them with wholesome
food at reasonable prices has been ere
ated. Hospitals have been established
and equipped that are without superb
ors of their kind anywhere. During
the past year large portion Of the
plant with which the work is to be