The Colorado statesman., 1905-04-29
CHINESE TREATY FAILS
PRESENT LAW TO BE ATTACKED
sions-Former Minister WI Ting
Fang Has a Say in the Matter.

rang 1aS a Gay IN the Matter.
Washington, April 27.-Negotiations
between the United States and China
| tion of Chinese to this country have
practically been abandoned.
1t has been found impossible by the
representatives of the two govern
ments to reach a common ground of
agreement as to many of the terms of
the proposed treaty. The whole sub
| ject, therefore, is being held in abey
ance until w. w. Rockhill, the recently
appointed minister to China, shall ar
rive in Pekin.
1t is expected that he will take up
the matter directly with the Chinese
government in an effort to reach such
an adjustment of the tangle as may be
| satisfactory to both governments.
When Wu Ting Fang was minister
of China to this capital he made an ex-
! haustive study of the Chinese immigra-
tion question, ascertaining precisely,
among other things, the American
point of view.
He maintained consistently the in
justice of the restrictions thrown by
| this government around the immigra-
tion of Chinese, but was unable to ac-
complish anything in the way of lower
ing the barriers during his Sojourn
| here.
! In China he is now in a position to
make it difficult. if not absolutely i'm
possible, to negotiate a treaty unless
the convention shall have incorporated
t,, .tatv lot fN xxr1,i io1, n
Chinese government contends. China
is anxious to obtain in the proposed
treaty liberal definitions of the terms
merchants" travellers" and stud
ents," in order to relieve such classes
from embarrassment on their arrival
in the United States. These classes
are now admitted to the country, but
the restrictions thrown around their
entrance are severe. The immigration
authorities urge the necessity for such
restrictions because of the issuance
by Chinese officials, in many instances,
of fraudulent certificates indicating
that coolies are students" or "mer-
chants" and as such are entitled to ad-
mission. These certificates have to
be passed upon by the United States
consuls in China, but they necessarily
have to take the word of the Chinese
officials for the applicants social
standing, as they have neither the time
nor the appropriation to make per
sonal investigation of each case.
Sir Chen Tung Liang Cheng, the
Chinese minister, has been informed
frankly that much of the trouble exper-
fenced by merchants and students
arises from the action of the Chinese
officials in issuing certificates that re-
quire investigating here.
When tentative draft of the pro-
posed treaty was prepared some time
ago, it was laid before the immigration
officials of the Department of Com
merce and Labor A considerable part
of it did not meet with their approval
The suggestions they made did not suit
sir Chen Tung Liang Cheng, who de
clined to agree to some of the PROPOSE
tions made by them. That brought the
negotiations practically to an end and
there they will probably remain until
Minister Rockhill shall reopen them in
China.
An intimation is given in official cir
cles that the law as it stands at pres
ent may be open to attack. If the al
tack upon it should be made by some
of the numerous organizations in this
country interested in Chinese immigra
ton, and carried to the Supreme Court
of the United States, the result, in the
absence of a treaty on the subject
probably would be flood of Chinese
immigration to the United States.