The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-01
REGULATIONS AGAINST THE
CHINESE,
CONTINUED from page ID


comment as appeared worthy of serious
consideration. Apart from the fact that
it is out of the question for a DEPART
ment of the Government to undertake
| to reply to many unwarranted criti-
/ eisms of its methods its officials have
! felt it to be the wiser course to depend
upon the faith of the people of this
country in the probity and justice of
the Administration selected by them to
enforce these laws. Certainly it should
require no argument to convince a fair
minded citizen that his proper attitude
towards the Administration is one bas-
ed upon the assumption that it's ac-
ton is governed by law, applied With
a due regard to the principles of nat
ural justice, and rigorous only so far
as necessity requires to prevent viola
ton of law
Secretary Cortelyou then takes up the
criticisms of the Chinese Vice-Commis-
sioner and makes reply in detail to so
much of the article as appears to afford
any ground for belief that the Depart
ment would tolerate a wanton disre
gard of the rights of citizens of China
conceded to them by treaty. The Sec
rotary defines and upholds the regula-
tions and answers the objections made
to them at length. In conclusion he
says:
Tt is impossible within the limits Of
this letter even, if it were proper to do
So to make any comment upon the
conclusions which Mr.. Wong draws
from his Interpretation of the regula-
tons. The. laws enacted by Congress
and approved by the Executive con-
stitute the rules of guidance for admin
4 1;,lI,
the head of a Department exercise the
authority in such laws to adopt suita-
BILE regulations for their enforcement
! and so use such authority as to pre-
vent defeat of the purpose of those
laws. In doing this, however, all adj
ministrative. officers, it is freely adj
mitted, should have due regard to the
natural principles of justice and fair
play. So far rs this Department can
impress this idea upon it's officers it
has endeayored to do so. In those in
stances in which it has had occasion
to believe such officers to be influenced
by undue zeal to exclude Chinese per-
sons it has reminded such officers that
the obligations imposed upon them by
the Chinese exclusion laws were no less
binding with respect to the admission
of such as We're entitled to land upon
the receipt of the evidence of such right
prescribed by law than to exclude those
who Clearly We're not entitled to ad-
mission. It is impossible, as already
stated within the limits of a letter to
treat this subject fully.
The countless instances of impost-
ure. the absence of an appreciation of
the obligation of an oath upon the part
of some of the witnesses, the transfer
of genuine papers and the fabrica ton
of fraudulent ones, the abundant funds
at the disposal of those wEo are in
terested in securing the admission or
Chinese. the palpably false claims to
birth III the United States, the absurd
pretentions to a mercantile status OF
members of firms whose total business
is out of all proportion to the NUMBER
of alleged partners, the ingenious de-
vices of counsel in some instances and
the numerous other obstacles to a just
and effective enforcement of the law
with which the Department and its Of
ficers are continually confronted, are
all a part of the story, complete
knowledge of which is necessary to an
intelligent understanding of what may
appear to the casual observer as I'M
lust or unnecessarily rigorous action
exclusion laws The Department be-
ueves, however. that our citizens would
prefer rather to rely upon the honor
and fair play which should character
ize those who have been selected to en-
force the laws rather than upon deciar.
atfons. from whatever source, that sucf
officers would maliciously and want
only abuse the authority granted then
by this free Government TO defeat the
right of the humblest alien.
This Department was established t.
/ foster promote and develop the for
: eign and domestic commerce,
: and the labor interests of tn
: | United States To this end certain
bureaus were transferred TO its iuris
l diction and certain new bureaus wer
: provided for. Its officials fully realiz
: this paramount purpose, and in its ad
I ninistration they have tried to max
I substantial progress toward that grea
!. end. Tt is confident that thoroug
and impartial investigation Of the rec