The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-04-09
BLAIR And CHINA.
The Correspondence Regarding the
Senator's Rejection.
NOT POPULARITY REeARDEDTHER


Mr.. blair Denies That he Had Ever
Abused China ~ = Government.
bur Asserts That He Would Al
ways Oppose Further Immigration
or the CelestiaIs.
WASHINGTON, April 9.--The CORES
lpondence in relation to the non-accep
lance Of ex-senator Blair rs minister TO
China by the government Of that coun-
try was made public yesterday. The cor
respondence opens with note from Min
lister Tsin Kwo Yin to Secretary Blaine,
dated April Is, Of. stating that he had
received two cablegrams from his gov
Iernment, the nature and subject Of
which made it necessary for him to see
Mr.. Blaine without delay. The cable
grams charged Mr.. Blame with having,
in 1882 and 1883, bitterly abused China in
the senate and was conspicuous in help
ing pass the exclusion act, and requested
that he be NOT sent n minister TO China
On the receipt Of these dispatches Sec
Rotary Blaine telegraphed Mr.. Blair,
who was Ell route to China, to return to
/ " hsnhBuUh, WuACn uc NAu o0AhO eatAAu
later: ).
Later Assistant Secretary Wharton,
in conversation with the Chinese min
lister, after referring to the communica-
tions from China regarding her unwil-
lingness 10 receive Mr.. Blair, asked
confidenttally and unofficially whether
it was not possible that the Chinese gov
. eminent had made its decision in the
matter without being in possession of
all the facts Of the case. and stated that
he wanted to feel that the decision had
not been reached under misappre-
hension, and requested him unofficially
to telegraph his government In an in
formal manner inQuiring whether upon
the presenta zion Of all the facts Of Mr.:
Blair's action for the thorough inforlna-
, tion Of the Chinese authorities they
, would be willing to reconsider its de
cision and consider such new facts as
/. might be 50 presented. The minister
! photographed as Mr.. Wharton desired.
He Was Friendly 20 China.
At the suggestion of Mr.. Wharton
! Mr., Blair sent to him summary Of his
record in connection with legislation
upon Chinese immigration in the Forty
seventh and Fiftieth congresses. The
summary reviews at length Mr.. Blair's
|. actions regarding the Chinese question.
bearing upon the objections raised by
|, the Chinese government. Mr.. Blair
! says that his record shows at no time
+ did he abuse China or the Chinese.
! either by word or act, but on the CON
I trary, while opposing, as he always ex-
lpected to, further immigration OF Chi
I nese laborers to this country, he was i
friend OF the Chinese nation in the sen.
!. ate.
On the same date Of his note to Mr..
i Wharton Mr.. Blair sent the following
, letter to the president.
II have the honor hereby to tender
my resignation rs minister of the United
States to China. / have today placed
on file in the department of state the
4 means of disproving the false and scan.
J dalous newspaper reports which have
4 been cited by the Chinese government
: as the reason Of my rejection as persona
4 grata. It would be source of gratif.
5 cation to me If the truth could be made
8 known to the Chinese government and
= to my own oOuntrymen."
o Not Popularity Regarded.
III On the 23d Mr. WhartOn received q
/, note from the Chinese minister stating
+ that he telegraphed his government, as
suggested by Mr.. Wharton in his, con
yersation, and had been instructed to
reply that Mr.. Blair was not popularity
regarded in China; that it may be posi-
BILE some Of the reports sent there may
Z not be all correct, but the Chinese gov
eminent understood, that he had voted
9 for the exclusion act of 1888, and the
4 government had received copies of mis-
q speeches in which he had compared the
9 Chinese IN the United States as yellow
2 fever that the Chinese government
D - .,,,.x1 -,
the matter was not agreeable to the
president, but it is not possible to take
I any other course.
|, Mr.. Wharton forwarded TO Mr. Blair
!. the kilograms received from the Chinese
:. government, and on July he received
message from MIR. Blair withdrawing
J the tender of his resignation as minister
8 to China, and requesting Mr.. Wharton
I to inform the president of his action.
Mr.. Wharton did as requested.
5 On July IS Mr.. Blair wrote Mr..
Z Wharton relative to his rejection as
4 minister to China, and among other
things said:
: "Our interests In China are not likely
!. to suffer by the absence of the minister
. now there resident during the usual
: summer vacation, and the recall of Mr..
J DENLY as an indication that our govern.
E ment is not Indifferent might also serve
! to relieve the situation of all criticism
; from either political party"
{ The Resignation Accepted.
8 On Oct. 6, 1891, President Harrison
0 inclosed the following letter to Mr..
, Blair:
+ Your resignation Of the Office Of en-
voy extraordinary and minister plenipo-
{ tertiary to China was rendered some
time ago, but action upon it has been
deferred for reasons well known to you.
In accepting il / now assure you that II
; has been source of great regret to me
that what believe TO have been mis-
3 understanding has led to an untenable
. objection on the part of China to your
3 acceptance as a resident of this govern
ment. Ihave directed the secretary OF
state to protest to the Chinese govern
ment against the sufficiency OF the OBJ
i0afiovc rIV.ouss,,4s Il -, MI m that