The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-06-30
THE CHINESE TREATY.
AND THE TROUBLE IT OCCASIONED IN
GETTING A BABY TRANSPORTED
To SAN FRANCISCO.

this country is related by the San Fran
cisco Examiner. The law prohibits that
the coming of Chinese laborers to the
United States be, and the same is hereby
suspended, and during such suspension
it shall not be lawful for any Chinese
laborer to come, or, having so come, after
the expiration of said ninety days, to re-
main within the United States.
Both the treaty and the Act specifi-
cally excluded all classes of Chinese
from the effect Of their operation except
| i'm ''Iaborcrs," and the term was defined
tolerably clear.
While the grave diplomatic confer
enees which set agoing all this macAiney
! of law were being held, tender little
| love episode was being transacted right
under the noses of the diplomats, but it
would have received no consideration
whatever in this true chronicle had not
| after events closely interviewer the shreds
| of destiny. One of the American Com
missioners was accompanied to China by
his wife, and for want of female society
along the way she took with her
her niece. bright San Francisco girl.
Across their path Fate threw hand
| some young Englishman, 4 merchant of
! the city of Shanghai, and his wooing
| Of the niece of the diplomat was short
and effective. She returned to her native
| country pledged to marry him. His ar
| rival in San Francisco soon after gave
her an opportunity was not thrown away.
Accordingly the young merchant took
her back to China as his wife, and in the
course of time a boy child was born to
| them. Almost before the child was old
enough to travel, its grandfather in San
| Francisco insisted strongly that it should
be brought across the intervening 5000
| miles for him to look at. The parents
consented and in the regular course the
father applied for passports for himself,
| the mother, child and a nurse, the latter
| being Chinese woman.
"Nurse? nurse?" said the clerk in
charge of the consuls office, musiugly,
| i" What is a nurse -
" Sir! don't you know what nurse is?
| am astonished, sir?' exclaimed the
| father CT the child.
Yes, yes.' hastily calculated the
| official. II know what nurse is, but
! what | want to know is this: Isn't a
I
| nurse laborer ~
aha. The Restriction Actr' mutter-
ed the father. Time in it's flight had
| brought GA August the 9th, and it was
| then 1882
And, as far as that is concerned"
remarked the official as parting shot,
| u" don't know that your ch lid can get a
passport. He's a Chinaman, az he was
| born in China
The disguised parent wrote to friends
in San Francisco, stating the problem,
and received an early replyto the effect
that passport could be procured for the
child without difficulty, but as to the
nurse-well, that was Il serious question,
and it had been referred to the Secretary
| of the Treasury at Washington for so!u-
| ton.
The readers who lave followed this
history thus FAR must now 90 to Wash
ington and into the private office of His
Excellency the President. 1t is Cabi-
net meeting of all the Minstcrs-Treas-
ury, State, Army, Interior, etc.,-that
you are invited to attend. The wise men
are discussion 4 grave question, namely,
Is a nurse 4 laborer? Meanwhile the
parent and the mother in Shanghai and
the grandparents and relatives in San
Francisco are chatting over q delay that
seems inexplicabIe. The mother will not
come away without the nurse
At last Il decision is reached by the
Cabinet.
\ nurse is a laborer.
The passport cannot he issued.
But the Acknowledgement still enter
tains doubt rs to the correctness of this
decision. Remember the law was as yet
fresh, and in view of the fact that a
nurse is usually woman, the Cabinet
wisely held the question to be serious
one. The American people do not wish
to give the Chinese women of the kind
they have so far seen in this country any
| loophOle to crawl through to land here
| SO the matter was referred to the I.ttor-
ney General.
After studying the law. that official
again convoked the Cabinet to hear his
decision. Il believe" said he, gravely
that under the laws of China any per-
son born within the limits of that coun-
try is, to all intents and purposes, 4 sub
| ject of China. Now the second article
of this new treaty under which this Re-
Striction act was passed reads: 'Chinese
subjects, whether proceeding to the
| United States as teachers students, mer-
chants, or from curiosity, together with
their body aid household servants, and
the Chinese laborerS, who are now in the
shall be allowed to go and come of their
own free will and accord, and shall be
accorded all the rights, privileges, i'm
munities and exemptions which are ac-
corded to the citizens and subjects Of the
most favored nations.''
"NO~," said the Attorney General. 81
claim that this child is a Chinese subject,
travelling from motives of curiosity, and
that the nurse is his body servant"
"Then, concluded the President, tell
them to issue the passports. John, fetch
in the cigars
The decision of the Cabinet flew over
the wires, and as soon as wind and steam
permitted the father, the mother, the
Chinese subject and its body-servant
were welcomed to San Francisco where
they spent a joyous time. 'There is
only one bitter thought to mar the pleas
ure of my visit" the father said as he
stood on deck of the Arabic the other
day Just before that steamer with him
and his on board, sailed for Shanghai.
"And what is that" his friends asked.
at is this: Should decide to give my
son an American education he could not
enter your public school,"
The innocent cause of all this trouble,
perched on its body-servant S arm, was
Just then growing delightfully."- as throng
of admirers, mostly female, tenderly
salutcd it and babe it goodbye.
E, & 1,n inf, nj