The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-24
ARGUED FOR CHINESE
FOSTER BEFORE IMMIGRATION
 Co1I1GITTEE.
Commissioners %owdsrly Says State. ments of Minister Wu Regarding Ill-treatment of Chinese by
 Agents Are Untrue.

Washington, Jan. 1.--Ex.Secretsry of State John W. Foster appeared before the Senate Committee on Immigration to- day and spoke in opposition to the Chi nese exclusion bills which have been in- troduced in Congress. His remarks were directed particularly to the Mitchell, or Pacific coast bill. which. he said. was a plain violation of our treaty with China. .
 Mir. Foster said that our Government had four times asked China to modify existing treaties in the interest of Amer fcan citizens, and that in every instance China had acceded to the request He then submitted for the consideration of the committee three propositions
 The first was that any law passed by the present Congress which continues the exclusion of Chinese laborers beyond 1904 would not only be without interna- tional authority. but would be In viola ton of treaty stipulations. He said that during the negotiations resulting in the treaty of 1894, the United States sought to have the exclusion of Chinese laborers extended to twenty years. and that the Chinese Government refused to make 1t for more than ten years. He also insist ed that when the treaty of 1894 came to an end, the Burifngame treaty stipulated for the free and unrestricted immigration of Chinese of all classes into the United States.
 His second proposition was that the ex- clusion laws be not applicable to all our insular possessions, and said the Ha- waiian Islands presented the exact state of affairs which was contemplated by the American negotiators of the exclusion treaty when they gave the assurance that to such condition of affairs the ex- clusion laws would not apply when all the interests of the islands asked for Chinese immigration and the local au- thorities agreed that 1t would not In any way affect white labor.
 Mir. Fosters third proposition was that the existing exclusion laws and the lesis- lation proposed are>in clear disregard of treaty stipulations. He cited the pro- vision of the treaty of 1894, which guar anteed to all Chinese in the United States the treatment accorded the most favored nations, and the provisions of treaties with such nations guaranteeing to them the same treatment as to the protec- ton of their persons and property as that enjoyed by native citisens.
 Mir. Foster read from the remarks of Minister wu before the Committee on Foreign Relations last session, in which he spoke of the indignities and humilia- tons alleged to have been suffered by some of his people at the hands of our immigration officers.
 Major General O. O.. Howard said he en- dorsed all that Mir. Foster stated.
 Senator McLaurin (Miss) asked MT. Foster if Mir. wu's statements were not ex parte. Mir. Foster responded that the statements had not been contradicted by the Secretary of the Treasury or the Commissioner of Immigration, and that those officers either did not, give credence to them or failed In their duty.
 MT. powderly said the matter referred to by Mir. Foster had been investigated and found to be without a scintilla of truth. Mir. Powderly brought to the com mittee room. in custody of a United States marshal, two alleged Chinese mer- chants wio he said, were fair samples or the 'merchants Minister Wu had re- ferred to. Through an interpreter, the prisoners, Lee Sang and Chan Ling. ad- mitted they had entered the United States in 1897 on forged certificates alleging that they were merchants
 Richard K. Campbell, a Chinese inspec- tor, said that in his opinion, there were 100 900 Chinese in the United States who were admitted on false certificates. Mir. Foster contended that there were only @, 900 Chinese in the United States, but Mfr Campbell stated that the depart ment's information was that the Chinese in this country numbered at least 300. 900. The committee will further consider the subject next Monday.