The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-04-12

THE 0EMrW&
w1oSv11o0D9 aD DuL
Withhis yelD mesDage the Prnident
cent to the Senate the following mem
osandum which was prepared by the
Chinese Minister ct Wellington, and
which embraces hb objections to several
features Of the bill:
Fint-The time fixed In the bill,
namely, twenty years, h unreasonable.
The language Of Article /, that laborers
shall not be absolutely prohibited from
coming to the United States, and that
| the suspension" shall be reasonable, o.
well 40 the negotiations indicate that a
brief period was intended. Total pro-
hibition of immigration Of Chinese Ia
borers into the United States for twenty
years would, In my opinion, he unre,s-
sonable and would be = violation of the
meaning and intent Of the treaty.
Second conclusion Of ''skilled
labor In bill is addition to words and
intent Of treaty. 1t will act with harsh
ness upon the class Of Chinese n,er-
chants entitled to admission to the
United States under the terms Of the
treaty. such as shoe merchants and cigar
manufacturers, merchants Of Chinese
goods. They sell goods at their place of
business, and tn shut out skilled labor
would practically hut them out as well,
ing on their business in this country. A
laundryman who keeps his shop anil
has q small capital with which to prose
cute his trade, cannot, in any lust sense.
be included in the class Of lahorers, and
q merchant tailor comes in the same
category.
T hird-The clauses of the bill relating
to registration and passports are vexa-
ti0ns Determinations against Chinese
residents and Immigrants, when Article
II provides explicitly that they shall he
entitled to oil the privileges conceded
to the subjects of the most favored ma
ton. The execution of these provisions
Of the bill will cause irritation. and in
case Of q loss :Of passports or certificates Of
registration, Chinese residents entitled
to remain may be torcibly expelled
from the country.
FOurtl. the bill becomes law it
will leave the impression in China that
its government has strangely nlisunder-
stood the character Of the treaty, or
that Congress has violated aOme of its
provisions. and this will tend to preju-
dice the Intelligent class against the
United States government and their
people, whom they now greatly admire
and respect.
Fif1h-There is no provision in the
bill for transit across the United States
Of Chinese subjects now residing in for
eign countries. Large numbers Of Chi
nese live i'm Cuba and Peru, and other
countries, who cannot return home
without crossing the territory Of the
United States or touching ut Sen Fran
cisco. To deny this privilege, it seems
to me. IL u violation Of international
law and the comfy of nations. and if
the bill becomes law it will. in this ~
spect, result in great hardship to many
thousands Of innocent Chinese in for
efgn countries.
In commenting upon this ncmoran-
dunn the San Franciscs bulletin says:
ANY person who will take the trouble.
to compare the memorandum of the
Chinese Ambassador with the veto mes.
sage, will find that the veto is nothing
but an application Of the mclnorun-
bum. There are five points in the Menu
orandum, viz: ~ unreasonablcness of
twenty years. exclusion: e, that the OK
cl,'ston of the treaty does not apply to
artisans; (:' that passports anil regis
tration for Chinese are iradmissihlc;
az that the bill would en.langer our
relations with China; and ~ that it
shuts out the Chinese in Cuba from re-
turning home through tic United
States. These are precisely the fiv:
points Of the veto, with the single cx-
ceptfon Of the second; upen that, after
many readings, We cannot find out how
the President stands. As a matter Of
'act, the successor of Chen
Ian Pin at Washington We
toed the bill passed by Congress to sus-
pend Chinese immigration. President
Arthur performed only tho subordinate
part Of clerk. He merely repeated all
that the Chinese Ambassador pre-: cnte.l
in more extended form. There is moth
ing in the memorandum that is not in
the message, down to the half tru!l,
about the coolie poems in Culn., WHO
were not transported I" '!.nt island via
the United States, hut in regular slave
ships around the Horn. There is no
more in the message than there is in
the memorandum.
1t Is not overstatin. the case at all that
Tor the time be;ns: re,l-bu:tone,l Nam
DARN Is discllarging the functions Of
President Of these t'ditefl States. anu in !
That capacity has coarscly rsbuk,d the s.;
American Congress for law displva~ine
70 him, which it had the tenlerity to
Pass. This is a new and startling ap?a-
rition in our politics. We appear t. lie
annexed to the dOminiOna Of the l3rother
If the Sun and Moon"