The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-11-21
THE NEW CHINESE ELL.
The Photograph Provision and the Decls
ration Concerning Merchants.

The Photograph Provision and the Decla-
ration Concerning Merchants.
The senate of the United States on the
day before its adjournment passed the
act for the amendment of the Geary ex-
clusion law precisely as it came from
the house. In view of this decision and
of the overwhelming majority which the
measure had received in the house, 1T
must stand as the matured expression OF
the Judgment of the representatives OF
the American people as a whole.
1t is rather noteworthy that while the
period of extension granted to the Chi
nese for registration is six months after
the enactment of this new law, the time
will expire during the first week of next
NAV, or almost exactly one year after
the period fixed in the original Geary
act. That year will have taught much
to our Monaghan fellow residents, and
they may be expected to avail themselves
almost to a man of the privilege now ac-
corded by congress.
The new law requires of the applicant
a photograph, and this provision has
sometimes been stigmatized as import
ing rogues' gallery methods into its ex-
ecution. This criticism Is not sound.
Many railroads, as was pointed out in
the house debate, in giving their most
favored customers the privilege of what
are known as 1000 mile tickets for low
er price than ordinary mileage rates, re-
ouire that upon such ticket shall be
placed not only the purchasers name,
but his photograph, in order that no.
body else may use it. Most of those
persons who had season tickets OF free
admission to the Chicago fair were in
like manner obliged to attach their pho
tographs to the tickets. In these and
similar cases the purpose is not humiha-
ton, but Identification, so that privileges
granted may not be misused by persons
who come wrongly into possession or
them. That is exactly the case with the
Chinese, and there is nothing else in the
requirement of photograph for the GER
tihcate of protection.
Another important new feature OF the
amendment act is that which defines the
word merchant" as used in the Geary
law. No one can question that 1t Is bet
ter to have precise description Of what
is intended by this term than that 1t
should be left to conjectural interpreta-
ton outside of the lawmaking power.
A merchant is now declared to be, for
the purpose of this act, "a person en-
gagged in buying and selling merchandise
at a fixed place of business, which bust
ness is conducted in his name, and who,
during the time he claims to be engaged
as a merchant, does not engage in the
performance of any manual labor, ex-
cept such as is necessary in the conduct
of his business as such merchant" This
does not appear to be an unjust definition,
or one unduly strained for the purpose of
excluding persons from the status OF
merchants who are fairly entitled to 1t.
But however that may be, the words
thus used in the amended act are direct
ly drawn from similar definitions, either
in preceding Chinese exclusion acts or
in existing treasury decisions interpret
ing those acts and establishing rules for
their execution. York Sun.