The sun., 1894-01-29
NEr lAWs prs1nFn IN OHM.
Protection Demanded for Those who RE-
turn from Foreien Countrirr-Th~y are
Now DespoiIed nv RnnncIous Mnnanrins

Now Despoiisd ny Rnrscious Mandartps
The heads oi the Chinese empire have now
under consideration proposal which II
adopted. will have a great influence over the
1.5O0.0OO Mongolians who are scattered
over the United States Mexico. Chill. the
Straits settlements. Australia. and Hawaii
This proposal Ia nothing less than
the nbroeatlon of the old law which forbids
Chinese to emlerate to any foreign land un-
der severe penalties. These penalties are not
now enforced. but the law is used as a preteNt
by mandarlns and petty officials 10 harass
tho Chinese who return from foreign coun
tries. and frequently to strip them OF all their
property Tho proposal. which is in the form OF
a memorial 10 the throne by Hsueh Fu.ch'en
Chinese Minister to Great Britain and France
Is favorably regarded BY tho Emperor. the
great Vicoroy Ii Hung Chang the Tsuug-le
lAmen. and the Governors Of the maritime
provinces OF South China. Hence. iii is pretty
sure TO be approved In n few weeka.
This memorial has been kept strict secret
and translation OF II has Just appeared. The
Emperor has had II under consideration for
several months. but he did not give IL
out to the scribcs for insertion In tho official
PekinR Gazette Instead he sent copies by
Trustworthy messengers to high officials In
erdcr TO got their opinions on IT, To
overturn Law which has been on the
statute books for $50 years 10 not
an easy matter In China, hut the
memorialst produces such strong arguments
IN support OF the reform which lo advocates
that there will he no difficulty In amending
the obsolete law that has led to SO much hard
ship to thousands oi energetic Chinese.
The memorialist goes back to 1854, the time
present Tartar dynasty, to show the cause Of
the laws that forbade tho emigration
Tho hRcs Illness emrSs mPfs lime o. had "essh Esrn
wasted by war. famine. and pestilence. The
big island Of lyrmosa was in the nands of u
order to subdue the savage ahorgines.
So to preserve his reoble. the Emperor
decreed that nny one who came from
Eormo,a was to be captured and heheaded:
Finally tormosa was sutdued. but pirates AMI
ca continued to harass the maritime prov
inces. SO III lIlS law was rassed prohibiting
any further commerce. or intercourse with the
islands OF the southern ocean. Dispatches
and special envoys were sent out demanding
the extradtion OF all Chinese who had re-;
that these eNisrants, when tax n back to their
oil home. should le decapitated.
The Emperor softened the law by making 1t
apply only to those who wept ABROAD after its
enactment, Ten years later an edict was
abroad. except such as were engaged on spe-
that IN to. lsil no treaties, had becn male
with any foreign power. The treaty OF the
Napking with Great Britain was the entering
with most Of the leading Eur"Iean ,rowcEs
and with tho nited states and Mexico
iects within their borders in exchange Tor
slmilar rights and privileges granted hy
anI nearly every vestice OF the old
inea OF scclnsion. seen in Corsa today; has
been swept away. Ihe m"mor"iiSos words on
by the establishment Of fast steamers and
RAILWAYS the iur;he-t countr ies OF the CLONE
IRE now brought. ~ 1t were, to ouT very door.
and II has become NOR" and more evident
that no "ountry Is now able 10 remain in
ci.:n iUtruIrr. Moreover. the fostering care Of
our patsrnal Government has been the means
that within those 200 years tho great increase
Of our p"rnlntinn has become subject OF
Hence n" ancient laws OF restriction have be-
come Obsolete, as 1t was IMPERATIVE. that the
people sh9H!I hay" GrGTtnnS n spHS" IiS C,r
tsien appointed nsul-General Mt, Sinra-
pore for the reason that he desired Huang
wrongs NJ tho Chinese in the Straits
settlements, The Soas,;i has rrceGtly
Of thc j I.UuO. .00i Chinese in the straits Setti.-
ments. over hall would return to China with
did not lear saointion at the hands OF petty
officials near their old homes. These
p"pnlSton n rO' OF Sinsan1re ] % and 'ss manv othes
places alon. tho straits. They are wealthy,
but a., a"vS retained ths @ SaImesJI res ,1 ana
TO aid the starving in North China last year
they were liberal giycrs.
suffered from the rapacity of local Inandarins
and the demands ~ relatives and reighhors
that theT Will not return unless protection IS
guaranteed. Iho eNactons and blarkmal
ley!ed on these returning lhinese seem incred-
ihlg to foreigners, nutthe Cons sul-Cieneral givnS
numt or ~ VOL atteSt.d instances. in which
rich Chinese from Singapore have been
stripped Of n.l their wealth Lafore they actual
ly reached their homes. Trumped-rp claims
on forged documents have been used rs means
OF dc-po.lmsnt and in no case has the victim
secur d any redress. since even his relatives
conspirea with the law officers to rob him
From this report tho mcmorlaist declares
he IL convinced that alfmillon Chinese. who
have large means. would return to china. were
the old laws abrog ated and new laws PASSED.
assuring the same protection which Is given
to the returned Immigrant In other countries,
the mcmOrIalist suggests that the Tsung-li
lnrren at once devise laws for the protection
Of all hiness who may desire to return homo
from foreign lands.
If these new laws are passed they may have
material bearing on tho Chinese in this couu-
try. Many rich Chinese here would prefer TO
spend their last years Ia China. but they have
been deferred hy lack ot all prot ecton which the
present Jaws afford. In fact. were the laws
adorted. they would GO far to solve the Chinese
profile em. for At least a third Of the MongOlians
In this country would GO back to China. and
every year would see large emigration.