The record-union., 1899-10-20
Minister WI Ting Fang Addresses
the Commercial Congress.
Questions the Policy Of Discriminating
Against Admission Of His CountUmGa.
Declares That China Always Fa-
vors an Open Door to the People
and Trade of Every Country
Without Distinction as to Race
or Color.

Without Distinction as to Race
or Color.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct 19-In his
address before the International Com
mercial Congress Minister Wu Ting
Fang said:
Persons are generally disliked on
account of their Incidence and inn
morality but 1 believe this is the first
instance in the history of the world
that a people are considered as unde-
| sirable and excluded from a country
| because of their industry, perseverance,
honesty and other good qualities China
does not make such invidious diStinc-
! tions. What is open to one nation iS
open to all others. All are equally well
/ come. So far from taking any reta.Iia-
/ tory measure, she is still holding the
most friendly and cordial relations
with the United States, and I hope and
/ trust these relations will long continue.
In view of the certain increase of this
vast trade and commerce between
| China and the United States and in
| view of the unrivaled opportunities
China offers to American capital and
enterprise, the question naturally
/ arises whether it is worth while to
| keep on your statute book a discrim-
mating law against people with
whom it is to your interest to keep and
maintain relations of the most friendly
nature. This is a question for the
merchants, manufacturers, capitalists.
and laborers of this country to decide,
and l am sure they will decide it right
! ly and fairly when the facts are laid
before them
An important statement made by the
! Minister in his address, which met with
unstinted applause, was in reference to
! Chinas position toward the open door
policy of Great Britain and the United
| States, to which policy frequent refer
ence had been made by other speakers.
The Minister said: II will take tl.is
| opportunity to say, by way of a gen.
eral answer to the preceding speakers,
! that China always favors open door"
| China opens her doors to the people
and trade of every country, without
| distinction as to race or color"
! When Minister WI Ting Fang con-
| cluded his address the delegates ap-
plauded him for several minutes.
/ At the conclusion of Minister WI
Ting Fangs address, John Ford OF
I
Asiatic Association, presented a reso-
luton reciting that the exports of
American manufactures to China are
growing in value and volume with q
rapidity unexampled in any other mar
ket that no other market in the world
offers such vast and varied opportuni
ties for the further increase of Ameri-
can products; that those opportunities
are absolutely dependent on the
maintenance of equality of commercial
advantages which treaties made with
the United States secure throughout
the whole of the Chinese Empire; chat
certain foreign Powers seem to show q
disposition to restrict that market to
the advantage of their own citizens,
and the exclusion of others by the
creation of spheres of influence and
that it is resolved as the judgment of
the representatives of American i'll
dustry and commerce engaged in the
China trade here assembled, as dele
gates to the International Commercial
Congress, that an emphatic declard-
ton should be made by the Govern
ment of the United States of it's in
tention to protect to it's fullest extent
rights which it's citizens enjoy under
existing treaties to pursue their trade
in the Chinese Empire.
The resolution was unanimously
adopted.
The Chinese Minister, rising to
point of privilege, spoke as follows:
81 wish to answer one of the speak
ers who made the remark: 1t is al
very fine to say that it is not just to
exclude the Chinese from America, but
China has 40OO0O,0O0 inhabitants, and
if the exclusion law is repealed, Will
not these come to American
II am very glad the question was
asked, so as to give me the opportunity
of answering. The Chinese come here
only from two provinces in Canton.
You never see a Northern Chinaman
here; no men from Shanghai, for In
stance, except in the diplomatic corps.
"These two provinces have a popula-
ton of only about 100000, so that
even should they come, which is mani
festly absurd, it would not be very seri-
ous The total number of Cinnamon
now in America is about 100000. Why
did the people come? Thirty years
ago. when you were constructing your
Western railroads. you sent agents to
China and begged the laborers TO come
here. OF course, others followed their
example later. But had you not done
this, do not believe there would have
been any Chinese laborers here.
These men do not rob You. They
work day and night and make faithful
servants. I admit that they want 10
make a few dollars and go home. but
is not that just what you Americans
who come to China want? | believe
that to get the trade of China 1T IS
worth while to repeal this Objectionable
statute"
Bridge Combine.