Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-04-06

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railway, San Francisco has incalcuable future ii
friendly and amicable relations with ASIA re.
main undsturbed. 1t needs no argument to show
that the policy which We now propose to adopt must
have the direct tendency - repel the Oriental
tions from the United States and to drive their
trade and commerce into more friendly hands.
1t may be that the great and paramount interests
of the protection OF our labor from Asiatic compe-
tition justfes in the permanent adoption Of this
policy but it is wiser in the first place to make
shorter experiment, with view of hereafter main
tanning permanently only such features as time and
experience may command.
transmit herewith copies OF paperssrelating TO
the recent treaty, with the accompanying confden-
al message of President HAYES to the Senate On the
10th of January, 1881, and also copy OF the memo
randum respecting the Act herewith returned, which
was handed to the Secretary OF State by the Chinese
Minister in Washington.
igned) CHESTER A. ARTHUR
Washington, D. c., April &, 1882.
Reasons Appended.
WASHINGTON, April 5th.-The following memoran-
dunn appended to the veto message:
First The time fixed in the bill-namely, twenty
years-is unreasonable. The language OF Article I,
that laborers shall not be absolutely prohibited
from coming to the United States, and that the
g suspension" shall be reasonable, well as the
negotiations, indiczte that brief period was ID.
tended. Tot prohibition Of immigration OF Chi
nese laborers into the United States for twenty
years would, in my opinion, be unreasonable, and
would be violation OF the Gaming and intent of
the treaty
Second-In exclusion OF skilled labor in the bill is
addition to the words and intent of the treaty 1t
will act with harshness upon the class Of Chinese
merchants enii,led TO admission the United States
under the terms OF the treaty, such as shoe mer.
chants, and cigar manufacturers merchants of Chi
goods. They sell goods at their places Of bust
ness, and to shut out skilled labor would practically
shut them out well, since it would prevent them
from carrying on their business in this country
aundryman who keeps his shop and has small
capital with which to prosecute his trade cannot in
any just sense be included in the class of aborers
and merchant tailor comes in the same category.
Third-The clauses of the bill relating to regstra
ton and passports voxatious Determinations
against the Chinese residents and immigrants,
when Article II. provides explicitly that they shall
b. entitled to a the privileges conceded TO the sub
cts Of the most favored nation. The execution of
these provisions of the bill will cause irritation, and
in of loss of passports certificates of reg
istration, Chinese residents entitled to remain may
be iorcibly expelled from the country.
Fourth-If the bill becomes law it will leave the
impression in China that its Government has
strangely misunderstood the character of the treaty
or that Congress has violated some of its provisions
and this Will tend to prejudice the intelligent class
L
people, whom they now greatly admire and respect.
Fifth-There is provision in the bill for tran
sit across the United States of Chinese subjects
residing in foreign countries. Large numbers of
Chinese live in Cuba and Peru, and other countries
who cannot return home without crossing the ter
ritory of the United States touching at San Fran
CISCO To deny this privilege, it seems to sre, is
violation of international law and the comfy of ma
tons and if the bill becomes lawit will, in this
respect result in great hardship to many thousands
of innocent Chinese in foreign countries
A History or Former Negotiations with
China.
wAsHISGTl n, April 5th.-- Article l. of the Burn-
game treaty confers the rights, privileges, immuni
ties and exemptions which accorded to the citi.
zens and subjects of the most favored nations upon
Cnlnese SuDleCtS us rs etuueuts,
merchants or from curiosity. The American Com
misioners report the Chinese Government claimed
that in this article they did by exclusion provide
that nobody shoul be entitled to claim the benefit
of the general provisions OF the Burlingame treaty
but these who might wish to so to the United States
in those capacities for those purposes. accept
this as the definition Of the word "laborer,' as
used in the new treaty. As to the power Of egisla
ton respecting this class OF persons, the treaty
provides that owe may not absolutely prohibit
their coming their residence.
The Chinese Commissioners gave notice at the
outse. that they would never agree to prohibition OF
volunteer emigration. Notwithstanding this the
United States Commissioners submitted draft in
which it was provided that the United States might
"regulate, limit, suspend or prohibit it." The Chi.
nese refused to accept this.
The Americans replied that they were willing to
consult the wishes OF the Chinese Government in
preserving the principle of free intercourse between
the people OF the two countries as established by
existing treaties, provided that the right OF the
United States Government to use its discretion in
guarding against any possible evils of the mmigra
tion Of Chinese laborers distinctly recognized
Therefore, if such concession all difficulty
on the part of the Chinese Com nissio2ers, the
United States Commissioners will agree to remove
the word prohibit" from their article, and to
the words regulate, limit or suspend" The Chi
reply to this only be inferred from the fact
that in place OF the agreement as proposed by our
COMMISSIONER that we might prohibi the coming
or the residence here of Chinese laborers there
inserted in the treaty agreement that we might
not do it. The remaining words, regulate, limit
suspend first appear in the American draft
When it was submitted to the Chinese they said:
ave infer that of the phrases regulate, limit, sus.
pend pr .hibit, the first is general expression,
referring to the others. We entirely ready to
negotiate with your Exceences to the end that
limitation, either in point OF time numbers, may
be fixed upon the emigration of Chinese laborers to
the United States"
At subsequent interview they said hat y
" limitation in number they meant, for example,
that the United States having felt, as they sup
posed by the record of the number Of immigrations
in each year. as well as the total number of Chinese
now here, that no more should be allowed to go to
America in any year in future than the greatest
number which had gone in any year in the past, or
that the total number should never be allowed to
exceed the number now in America. As to the
limitation to time, they meant, for example, that
the Chinese should be allowed to go in alternate
years, or every third year, or, for example, that
they should net be allowed to go for two, three
five years.
At subsequent conference the Americans said
that the Chinese Commissioners have in their pro-
Jet explicitly recognized the right of the United
States to use some discretion, and have proposed
limitation as to time and as to number This is the
right way TO regulate, limit or suspend.
In one of the conferences the Chinese asked the
Americans whether they could give them any idea
of the laws which would be passed to carry the
DOW RS into execution. The Americans answered
that this could hardly be done, and that the United
States Government might never deem it necessary
to exercise this power. It would depend upon cir
cumstances II the Chinese immigration concen-
trated in the cities where it threatened public order
if it confined itself to localities where it was an in
Jury to the interests Of the American people, the
Government of the United States would undoubtedly
take steps to prevent such accumulation of Chinese