The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-01-05
LATEST KILOGRAMS.
CHINESE TMMIGRATION.
Senator KILLER Defends His
Hilb.

BilD.
Washington, At is learned from
private letters received here that
one of the main objections urged
against Senator Miller's Chinese bill
by the members of the San Fran
cisco Trades Assembly is that it
proposes TO permit the Chinese now
in this country to remain here, and
TO return to the United States if
they so desire, after they leave the
land, residing temporarily else
where. The bill provides that all
Chinese who were residents of the
United States on the 10th of last
July, when the treaty was ratified,
shall have the right TO 60 and come
at pleasure, if they are properly reg
istered and furnished with specified
certificates from our collectors of
customs; but in granting this ex-
emption from its proprietary clause,
the bill simply conforms to the ex-
press stipulations of the treaty, and
it is perfectly clear. therefore, that
this objection is made either
in ignorance or ins defiance
of the treaty provisions under
which every bill for a restriction of
Chinese immigration must neces-
sarily be framed. 1t is stated that
Nicer remarks, with reference to
other and more intelligent criticisms
of his measure, and also to those
concerning its methods of determin-
ing what Individual Chinese are en-
\ 10 OBJ tc
travellers or members of other eX-
empted classes; that while he will
be very glad to receive suggestions,
he does not yet see how any better
system can be devised than that
which his bill proposes. After
speaking Of the very marked divi-
sion of classes in China and the low
estimate in which the laboring
class is there held by all those who
are socially above it, and especially
by the governing class, he calls at
tention to the fact that his bill pro-
vides that no Chinese subject shall
be allowed to enter our juris-
diction without an individual
certificate, to be specially OBJ
tanned in each case from the Chi
nese government, fully identifying
| the holder and setting forth min
utely that he belongs to certain
one of the exempted classes. The
certificate will not be accepted, how
ever, as sufficient PERMISSION for
the Chinese to land in the United
States, unless the genuineSs and the
truth of the facts therein stated and
the identity of the persons named
shall be attested after due examina-
ton sby witnesses, otherwise by
our consul at the port Of departure.
Moreover, any Cinnamon who gains
admission to the United States by a
false and fraudulent certificate is to
| be expelled, and all persons aiding
| or abetting his entry are subject to
heavy fine and Imprisonment. Now
Miller believes that these very pro-
visions which have been most criti-
ciZed are in fact the strongest fea-
tures of the bill. In the first place
it is to be noted that each permits.
sion and certificate must be obtained
from the Imperial government, the
term Chinese government purposely
employed in order to make the Ger
tificates to issue from the foreign
office like an American passpCr
which can be obtained only from
the state department at Washing
ton, and in view of the well known
difficulty and expense of gaining &C
cess to, OF attention from the Pekil
authorities, it is believed that yer.
n few Chinese Of the better class, anC
probably no coolies whatever, viii
be able to obtain the prescribed per
4 mission. The senator also remarks
in this connection, that the Chinese
government, in all such cases, will
be put upon its honor to see that n,
certificate is issued to any on
who does not belong to one o
= the exempted classes, and this ma.
properly be considered an additional
: guard. He calls attention in tn
D next place to the absolute vet'
4 lpower which the bill confers upOl
our consuls in regard to these cer
tifcates of the Chinese government
and says, in reply to the suggestion
!, of corrupt or careless use OF TIL
!. power. that it is evident some sucl
e responsibility must be placed upol
, some class of officers, and if the con
suls do not perform their duty, the.
Z can most readily be removed b.
: means of instantaneous recall, 0
: kept in check by the simple meth
DDS of supervisory inspection.