The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-29
NEITHER WHITE NOR BLACK.
WONG, CHIN roo CAN'T GET A PASS
Port TO GO TRA YELLING.

aCountry-IfSwhite"M Means Cauca asian,
what Docs caucasiaa Really Meant
Wong Chin Foo. born in China. but through
supposedly regular process OF naturalization
regarding himself as citizen Of the United
States and Of the city and State OF New York.
went to United states Commissioners Shields
yesterday and asked for q passport. He wished
to 60 abroad for little trip. and wanted aome-
thing to show that he was Q citizen OF the
United States.
He told Commissioner Shields that he was
81 years old. that he came to this country to
20 to school when he was IL. that he had been
in this country over since except for three
years visit to China. and that he was natural
lied in the Circuit Court at Grand Rapids.
Mich. In April. 1874. uo regards himself as o
citizen Of tho United States. has severed all
connection. social and political. with China.
and has voted In this country in city. State.
and national elections. When he asked for
tho passport Commissioner Shields said:
II can't give 1t to you. Under instructions
from tho State Department no Chinaman Is
entitled to passport"
Commissioner Shields then showed him
letter. signed by Assistant Secretary OF State
Wharton. This letter referred to request for
apassport made by Tom Leo Of New York city
Inst fall
Leo was naturallzed about twenty yenrs ago.
and has been deputy Sheriff. Ho wanted to
20 to China on visit. He made the customa-
ry request for n passport In reply to this re-
quest Mr.. Wharton wrote TINT tho State De-
partment could give no passport to Chinese.
by tho Statutes of tlie United States" wrote
Mr.. Wharton. 1T is provided that passports
may be issued by tho Secretary OF state to cit
liens of tho United States only. The fourteenth
section OF tho act OF Congress Of May u. 1882.
specifically provides that thereafter no state
court nor court Of tho United States shall
admit Chinese to citizenship. Prior to the
dato of that net tho subject OF naturalization
In this respect was regulated by section 2.1G9
of the Revised Statutes. AS amended by IL
Statutes. 3ls. and under that section it has
been hold by tho United States Circuit Court
1nS eH"fso Sss yslGS' war;
closing. aS sns ot
SsI Entitled BY virtao q thS certificate Which
h 81 Tom Lee forced to be son tent
However, docs not seem willing to be content
Tho case has a much wider bearing than up,
saHs n the wifi An ass mind
who may become citizen Of The United statesl
citizen should be naturazsd. what is his
s' wong Chin Foo puts tho second query in a
esnnectIon NTH China: ! am thorSiores cast
Department. says am not 2 citizen Of this
and d csniss sHps like to think Of myself in
Section 2.id5 il, in the title on naturalization
Sranss esea $e seesn
says: "The provisions OF this title ton nat
%o shall aHpty a tt asn o African Ss dee
Now that means. having been so interpreted
90 haf nj tyun nf for inT mar
sons m9 may citizens Of the Untsd States
aliens being free white persons and aliens
5%ass ssSsSs hS IN
h EHs thing Tsee
in S
sure; there are three EInds, Q, human 6einss
tsysx SsE ssnd there IT.
after that heF hst hS vas mot
S ss e lxH i'3!s
the t Ss0 tRssx Ters ots ss said hSS ,d
ssyyeesS"" and still others: I'VE for shape Of
hfTH 6o most careful and accurate division ia
seven ,, races under twelve species. Now In
when We ssy %6lts % 9a Is tGs Msdits1
natives, Of the Caucasus! Basquos. semitss.
ara ~ There Is species
tots. negroes, KafIirs. and Subians. Ali
. sSps nsdfaas A fHsTs ani hs and ID
their descendants. would d.. come under the
the Gnea udsss sha
aonsolians are not SO entitled. but Mon aso.
tia9s a ar a species including but four races,
'Gralians: This leaves six species Of human
beings. Popuans AUSTRALIANS Malayan.. Are
than
Il races Of human beings. Include the four
Monaghan races and y39 have a total Of Il
entitled to citizenship il tn. ethnoiogsts iu e
sP ssss se; nss fRsasss
tribes; almost all q tn. the iInhaIitunts Of India
So that Judge that has to. naturalizs Tor.
eigners has n" tasE II he BE- eoascisn,
blondes and bEanes II tho fore pp Of law w Ssro
TO be given +? the modern division Of races. he
ths FINN the Aindoo and the aiay AS a mast
admit the German, the Frenchmag: the Kaftlr
must see to It that hs sorG,i he t Tas%span
the Hyperborea r.. md the Dongolesee., while no
iHottent9t. the senogambiun. the BASQUE. and
' Judge i Pryor OF the Court of Common Pleas
said yesterday afternoon: II naturnIizod a
Hnytfan this morning. took it that he came
should not natyEalize a Malay, or . Chinainan
or JapaIn,ess. This Law is q mixed d affair and
white, is hrond and indefinite. "0N
As TO the case Of this Chinaman who was
Of the United States and that he Is entitled TO a
passport. When tho court in Grand Rapids
admitted him 1t Interpreted tho statute to
mean that no was, a white person. And that
Interpretation will stand for him until the
United States Government makes a special
case Of 1t and goes into court and asks that
TINT naturalization be set aside.
is case which applies. 1t was then held that
any person., nat4rnlized when ho should not
have been. Is q citizen until special decision
setting that PARTICULAR NATURAL cation aside is
made This n Gai1amH q, gould 20 into the
mandsmus. compelling the state Department
70 Issue to him -. passport You VIII notice
Fon Of q Chinaman illegal was not passed until
1882; This Chinamnn. You say. was natural
ICED before that statute was passed"