Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-05-19

Instead of conveying to congress his
reasons for signing the Chinese exclusion
act, President Harrison has given them
in letter to DIR. Baldwin, secretary of
the Methodist Book Concern. Officials
of ecclesiastical Institutions are not the
usual channels through which the Presi-
dent of the United States communes with
the public upon important affairs. 1t
appears, however, that this letter to Dr.
Baldwin was of private character, in
answer to letter in which the reverend
correspondent of President Harrison had
Indignantly denounced the exclusion act
as ''an outrage"
Whatever may have been the terms Of
private apology of President Harrison
for having signed this act, it is certain
that the measure has incensed not only
the diplomatic representatives of the
Chinese Empire in Washington, but also
several influential religious bodies, who
| fear that the effect of the measure will
be to make the position of American
missionaries and merchants extremely
precarious in China. The representa-
tives of China will have to await the in
structions of their government in regard
to this new complication; but it is not
improbable that in consequence of these
instructions, they will demand their
passports and leave forever land in
which their countrymen are SO inhospit-
ably treated.
The notion of war with China over
this complication is well nigh preposter-
Gus. Yet the authors of this act cannot
have been wholly unmindful of its effect
upon the security of American mission
ary establishments in China, and upon
the future of the trade relations of the
United States with that country. The
American missionaries, who have pene-
trated the interior of China to preach
Christianity to the heather, are hated
quite as much by the Chinese population
as are the coolies in our own land. En-
terprising American merchants and COM
mercial travellers visiting the treaty ports
of China will be apt to find their position
anything but comfortable when engaged
in strenuous competition with European
rivals. Trade, it is true, takes as a rule
little account of political considerations;
but it would be strange if this Chinese
exclusion act, in adding fresh fuel to race
hatred, should not seriously disturb our
commercial relations with the Celestial
Empire. 1t would be strange too, if the
English, German, French and Russian
merchants in China should not eagerly
avail themselves of the opportunity to
promote their own trade by playing upon
Chinese hostility to this country.
1t would be great mistake to imagine
that the Indignation of the Chinese
government over the exclusion act has
Its motive in sympathy for the coolies
who immigrate to the United States
The pride of the Celestials has beer
deeply wounded by measure which
subjects Cinnamon of every degree t.
piO hiooo huhIiiiaoiiB pCoto WiCh phcD
make visit, whether of business ol
pleasure, to this country. What more
natural, then, than that the Chinese
government should better its instruc-
tions, and Danish American merchants
and missionaries in body from its terri
tory? So far from manifesting any
indignation over such barbarism, the
American people could regard it only as
the legitimate consequence of their own
violation of treaty stipulations. In the
situation created by this Chinese exclu-
sion act the most that should be ex-
pected is that the government of China
may be so wise, tolerant and forbearing
as not to initiate the example set by the
government of the United States.-
Record.