Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-10-11

race idlosvncrasies of the Chinese laborine
classes with those of the great body of the peo
! pie of the United States has been proved by
the experience Of twenty years, and ever since
| the Burlingame treaty of 1868, to be in every
| sense unwise, impolitc and injurious to both
| nations. With the lapse of time the necessity
| of its abandonment has grown in force until
| those having in charge the government of the
respective countries have resolved to modify
| and sufficiently abrogate all those features OF
| prior conventional arrangements which permit
| ted the coming of Chinese laborers to the
| United States.
| In modification of prior conventions the
treaty of November II, 1881. was concluded,
whereby, in the first article thereof, it WIS
agreed that the United States should at Will
regulate, limit, suspend the coming OF
Chinese laborers to the United States, but not
absolutely prohibit it: and under this article
an act OF Congress. approved on May 9, 1882
(see Vol. -, p. SO. Statutes at Largo, and
amended July 5.18S4. (Vol. zap. lis, Statutes at
Large), suspended for ten years the coming of
Chinese laborers to the United States, and
| regulated the going and coming OF such
Chinese labOrers as were at that time In the
| United States. It was, however, soon made
evident that the mercenary greed of the
parties who were trading in the labor
of this class of the Chinese population
was proving too strong for the just execution
OF the law. and that the virtual defeat OF the
object and intent of both law and treaty was
tense and perjury contrary to the expressed
will of both governments. To such extent
has the successful violation of the treaty and
laws enacted for its execution progressed that
the courts in the Pacific States have been for
some time past overwhelmed by the examna-
ton of cases of Chinese laborers who are
charged with having entered our ports under
fraudulent certificates of return or seek
to established by perjury the
claim of prior residence. Such demonstration
of the imperative and inef1cint condition of
the treaty and law has produced deprecated
and increasing discomfort among the people of
the United States and especially with those
resident on the Pacific coast This has induced
me to omit no effort to find an effectual remedy
for the evils complained of, and to answer the
earnest popular demand for the abso-
lutte exclusion of Chinese laborers hav-
ing objects and purposes unlike our own
and wholly disconnected with American
citizenship. Aided by the presence in this
country of able and intelligent diplomatic and
consular officers of the Chinese Government,
and the representations made from time to
time by our Minister in China, under the in
structions of the Department of State, the
actual condition OF public sentiment and
status of affairs in the United States has been
fully made known to the Government of China.
The necessity for remedy has been fully APP
preciated by that government, and in August,
1885, our Minister at Pekln received from the
Chinese Foreign Office communication an
nouncing that China Of her own accord, pro-
posed to establish a system Of strict and abso-
lutte prohibition of her laborers, under heavy
penalties, from coming to the United States
and likewise to prohibit the return to the
United States of any Chinese laborer who had
at any time gone back to China in order Tin
the words of the communication) that the
Chinese laborers may gradually be reduced in
number and causes of danger averted and lives
preserved This view of the Chinese Govern
ment, so completely in harmony with that of
the United States, was by my direction speedi-
ly formulated in treaty draft between the
two nations, embodying the proposition
presented by the Chinese Foreign ONCE.
The deliberations, frequent oral discussion and
correspondence on the general question that
ensued have been fully communicated by me
to the Senate at the present session. and as
contained in State executive document c.
parts and g and Senate executive document
No. 272, may be properly referred to as contain
ing q complete history of the transaction. It
is thus easy to learn how the joint desires and
uneQuivocal mutual understanding OF the two
governments were brought into articulated
form in the treaty. which, after mutual
exhibition of plenary powers from the re-
spectve governments, was signed and
concluded by the plenipotentiaries of the
United States and China at this capital
on March IL last. Being submitted for the
advice and consent Of the Senate, it's con-
irmation on the 7th day of May last was &C.
companied by two amendments which that
body engrafted upon it. On the 18th day of the
same month the Chinese Minister. who was
the plenipotentiary OF his government, in the
negotiation and the conclusion of the treaty,
in a note to the Secretary of State gave his ap-
prevail of these amendments, las they did not
alter the terms of the treaty. and the amend
mGnts were at once telegraphed o China
whittier the original treaty had previously
been sent Immediately after its signature on
March 12.
m fha 5au Of taSf I
Senate bill No. 1894, ito prohibit the coming OF
Chinese laborers to the United States This
bill was intended to supplement- the treaty,
and was approved in the confident anticipation
of an early exchange of Publications OF the
treaty and its amendments, and the proclama-
ton of the same, upon which event the legisla-
ton so approved was, bysits terms. to take ef-
feet. No information of any definite action
upon the treaty by the Chinese Government
was received until the 21st ult.-the day the bill
which have just approved was presented to
me-when a telegram from our Minister at
Pekin to the Secretary of State, announced the
refusal of the Chinese Government to exchange
ratifcatons of the treaty unless further discus
sion should be had with view to shorten the
period stipulated in the treaty for the exclu-
sion of Chinese laborers and to change the
conditions agreed on or which should entitle
any Chinese laborer who might go back TO
China to return again to the United States
BY a note from the Charge d Anaires ad in
term of China to the Secretary of State, re-
ceived on the evening OF the 25th ult Ga copy !
of which is herewith transmitted, together
with the reply thereto), third amendment is
whereby the cert ficate under which
any departing Chinese laborer alleging the pos
session of property in the United States
would be enabled to return to this country
should be granted by the Chinese Consul in
stead of the United States Collector, as had
been provided by the treaty. The obvious and
necessary effect of this last provision would
be practically 70 place the execution OF the
treaty beyond the control of the United States. |
Article of the treaty proposed to be so ma
terlally altered, had in the course OF the nego-
tiations been settled in acquiescence with the |
request Of the Chinese plenipotentiary, and to |
bis expressed satisfaction
In 1885, as appears in the documents referred |
to, the Chinese Foreign ONCE had formally pro- |
posed to our Minister strict exclusion or Chi |
nese laborers from the United States without |
Limitation, and had otherwise and more deh-
nitely stated that no term whatever for exclu- |
sion was necessary for the reason that China |
WI uld of itself take steps to prevent its labor
ers from coming to the United States. In the |
course of the negotiations that followed, sug |
gestions from the same quarter led to the m |
sertion in behalf OF the United States of term /
of thirty years." and this term. upon the rep |
RESERVATIONS of the Chinese plenipotenuary, /
was reduced to twenty years." and finally so |
agreed upon Article was wholly of Chinese |
origin and to that alone owes its presence in |
the treaty. And it is here pertinent to
remark Tat everywhere in the United /
States laws tor the collection OF i
debts are equally available to all CREDITORS !