Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-30
BLAIR THE REJECTED.
He Insists That China viii Receive
Him With Open Arms.

He Insists That China VIII Receive
Him with Open Arms.
CHICAGO. April 29.-Ex-SenatorB Blair,
the new minister to China, arrived here
this morning, and was questioned re-
garding the report that the Chinese
government had submitted to the
department of state formal protest
against his being sent to China. 81
have received no official notice of such
protest." said Mr.. Blair. ''All that l
know about it is what have seen in the
newspapers. may be permitted to
doubt it's correctness, for the reason that
the state department knows am
en- route to China, and if it had decided
to recall me, it would have done go
without delay. / shall not stop
here any longer than 1 originally in
tended, in order to await official infor-
nation. If l hear nothing from Wash
ington by tomorrow I shall proceed to
San Francisco, and sail from that point.
/ do not think, of course, that there is
any good reason why China should OBJ
iect to me. Neither do believe the
Chinese government thinks so. Dnring
my service in congress, whatever did |
did from convictions. Whatever / did
in the matter of Chinese immigration,
also received the endorsement of the
government, and the government is re-
sponsible, not | personally. 1t is in
credible that any nation would seek to
enforce personal liability, especially at
this late day.
WASHINGTON, April ga representa-
tive OF the Associated Press this morning
called at the Chinese legation here and
had an interview with Minister Yen in
regard to the declination of his govern
ment to receive Senator Blair as the ac-
credited representative of the United
States. Yen said through an interpreter,
that he had received a cablegram from
instructed to lay before Secretary
willingness of the emperor to receive
Mr.. Blair. Other than this, Yen had
received no instructions, written
or otherwise, from his government
on the subject.
The exact language of the cablegram,
or whether reasons for this action were
given, he failed to state. Personally he
had very high opinion of Senator Blair.
At the time Senator Blair was nominated
minister to China, Yen was in Peru, to
which government he is also the rep
resentative OF China, and did not return
to the United States until early in the
present month. He never had occasion
to ascertain what had been Senator
Blair's attitude toward China or Chi
nese residents in this country, and not
until his return had the senator's utter
ances on the Chinese question, as re-
ported in the Congressional record, been
brought to his attention. The minister
conveyed the impression that he simply
stated the facts to his government. and
aside from that had not sought to inf1u-
ence it's decision, either favorably to the
senator or unfavorably.
This action of the Chinese authorities
has not created the least excitement
here, as it had been anticipated by many
from the first. The proceeding is not a
very unusual one, and cannot be re-
garded as an indication of unfriendly
feeling toward this government.
Among the departmental officers there
is general indisposition to discuss the
subject OF Blair's rejection, still it is
evident there is no general desire to
magnify the incident into the proper
tion of diplomatic rupture. 1t is
long established rule of diplomacy that
nation is not obliged to accept min
lister who is not a persona grata, and
that his rejection on that account is not
to be construed into an intended affront
to the dignity of the nation which sends
the minister.
Altogether, the opinion in official cir
cles is general that the United States is,
by its own conduct, estopped from re-
senting Minister Blair's rejection, and
that after waiting for time sufficient
to maintain the national dignity, new
minister will be appointed by President
Harrison.
SoOners in the Soup.
WASHINGTON, April 29.-In regard to