The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-28
TO SOOTHE CHINA
TRYING TO AVERT A
 BOYCOTT OF AMERICAN TRADE.
Law Not Clear EnOugh--COngress VIII Be Asked to Make the Changes Needed to AIIay the Hostility
 of the Chinese.

Washington Special to Chicago Tribune.
 President Roosevelt has adopted two measures to prevent the boycott of American goods by Chinese merchants. Instructions have been sent to MT. Coolidge. the American Charge d'af- faires in Pekin. to protest against gov ernmental activity in this connection, and to urge that Wal Wu Pu (the Chi- nese foreign office) set its face against any policy of this character. The Pres ident also has determined to insert an earnest recommendation in his forth coming message that the law relating to Chinese exclusion. the strained inter pretation of which made by the Bureau of Immigration is responsible for the attitude of the Chinese. be clarified so that the higher classes shall not be humiliated when they come. to this country. Preliminary to such action, he has given stringent orders to the Department of Commerce and Labor that care shall be taken in the treat ment of Chinese so that no unnecessary hardship or insult shall be suffered by them.
 American Trade in Danger.
 President Roosevelt's attitude un- doubtedly will do much to prevent the crippling of American trade with Chi na. which, in the opinion of all com potent observers, was bound to follow the action of the Chinese merchants at Shanghai in holding mass meetings as mark of their disapproval of the ex- clusion policy of the United States. The Shanghai merchants control the trade of the rich Yangtse Valley, which England always has claimed as her sphere of influence.
 That these merchants are not alone in their objection to the policy pursued by this Government in excluding their aI aA con iq ehn hxy the following dispatch received from Consul Lay, who Is stationed at Can ton :
 "A mass meeting of Chinese mer- chants. held here yesterday, decided to boycott American goods because of ex- clusion. Another mass meeting tomor- row and a third on 27th.' Canton Is the entrepot for Southern Chinese trade with the United States. Unless the Chinese Government directly orders no further meetings of this character and 1t Is not likely to take any such action. other mass meetings will be held at TIentsin, which is the northern port of entry for American goods.
 Situation Is Serious.
 It is evident the situation Is serious and that the representations which have been made by Sir Chentung Lians Cheng, the Chinese minister, have inn pressed officials here with the fact all the people of his country are in entire sympathy with the action of the shan ghaf merchants. Ee has assured Act ing Secret~ry of State Loomis that so far as possible the Government will seek to prevent a boycott. But" he Is quoted as saying. "the Chinese peo- ple are in earnest in this matter. Your exclusion act is humiliating. They would prefer to pay huge indemnity or surrender a slice of territory rather than be insulted and me1aced as they are by the attitude of the United States"
 The menace. 1t has developed. arises from the apprehension of the Chinese | that other nations will follow the ex- ample of the United States.
 | China's Real Grievance. | In the representations which the Chi nese Government has made to the Pres ident and the State Department empha- sis has been laid upon the fact that | there is no opposition on the part of the Chinese Government or the Chinese | people to the exclusion of laborers. | whether skilled or unskilled, the feel | ing exists that China can enter no ob- faction to prohibition of their entry into | American territory. But, on the othel hand she believes she Is perfectly jus tiled in protesting and enforcing hel protest in the only way left her agains what she considers the violation of th. lstipulations of existing treaties between liner and the United States. She know inc United States win not Igo to wa