The times., 1899-09-24
FOR FEAR OF OUTBREAKS
Oils Reasons for Excluding the
Seven Hundred Chinese.
Two Factions of CeIestiais in the
Philippines Frequent Fights
of Riots - Unrestricted Emigrn
tion Might Cause More Trouble.

The Administration, despite reports TO
the contrary. is cordially supporting Gen
eral Otis in his application of the Chinese
exclusion law to the Philippines. General
Otis has made a full explanation of his
reasons for preventing Chinese. from land
ing in the archipelago and his report was
fully discussed at Fridays Cabinet meet
ing in connection with the application OF
the Chinese Government, through its diplo-
matte representative in Washington, to
make an exception in the case of about 100
Chinese who are OIL board a steamship at
Manila. After the Cabinet had considered
the entire matter, the President directed
the Secretary of War to send instructions
to General Otis, which did not, however,
direct him to rescind his order, so far as
the zoo Chinese mentioned were concerned.
1t was learned yesterday that Secretary
Root merely instructed General Otis to
consider the case of these 700 Chinese as
separate and distinct from the general ex-
clusion order, and left to the discretion of
General Otis whether they should be ad-
mitted or excluded. These instructions
were the outgrowth of certain extenuating
circumstances in the case at issue. 1t was
represented by the Chinese Minister that
his 700 countrymen had paid their passage
to Manila without the knowledge that Chi
nese were excluded from the Philippines,
and that they would dose this money ii
General Otis did not permit them to land
at Manila.
Something was learned yesterday about
the reasons of General Otis in applying the
exclusion act to- ethe territory, within his
| Jurisdiction. The reasons were entirely mil
itary, General Otis explained, and the Pres
! ident and the Cabinet, at their session Fri
day, decided that General Otis was acting
entirely within his rights in issuing his
order. 1t appears from his explanation that
there are two factions of Chinese in the
| Philippines. One of these consists of the
/ Chino Mestizos who have resided in the
! Philippines for great many years, and
have intermarried with the Filipinos, or are
the descendants of Chinese and Filipino
marriages. The other faction is composed
of native born Chinese. There have been
frequent fights between these two classes,
which have sometimes been bloody and as
sumed the propoftionsT OF serious riots.
With unrestricted Chinese emigration per-
mitted, the chances of more rioting be-
tween the two factions were very great
| General Otis has taken every precaution
| to prevent another Filipino outbreak in the
| city, and the exclusion of Chinese was in
accordance with that policy. 1t was feared
| by the military authorities in the Philip
pines that the admission of a large number
of Chinese subjects might result in another
bloody factional fight, and this would af-
ford the opportunity for another attempt on
| the part of the Tagal residents of the eapi-
| tai TO burn the city and massacre the Amer
| leans. This position of General Otis is
sustained by the Administration and every
question growing out of his exclusion order
viii be left for settlement entirely TO his
discretion.