Evening journal., 1901-12-09
Will SON GIVES INTERESTING
VIEWS ON CHINA AND CHINAMEN

The Presidents message is in ac-
cordance with THE popular require
ments of the day. 1t voices the
opinion of the people. | consider it a
very wise thing to prevent the people
of Orienta, countries intermixing with
the people of the United States. Gen.
eral James II. Wilson, on that part
of the message referring to Chinese
emigration.
There probably is not a man in the
United States so well informed on
China and Chinese affairs as General
Wilson. In 1885 he went to Chlna and
spent a year. lacking three weeks, in
the "FlOwery Kingdom" He made
comprehensive study of the country
and the people, and upon his return to
this country wrote a book of intense
interest as the result of his visit and
investigations.
At the close OF the recent war in
Spain, in which he took part, General
Wilson was assigned to the command
OF the department of Matanzas and
Santa Cara, in tine Island of Cuba
with headquarters in the city of Ma
tanzas. 1t was while there that he
learned of the approaching crisis in
China, and, thinking that the informa-
ton gained during his travels and in
vestigations might be of some use to
the Government, ne cabled the Adiu-
tant-General, Offering his services to the
War Department. That was early in
June, 1900, and on July q, Of the same
year, General Wilson was ordered by
the War Department to merge his com
mand into that of Havana and Pinar
del Rio, directing him to turn it over
to the command of General Fitzhugh
Lee, and to proceed to New York.
thence to China to report to MAJOR
General Chaffee.
Immediately upon his arrival in
Pekin, General Wilson was assigned by
General Chaffee to- the command of tbe
American troops, and to the sections OF
both the Tartar and Chinese cities oc-
cupied by them. During the two
months of his stay in the Chinese capi-
tan, General Wilson was active in the
work of restoring order, policing the
streets and inducing the people to re-
sumo their peaceful pursuits.
Having finished the duties assigned
to him, General Wilson was relieved
from further duty at Pekin and order
ed back to the United States. He ar
rived in San Francisco on December
! of last year, after an absence of four
months.
When asked regarding the Chinese
exclusion act, General Wilson said:
Whether it has had the effect of
preventing an influx of cheap labor OF
not, | do not know. 1t certainly has
in some cases, as in railroad hands,
gardeners, and that class. But a great
many Chinese are cooks and servants
and they have shown no desire to work
at lower prices than a corresponding
class Of Americans.
There seems to bo a desire on the
part of some to exclude travellers. mer-
chants, students and THE gentry gem
orally of China, which is all wrong
Congress should carefully discriminate
between the classes. AS a general thing
the Chinese are a very orderly. well
behaved people, and while the natives
far out in the interior are full of curl.
osity, they generally are not disposed
to be rude and impolite. I have beer
told by many missionaries who were
compelled Ito leave their missions. THAI
they found that the Chinese peopl,
would take their part and would Civ,
them succOr and assist them in gettinl
out of the country.
81 understand THAT Congress will re
enact the law which provides for tlheii
exclusion / should dbevery glad to have
the distinction made between the ordi
nary class of labOring men, and th'
gentry and scholars
"Chinamen at home are Of a bette
class than those who come to th'
United States. A great many of thos'
lOf a higher order Of intelligence live il
central and northern China. ThOs
from Canton are of a lower vitalit.
i degree, but possess much the sam
morals and characteristics of othe
Cinnamon.
After seeing the Chinese peopl
under all conditions of life. and il