The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-16
WI Ting.fang and John Smith.

1t must be the Hon. WI TINd-FANG
who has plotted out the second retalia-
tory measure in the Chinese campaign
against American Chinese exclusion
the scheme to hold up all American
passengers at Chinese ports, fumigate
them and determine their fitness to
enter the country. 1t must have been
Chinese mind Fingered up with Ameri-
can humor which laid out that beautiful
scheme in all its subtle logic.
Doubtless the Hon. WI T1NG-FANd
would like to go as far in this matter as
the Americans have gone; perhaps when
a more enlightened Government sits in
Pekin he will be able to spring Roland
for every American Oliver.
Imagination travels forward to that
happy time Of great justice. Mr.. JOHN
SMITH of Broadway and Fifth avenue,
tea importer runs over to China to take
a look at his Shanghai branch. Com
bining business with pleasure, he takes
his wife and daughter along for the trip.
At Shanghai the imperial immigration
authorities hold him up. They ask for
his passports. He is down as a mer-
chant. The intelligent inspector no.
tees, however that the name on the
papers is SMITH. That name SMITH has
occurred great many times on the
papers of American coolies; and for the
safeguard of Chinese labor the authori
ties decide to hold this SMITH. He is
put in the detention pen, where con-
tract cook feeds him his native dishes
at a contract price of so cents day.
His wife and daughter are put in the
women's pen. There is nothing else to
do with them; besides he may be bring
ing them into China for immoral pur-
poses. The PAX Hust Tong has called
attention to the increasing importation
of American women for that purpose.
Also the suspicious name SMITH is on
their papers as we'll, and, most suspicious
fact OF all, JOHN SMITH cannot produce
a marriage license.
The agent and employees OF SMITHS
Shanghai house come down and make
roar. They are willing to swear that
SMITH is a genuine merchant. But that
doesn't count. American testimony is
traditionalv unreliable. The immigra-
ton inspectors of Shanghai must have
some more tangible evidence than that
before they can admit this SMITH to be
a menace to free Chinese labor.
So SMITH lies in the detention pen and
lives at the contract rate OF so cents a
day. His companions are four Italian
American railroad laborers and Bow
cry thief. The companions Of Mrs.
SMITH and Miss SMITH are even less
pleasant. Every few days a special
writer for the Shanghai and Nankin
native press drifts in to do picturesque
special Sunday story-with pictures
about the horrors of the American de-
tention pen. On these occasions the i'm
migration official who guards the gate
seizes Mr.. SMITH by the ridiculous wisp
of hair which he wears instead of pig
tail and kicks him into a standing posi-
ton so that he may have his features
extracted. While doing so he calls Mr..
SMITH a "fank-wai," That is the Chi
nese reverse English for damn Chink"
After two months of investigation Mr..
SMITH is brought into court. There is
really nothing to prove that he ia any
thing but a merchant; and so, very re-
luctantly-for the officials get unpopular
with the laboring class if they pass too
many Americaps--Mr, SMITH regains
his wife and daughter and is turned
loose to enjoy China.
OF course, this doesn't happen just
now-in China. 1t Is probable that it
never will happen.