Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-28
CHI NESE SIDE GIVEN
Views Of Ng Poon Chew on
the Boycott.
HIS PEOPLE AROUSED
HAVE AN ELECTIVE WEAPON OF
COMMERCIAL WARFARE.
Asserts That This Country is Doing
Itself Great Injustice In Antagoniz-
ing the Future Rulers of China.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Inc newspapers ana several commercial
and other organizations in the east have re-
Gently been wakened up by new specimen
Of the Chinese gentleman, a type that has
never been seen in these parts before. He has
invoked the greatest admiration for his abil-
ity and eloquence. and the forcible manner
in which he has asserted the claims of his
countrymen to the same courtesy and re-
spect that is accorded to other races and
the natives of other countries than China.
His name is Ng Poon Chew. He is COM
monty called Mr.. WI, although he is not re-
lated to the gentleman of that name who
recently was minister to the United States
from China.
Mr.. WI has been amused at some of the
comments that have appeared in the east
ern newspapers concerning his speeches. He
has been called a pagan and a barbarian
and one of the Washington papers printed
al editorial review of his speech before the
recent immigration conference in New York
under the title "Unanswerable Arguments
From Heather" l do not suppose that
any of the writers of these complimentary
articles are aware that Ng Poon Chew is an
orthodox clergyman of the Presbyterian
persuasion, and until recently was pastor of
prosperous church of that denomina ton In
Los Angeles. But he does not appear as
presbyterian or q preacher, but as q mis-
sionary from the heather, who, in their
blindness, expect just and honorable treat
ment from a Christian race which has had
the light of the Gospel and has been taught
the Sermon on the Mount for 1900 years Ng
Poon Chew is devoting a great deal of his
time to the enlightenment of the American
people concerning the doctrine presented In
the Golden Rule. He simply asks that wa
shall 90 unto the Chinese as we would have
the chinese do unto u.s. and warns the peo-
pie of the United States that unless thew
practice what they preach the Chinese NAV.
In retaliation. do unto them what they have
done unto the Chinese.
Clergyman and Journalist.
Nc Poon Chew was born In Canton PROV
ince' seVenty-five miles south of the city
OF that name. and came to the United States
with relatives In 1880 when he was four
teen years old. They settled in San Jose,
Cal, where he went to school three years
and learned English. He continued his
studies until he graduated from the theo-
logical seminary at San Anselno in 1892
ana was ordained as a minister of the
Presbyterian Church. His first and only
Church in Los Angeles and he resigned
that few years ago to establish a daily
paper In the Chinese language in San
francisco. 1t was the first outside of
emma, and Is called Chung -Yat-Po"
which means 1.-The Chinese American DaiIv
Newspaper" 1t is intended to treat public
questions for Chinese readers from the
American standpoint, and has reached a
parts of the country. 1t has been 80 sue
cessful that three other Chinese dailies
have been established since, and he says
they are all doing we'll.
Mr.. Ng Poon Chew very naturally feels
a deep interest In the proposed boycott of
American goods In China, and has taken
the platform 10 discuss that question be-
fore schools, colleges clubs literary cir
cles, commercial and Industrial organiga-
tons, In order to make clear to as many
OF the American people as he can reach
the causes which have led to the boycott
and the means by which 1t may be pre-
vented He recently made a great hit at
the immigration conference in New York
where he spoke on the exclusion policy Of
the United States and presented the Chi
nese side of the case with such force and
etoquence as to attract the attention of
the newspapers throughout the country
and v1talize topic to which the American
people have become Indifferent.
The Chinese Boycott.
The boycott in the hands of the Chi
nese," said Mr.. WI, lis an instrument not
to be despised, and in the present mood of
the Chinese people, caused by the unrea-
sonable and barbarous treatment of travel
ers and students at the hands of the Ameri-
can immigration officials, the sooner 1t is
realized the better. The Chinese may be.
at the present time, deficient in military
tactics, but they are familiar with the
boycott as a weapon of offense and defense
In commercial warfare, 1t will be an effec-
tive weapon in their hands, because thew
are commercially well-organized people.
ana when occasion requires, will act with
the will of one man
The injustice and unreasonableness of
the exclusion which has been In force
against the Chinese people and them onIv
for the past twenty-three years. are he
ginning to dawn upon them, and they are
asking this question: Why does America
admit people OF far more undesirable quail
tiles and shut the door against our people
only? No satisfactory answer could be
given The Chinese know that their gov
eminent reluctantly gave it's consent to the
exclusion of the laboring classes of their
people by the United States for a certain
number of years. Therefore as long as
that agreement existed, they could not with
propriety retaliate, since their own govern
ment was party to that agreement For
twenty-three long years we submitted to
TINS with as much grace as We could but
that agreement expired last year by hmi-
tatlon. The Chinese government was fully
aware OF the sentiment of the people. and
in its effort to conclude a new immigra-
ton treaty with the United States it stroye
haFd to make less humiliating one But
the United States was firm In its stand
Instead Of meeting China halfway, 1t mani
Tested no desire to conclude any treaty at
all, since without a treaty she is better off
and is able to do anything she likes.
1T was the United States" continued Mr..
w. who first urged China to enter into
treaty relations with her, in $685. 1t was the
United States who desired a modification
OF that same treaty in 1880; It was the
United States who totally violated that
treaty in 1888, and it was the United States
who manifested small desire to rearrange
the immigration question on a more just
basis in 1904.
Chinese Thoroughly Aroused.
Now, the Chinese have concluded. since
the United States continues to discriminate
against and boycott our labor, that they
will in turn discriminate against and boy
colt American goods. Had the American
government met China half way and con-
cluded new immigration treaty, as
ranged by the late Secretary Hay and the
Chinese minister, Sir Chen-tung the pres
ent boycott which will ultimately prove
disastrous to America, would never have
been launched. But that arrangement fell
through on account of the bitter and I'M
reasonable opposition the part of the
Department of Commerce and Labor in
Washington, and the consequences of the
present boycott may be rightly laid at the
door of that department.
The longer the boycott exists the wider
1t will spread and the more effective it
Will become The men at the headquar-
tiers of the boycotters are turning out tons
of printed matter on the subject and 1t IS
hnIya ~