The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-04-17
CHINESE MINISTER.
 CONTRADICTS DENLY
ISSUANCE OF FRA UDULENT CEE- TIFICATES OF TO
 UNITED STATES.

Sir Chentung Liang Cheng Denies Guilt
 of Chinese OfitciaIs--Many Other
 Places Besides Points in China Where
 Charges of the Congressman as Emil
 hating From a Fertile Imagination
 Rather Than Trustworthy Judg-
 ment Founded on Cold Facts.
 Washington, April 16.-Sir lChentung Liang-Cheng, the Chinese minister, has taken issue with Representative Denby of Michigan, on the question of the re- sponsibility for the issuance of fraudu- lent certificates of admission to the United States. Mr. Denby stated to the house committee on foreign affairs during the hearings on the Foster bill amending the exclusion act, that the fact that so many of those certificates were found to be fraudulent, was pret- ty fair evidence of the fraud of the Chinese officials.
 To this charge the Chinese minister has replied in letter which has been made part of the record in these hearings. During the three years he has been in charge of the legation here, the minister says he has a record of every certificate which has been issued in the province of Kwangtung or ku- kien, the Chinese subjects departing for the United States, the Philippines or Hawaii; that the emigration. from all other provinces is Insignificant, and that 527 certificates represents the total number issued. However, he says the figures of the immigration service for these three years shows the total num- ber of, applicants for admission bearing certifcats number 6,5O0 The number bearing certificates from the Chinese government is, he says, but eight per cent, of the total number seeking ad- mission.
 Where did the 92 per cent. get their certlicates?" he asks and then pro- ceeds to answer the question by stating that under the regulations of the im- migration service, officials in the fol- lowing places are permitted to issue these certificates: Vancouver, Victoria, New Westminster, Ottawa, Cuba, Ger man protectorate of Kiatchou, Guate- mala, Hawaii Hong Kong, Japan, Hok- kaido, Formosa, Mexico, Philippine Is- lands Portuguese province of Maco, Society Islands, Straits Settlement, Trinidad and Venezuela.
 The minister then comments as fol- lows:
 None of these officers have been au- thorized by the Chinese government to issue the required certificates, and none are subject to the control of the Chi nese government. When MT. Denby says that China is the most tiagrantly guilty party in this matter. does he mean that the above named countries are parts of the Chinese empire, and therefore the officers of those countries are Chinese officials? 1 am willing to give him credit for a better knowl- edge of geography than that. But is there any evidence that Chinese off, cials have ever issued any fraudulent certificates?
 During the three years l have been in this country as the diplomatic rep. resentative of the Chinese government no case of this character has ever been brought officially to my notice, to the best of my recollection. The inference is therefore plain that Chinese officials cannot be blamed for frauds of this kind. Consequently I consider the inti- nation of Mir. Denby that but for the vigilance of the immigration officers there would have been traffic in bringing in illegal Chinese which would have enriched thousands of officials and our country would have been over- run with them as If there had been on exclusion law as an emanation from a fertile imagination rather than q trustworthy judgment founded on cold facts.'