The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-12-07

ury as he treats funds obtained under
the internal revenue laws. There
| should be considerable increase In
| bills of small denominations. Permis-
sion should be given banks, If necessa-
~ under settled restrictions. to retire
| their circulation to a larger amount
than three millions month.
| Our Outlying Possessions.
/ most earnestly hope that the bill to
| provide lower tariff for or else abso
lutte free trade in Philippine products
will become law. No harm will come
to any American industry. and. while
there will be some small but real mate
rial benefit to the E'ilipinos, the main
benefit will come by the showing made
as to our purpose to do all in our power
! for their welfare.
| Porto Rican Affairs.
| American citizenship should be con
ferred on the citizens of Porto Rico
The harbor of San Juan. in Porto Rico
| should be dredged and improved. The
| expenses Of the federal court of Porto
l
! treasury.
| Hawaii.
| The needs of Hawaii are peculiar
Every aid should be given the islands,
and our efforts should be unceasing to
develop them along the lines of a COM
munity of small freeholders, not of
great planters with cody titled es-
tates.
Alaska.
Alaskas needs have been partially
met, but there must be a complete re-
organization of the governmental sys-
tenn, as 1 have before indicated to you.
l ask your especial attention to this
| Our fellow citizens who dwell on the
shores of Puget sound with character
istic energy are arranging to hold in
Seattle the Alaska Yukon Pacific ex-
| position. This exposition in its pur-
| poses and scope should appeal not only
to the people of the Pacific SLOPE but
to the people of the United States at
large.
Rights of Aliens.
Not only must we treat all nations
fairly, but we must treat with justice
and good will all immigrants who come
here under the law. Whether they are
Catholic or Protestant, Jew or gentle
whether they come from England or
Germany, Russia, japan or Italy, mat
tiers nothing. All we have a right to
question Is the mans conduct If he
is honest and upright in his dealings
| wifi Oh fhn OF 70
then he Is entitled to respect and good
treatment. Especially do we need to
remember our duty to the stranger
within our gates. 1t Is the sure mark
of low civilization, low morality, to
abuse or discriminate against or in any
way humiliate such stranger who has
come here lawfully and who is con-
Quoting himself properly. To remem-
Der this Is incumbent on every Amer
lean citizen, and 1t Is of course pecul-
iarly incumbent on every government
| official, whether Of the nation or Of
the several states.
| 1 am prompted to say this by the
attitude of hostility here and there as
sumed toward the Japanese in this
country. This hostility is sporadic and
is limited to very few places. Never
theless it is most discreditable to us
| as a people, and 1t may be fraught
with the gravest consequences to the
nation.
| ask fair treatment for the Japanese
as I would ask fair treatment for Ger
mans or Englishmen, Frenchmen, Rus
slams or Italians. l ask it as due to
humanity and civilization. I ask it as
due to ourselves, because we must act
uprightly toward all men. | recon-
mend to the congress that an act be
passed specifically providing for the
naturalization Of Japanese who come
here intending to become American cit.
liens. One of the great embarrass-
ments attending the performance of
our international obligations Is the
fact that the statutes of the United
/ States are entirely inadequate. They
fail to give to the national government
sufficiently ample power, through Unit
ed States courts and by the use of the
army and navy, to protect aliens in the
rights secured to them under solemn
treaties which are the law Of the land.
I therefore earnestly recommend that
the criminal and civil statutes of the
! United States be so amended and add
ed to as to enable the president acting
for the United States government.
which is responsible In our interna-
tional relations, to enforce the rights
of aliens under treaties.
| The Cuban Matter.
| Last August an instruction broke
out in Cuba which it speedily grew evil
dent that the existing Cuban govern
ment was powerless to quell. Thanks
to the preparedness of our navy. |
was able Immediately to send enough
ships to Cuba to prevent the situation
from becoming hopeless. and | fur
thermore dispatched to Cuba the sec
rotary of war and the assistant secre-
tary of state in order that they might
| grapple with the situation OH the
! ground.
In accordance with the so called
Plat amendment. which was embod-
| fed in the constitution of Cuba. there
upon proclaimed provisional govern