The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-10
BLAIR AND THE CHINESE.

WASHINGTON, April 9.-The full text OF
the most important part of the letter writ
ten by Acting Secretary Wharton to
Minister DENLY on Oct. 6. 1891, concerning
the declination of the Chinese government
TO receive ex-senator Blair has been made
public. 1t is prefaced with the statement
that the position which China had as
sumed In the matter ''seems to require a
frank expression of the views of this gov
rrnment ;'s' Mr. Wharton says that Mr..
Blair having peremptorlly resigned his
office, there is no question OF his going to
China, but that the objections OF the Chin
ese government TO his reception are open
TO inspection, and that a clear understand
ing is necessary in the interest OF inter
national good will
The letter says that the Chinese govern
ment objected to receiving Mr. Blair be-
cause of his public record. So far as these
objections rest on allegations of facts in
respect to the views concerning the
Chinese people and nation which are
alleged to have been entertained and ut
s tered in legislative debate by Mr.. Blair,
the government of the United States
cannot admit their sufficiencY. A
}careful examination of every public
Z utterance of Mr.. Blair in the course of the
debates attending the passage of the
Chinese bill in the senate conclusively
shows that Mr. Blair has been injuriously
niSItDTSSEnJtNl III lBOluO VI Law, OuC VI uC
record of Mr.. Blair while in the senate
shows him to have been from first to last
respectful to China and just to her people.
An objection to receive Mr. Blair because
he cast vote for the exclusion act is in
reality an objection to receive any person
as minister of the United States who in
his character as senator or representative
in congress has cast a yotef any measure
which is obnoxious TO the Chinese govern
Jnent 1t must be conceded by the Chinese
government that this is no time to discuss
Ihe propriety of legislation which has be-
come the supreme law OF the land and
which commands the obedience of all per-
Sons within the United States. Any person
who may be duly appointed United States
minister to China is bound to observe and
aid in the execution of the existing laws.
This ground of objection to Mr. Blair the
president could not take into account in
selecting another envoy. 1t is, moreover,
lllogical in this, that the objection of
China is avowedly against the existing
legislation rather than the legislator.
Three years of friendly intercourse have
passed since the law was enacted without
China's discovering that the existence of
the law itself was IA bar % the reception of
an envoy representing the country which
enacted it. If MIR. Blair may not be re
ceived as minister while that law remains
unrepealed and because of its existence as
u law, IL is not easy 10 reconcile IudJ posi-
tion with the continued friendly reception
of the present minister of the United
States at Pekin. Ia this aspect, as IN
every other aspect. the position assun ed
by China is inadmissible.
Mr. Denbr, on Nov. %, replied that the
dispatch would be of service to the lega-
tion should the question involved ever
arise. The correspondence closed with n
telegram of the date of March %, last,
from Mr. Wharton to Mr.. DENLY, direct
ing him, if he had not already done so, to
communicate the above dispatch to the
Chinese government The has been
discussed by the senate in executive
session, and the attitude assumed by the
Chinese government has been roundly de-
nounced on all sides, but so far there has
leen no attempt at action, as the subject
is still IN charge of the department of
state