Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-17
ADMISSION OF CHINESE
QUESTION AS TO THE ISSUE OF
CERTIFICATES.

| Sir Cheng Tung LangCheng, the Chinese
| minister, has taken issue with Representa-
| tive DENLY of Michigan the question Of
the responsibility for the issuance of fraud
ulent certificates of admission to the United
States. Mr.. DENLY 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 these certificates were found to be fraud
ulent was pretty fair evidence Of the fraud
of the Chinese officials.
To this charge the Chinese minister has
replied in a letter which has been made
part of the record in these hearings. Dur
ing 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 provinces OF Kwangtung
or Fukien, to Chinese subjects departing
for the United States, the Philippines or
Hawaii; that the emigration from all other
provinces is insignificant, and that 527 GER
tifcates represent the total number issued.
However. he says the figures of the immi-
grafton service for these years show the
total number of applicants for admission
bearing certificate numbers $500. The num-
Der bearing certificates from the Chinese
government is. he says. but per cent of
the total number seeking admission.
Origin of the Other Certificates.
Where did the 90 per cent get their GER
tifcates?" he asks. and then proceeds to
answer the question by stating that under
the regulations of the immigration service
officials in the following countries are per-
mitted to issue these certificates: Van
couver, Victoria. New Westminster, Ottawa,
| Cuba. German protectorate Of Riautchou.
Guatemala. Hawaii. Hongkong, Japan.
Hokkaido, Formosa. Mexico Philippine
Islands, Portuguese province of Macao.
Society Islands Straits Settlement, Trini-
dad, and Venezuela. The minister then COM
ments follows:
None of these officials has been author
lied by the Chinese government to issue the
required certificates, and none Is subject
to the control of the Chinese government,
When Mr.. DENLY says that China is the
most tfagrantly guilty party in this matter
does he mean that the above-named coun-
tries are parts of the Chinese empire, and,
therefore. the officers of those countries are
Chinese officials? l am willing to give him
credit for a better knowledge of geography
than that. But is there any evidence that
Chinese officials have ever issued any fraud
ulent certificates?
During the three years / have been in
this country as the diplomatic representa-
tive OF the Chinese government no case of
this character has ever been brought off,
cially to my notice, to the best of my recol-
lection. The inference Is, therefore, plain
that Chinese officials cannot be blamed for
frauds of this kind. Consequently consider
the intimation of Mr.. DENLY that but for
{
there would have been "a traffic in bringing
in Illegal Chinese which would have en-
riched thousands of officials. and our coun-
try would have been overrun with them as
II there had been no exclusion law, as an
emanation from fertile imagination rather
than a trustworthy judgment founded on
cold facts"
Representative DENLY Replies.
Representative DENLY. who Is a member
OF the foreign affairs committee. made
this statement last night:
1T was to have been expected that his
excellency would not admit that the Chinese
officials have been guilty OF fraud, because
he is the Chinese minister. Ny statements
were based on facts and fair differences.
Every assertion can be easily proved. The
minister's statement is painfully though
hope Internationally. misleading. The rec
ords of the bureau of immigration show
conclusfvely that during the period referred
TO $50 applicants bearing certificates issued
In China by Chinese officials presented
themselves at various ports in the United
States. win the minister admit that $3.50
certificates not reported to him were
fraudulent? He becomes the best witness
in proof of my assertion
THE minister also says that there were
GEO admissions and reflections at San
Francisco during the three years, and asks
where the others got their certificates. Is
It possible that his excellency does not
know that most of those persons did not
have or require any certificate from China
or other foreign government? They were
persons who WERE or claim to be. native
born Americans or other citizens, return
| ing laborers, returning merchants, mer-
chants wives, merchants children. etc.
The Charge Repeated.
Applicants with section Q certificates
numbered only 1.245, and those are the
| only ones with whom this statement deals.
as they were the only ones who had GER
tificates issued by foreign governments. OF
| these l.245 certificates S95 were Issued In
China. and the balance by officials In other
| countries, The reflections were AT In all,