Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-23

Report That Chinese Liberia
tor Is On Way ArouSeS In
ternationaI Question
PROBLEM WILL REQUIRE
WASHING IONS ATTENTION
Under immigration Laws, Ref
ugee Is Probably Affected by
Chinese Exclusion Act

|
DR.. Sun Vat Sen. founder of the
Chinese republic and now a political
| refugee, has suddenly brought to the
front question of international inter
! est with Honolulu as the center of
the difficulty.
The report that DIR. Sun is on his
way to Hawaii has raised a problem
with the local immigration authori-
ties that will require reference to
Washington. Will the great liberia
| tor" land in Honolulu or will he be
refused admittance
The rumor that Dr. Sun will shortly
arrive here On a liner from Japan has
brought the matter up sharply and it
may be stated that the problem is now
under consideration by Inspector in
Charge Halsey, of the federal immi-
grafton station here. While .'eclining
:his morning to discuss the probali
ties, Inspector Halsey said. in re-
sponse to a question by the Star-Bui.
letin, that several knotty points will
come up in case the Chinese revolu-
ZIONIST carries out his intention of re-
turning to Hawaii, where he lived
overthrow the Manchu dynasty.
A problem that involves as weighty
questions and will attract as much
attention as that of the Cipriano Cas-
tro case in New York is the DR.. Sun
case. The two cases are not similar
in many respectss in some respects
the considerations are much the same.
Cipriano Castro, eX-dictator of Ven
ezuela, after Vainly trying to regain
power by heading a revolution, at.
tempted to enter the United States.
The. Ellis island immigration authori.
ties refused him admittan &c ar.l the
case spFank into worldwide notice
In the end Castro was barred under
the provisions OF the law which deny
entrance to aliens guilty of a crime
involving moral turpitude.
Castro was political refugee. So
is DR.. Sun Vat Sen. But so far as
the U. S. immigration authorities are
concerned, it is not known that they
have any information on which to base
a ruling that DR.. Sun is an alien guilty
OF a crime involving moral turpitude.
Furthermore, is DR.. Sun an alien
That is a question that may require
q, decision in Washington. DR.. Sun
was born in Hawaii, thereby being
horn a citizen of the United States |
He went to China and helped set up
the republican form of government. |
Under the federal laws. it is likely |
that he has expatriated himself, and
il so, he is an alien.
Section of the law relating to ex.
patriation. effective March 2. 1901, |
says:
That any American shall be deem. |
ed to have expatriated himself when |
he has been naturalized in any foreign
state in conformity with it's laws, or |
when he has taken an oath of allie
glance in any foreign state" /
Dr. Sun, it will be remembered, |
supported the republic under Yuan
Shih-kai for some time after it was
founded, ard it is believed that he
has eXpatriated himself as an Ameri.
can citizen u1S neaning OF the
statute quote
In that case ne must now be re-
sarded not only as an alien. but as a |
Chinese citizen, and is thus affected
by the Chinese exclusion act. Under
this act. only merchants. students and
travellers are exempt" and allowed
to enter the United States. Had DR..
Sun come here Immediately after the
first revolt. it is possible that he
would have been admitted. the author.
tiles probably taking the position that
as there was then no settled form of
government in China, he could not
have become a Chinese citizen.
When the various questions were
brought up to Inspector Halsey this
he was interested but de
clined to commit himself by express,
ing an opinion as to any course OF
action.
At the Chinese consulate office this
morning it was stated that the consul
had nothing to say on the subject.