Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-12
THE CHINESE BOYCOTT
Legislation May Bring About
Relief.
REMEDY Is IN CONGRESS
No Hope of Negotiating Treaty at
Present.
MIGHT AMEND THE LAW
Secretary Metcalf Believes That
Changes Should Be Made, Elimi-
mating Hardship and Injustice.
MIGHT AMEND THE LAW
by WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

by WILLIAM +. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
1t Is up to Secretary Metcalf to say whether
the boycott of American goods in China
shall be relieved or whether it shall become
permanent He might have prevented 1t
last year had he been willing to accept the
terms of the treaty negotiated between Sec.
rotary Hay and Sir Cheng-tung, which was
referred 10 him for review because 1t related
TO immigration, and that subject comes un-
der the jurisdiction of the Department or
Commerce and Labor. The Chinese gov
eminent took precisely the position that
President Roosevelt advocated in his recent
message, which Is that none but coolies or
laborers shall be excluded from our ports.
Mr. Metcalf was not willing to be so liberal.
and insisted that the persons or professions
that were to be exempt from the exclusion
laws should be defined The Chinese minis
ter would not accept that condition and the
treaty was referred to Mr.. Rockhill with in
structions TO try to persuade the chinese
government to meet Mr.. Metcalfs demands
MIR. Rockhill has not been successful. On
the contrary. he has failed at every point,
and the boycott is the result Na-tung. the
minister of foreign affairs In Picking, not
only refuses to concede Mr.. Metcalrs con-
tention, but he will not make treaty on
any terms unless our government opens the
doors of Hawaii and the Philippines to all
Chinese and makes other concessions that
are impossible
Boycott Getting Worse.
The boycott Is getting worse and worse.
People who have recently arrived from
China and letters which have been received
from there all tell the same story, that
there is practically an embargo against i'm
md tloat
"go-downs," or warehouses;, of importing
merchants are filled with American goods
which they are not able to sell There is no
doubt that the Chinese government and the
several vceroys have done their best to pre-
vent discrimination against American inter
ests, but in every case they have simply
asked for a suspension of hOstilities until
the American Congress could have chance
10 modify the exclusion law. When Con-
gress adjourns, without having done any
thing in that direction, the boycott Will be
renewed, with the permission, if net with
the approval and encouragement. of the
government. The officials at Picking have
informed Mr.. RockhiIl that they are power
less to control the action of the merchants
of their country: that they cannot compel
them to buy their goods in America or any
other country, nor are they able to allay
public prejudice; that the only remedy for
the boycott lies in the Congress Of the United
States, which might exercise some restrain
ing influence OF concIliate the Chinese peo-
pie by friendly legislation. But they warn
Mr. Rockhin that unless our Congress does
something toward modifying the exclusion
law the anti-American movement Will De
beyond their control
Private letters from American merchants
in Shanghai. Canton. Hongkong, TienTstn
and other places accuse Minister Rockhiil
of misrepresenting the situation to the De-
partment of State. They judge him, how
ever. upon newspaper dispatches from
Washington based upon Information given
out at the State Department. The public
have written to the Secretary of State. but
the American merchants of China, assum-
ing that his dispatches have been correctly
given TO the press, complain that Tie has not
told half the story, that he has not repre-
scented the gravity of the situation correct
ly and that ne has altogether too much
confidence in his own influence and the
ability of the mandarins to control public
sentiment. They assert that the boycott is
ten times as extensive as he has represent
ed and that 1t cannot be controlled by the
Chinese government or anybody else unless
our Congress takes some action.
The Chinese Indemnity.
The dispatches from Picking say that Min
lister Rockhill promised Na-tung that bill
would be introduced in our Congress to re-
fund the indemnity paid US by the Chinese
government on account of the Boxer trou-
bles. That is evidently a mistake. Secre-
tary Hay and President Roosevelt were in
favor of waving the unpaid portion of that
indemnity which amounts to about $4,000
600 but Secretary Root does not agree with
them. We have received about 100000
out of $24, 900. 900 allowed, and the rest is to
toe paid in annual inStallments running over
period of thirty years or more. Secretary
Root thinks it is bad policy to waive that
indemnity. He is a lawyer. and is accus-
toned TO reSeryfng his rights. Secretary
Hay was a diplomatist and was so amia-
bic and had keen a conscience that he
was always wanting to do more than right.
Evidently Secretary Root thinks il would
Toe good thing to keep the indemnity 10
trade with. 1t might make the government
officials at Picking good-natured but it
would not touch the sore spot so far the
boycott Is concerned. Prompt concIiatory
action on the part OF Congress by the
amendment of the Chinese immigration
laws as recommended by the President Sec
rotary Metcaif and Commissioner Sargent
would do more than anything else and Sec
rotary Metcalf can secure such legislation
If he viii show the same amount of energy
that Secretary Root is showing in his ef-
forts to reorganize the consular service.
There is no hope for treaty, Na-tung
makes additional demands every time he
and Mr. Rockhin get together on that sub
ject. But If Secretary Metcalf and Com
missioner Sargent will go up to the Capitol
and have heart-to-heart conferences with
the immigration committees they would be
able 10 secure legislation to carry out the
admirable recommendations which uhe Sec
rotary has made in at least two successive
annual reports and which Commissioner
Sargent has been urging ever since he has
been in office.
What Congress Can Do.
Secretary Metcalf says; 1--WE cannot ex-
pect TO establish close commercial relations
with a country against whose people alone
we have an exclusion law. unless that law
be so framed as to do no more than is
necessary for the protection of the United
States. believe there are amendments
which can and properly should be made
10 the present law-amendments which will
In no wise weaken them. but will remove
the injustice and hardship, apparent or ac-
tual, incident TO their administration"
II Secretary Metcalf will go up to the
Capitol and talk that way to the immI-
grafton committees and take Commissioner
Sargent with him, and go early and stay
late, he will undoubtedly be able to con-
vince them of the wisdom of his recon-