Evening star., 1901-11-23
WI TING FANG ERR'S.
Americans Understand the Chinese
Question and China's Minister.

From the Philadelphia North American.
Minister WI Ting Fang is always inter-
esting, often amusingly candid in criticism
If not in statement, and ever a willy special
pleader for his own people. No European
diplomat would venture half so far in scold-
ing as the Chinese minister goes with
out arousing any resentment.
But while We can take his shrewd thrusts
good-naturedly and even enjoy some of his
palpable hits. it is we'll to be on guard
against WI Ting Fang's serious attacks.
His plea for suspension of our policy of ex
Clusion Is less ingenious than ingenious,
and he does not state facts when he says
the Geary law does gross injustice to the
merchants and students of China by prac-
tically debarring them from America" He
says We are 'prejudiced and unreasonable"
that the American people do not under
stand the Chinese question properly" that
the Geary law affects the Chinese without
against the Masses that the Chinese
would not come here in large numbers If
they could, and he denies that Chinese
coolie labor hurts the American working
man.
The Geary law clearly exempts Officials,
merchants, teachers, students and travel
ers. and thus does discriminate in favor
OF the classes. They are not debarred from
America. either theoretically or practically
as Minister Wu knows perfectly well. He
complains that the Interpretation put upon
InG law Dy immigration OIllclalS makes 1t
almost impossible for these people to get
in, even though equipped with all the res
QUirementS Of the law. The truth Is that
thousands of coolies have attempted to slip
In as students or merchants" and that
something more than mere strict interpre-
tatiou Of the law has been found necessary
to keep them out One party of eighty pre-
sented at San Francisco students - GER
titicates signed by the Portuguese consul at
Macao, and every man In the lot was a
coOlie under contract as laborer The Pa
elf mail dock in San Francisco has been
crowded for months at a time with coolies
armed with students or merchants GER
titicates whom the officials had detected
and ordered deported. The TRANSPORTATION
companies knowingly aid and encourage
these frauds for the sake of the profits In
passage money, and the government has 10
watch them as closely as il watches the
Chinese If genuine student or merchant
gets caught IN such company once in a
" ~hile 1t Is his fault and not the laws
Minister WI can hardly expect the Amer
lean people to admit that, after a quarter
OF a century of study and half a century of
practical experiment. they do not under
stand the Chinese question. California un-
dcrstands 1t thoroughly to her sorrow The
American people also understand Minister
WI rather better than he thinks they do,
and they do not overlook his argument that
unrestricted Chinese immigration would
make business for steamship lines and rail-
ways They may be "prejudiced'' against
his people. but this happens to be their
country, and they have the right to keep IT
Tor themselves and their descendants-a bet
ter right than Mr.. Wu's government had to
Pekn. :, =
But Minister WI hits upon the kernel of
the whole question when he says:
probably IL We adopted your methods
your habits and mode of living there would
De nothing said about our presence"
nat sums up the objections Of America
10 Shinese immigration. The Chinaman