September 18, 1903.]
The wind went nearly round the compass, starting from N. W., then N. N. E., N. E., gradually turning round to S. E., and finishing at S. S. E. The damage done afloat was insignificant. Ashore there were few native habitations which escaped damage of one sort or another. Of the foreign buildings the German Consulats again suffered most, being constructed of light materials. A section of
the wall outside the French School as well as a
portion of the French ost Office wall were laid flat on the ground. Trees near the upper residences suffered considerably.
PUBLIC HEALTH,
The health of the pòrt at present is good. Fortunately it is ro, as we have only one medical gentleman-Dr. Abuticci-remaining, to attend us. Dr. Heorder, having been in delicate health lately, bas left for your port to recruit his health, and probably will stay over until next month. Work that is admittedly too much for two men to manage is thus left for one to do,
THE BOYCOTT.
Nothing very startling has transpired in connection with this insipid movement, except that wild rumours are afloat that the American flour contains poison of some kind, and that peo- ple who partake of it get sick. Hundreds of bags sent to Ampow, in Koochow Prefecture, weeks ago, were returned the other day. It is time that the authorities ought to put a stop to this slander. The natives may be at liberty to buy what they choose with their money, but they cannot invent stories to the detriment of foreign commerce.
RIOT AT Α ΜΟΥ.
"IPHIGENIA" BUSY: SEVERAL CASUALTIES,
Placards were exhibited some time ago on all the walls of Amoy city, threatening a general strike from work and the closing of all sllops, to take place on the 1st of the Chinese moon (30th August). The British Consul, on learn- ing this, sent a telegram to the Hongkong Naval Authorities for a British war vessel to come at once, as it was feared that a riot would occar, and the naval authorities at Hongkong dispatched the oruiser Iphigenia, being the only vessel available, and she came into port on Monday, the 28th ult., to protect the British and foreign interests.
It was blowing pretty stiffly on the 29th and all the steamers and the cruiser went out for shelter.
On the 30th of August all the shops were closed, and the streets of Amoy were bare, as on Chinese New Year's day. The Bund was full of Chiness and the trouble commenced at about 9.30 a.m. by the small boys throwing stones at the Custom House and the employees of the Customs began to drive them away with sticks and stones, so that a riot ensued and all the furniture and windows in the Harbour Master's office were broken and all the gigs were smashed to pieces and thrown into the sea. The rioters were trying to rush into the Customs office to ran- sack the place and employees of the Customs had to resort to arms; this resulted in the killing of five men and wounding of about nine men. The British orniser came inside and landed about forty marines to quell the disturbance. When the picket-boat came alongside the jetty, all the rioters, over one thousand in number, made their escape and the Bund became deserted. The Chinese officials and soldiers appeared during the turmoil, but they could not do anything and the Chinese Taotai received a severe out on the head with a stone; he had to go into his chair and made his escape.
It is quite evident that the presence of the British craiser Iphigenia was needed, as had it not been for her, the Custom House buildings would have been destroyed by the rioters, and something more serious would have happened in the British Concession.
All the steamers left without taking or receiving any cirgo on the 30th. The British India str. Pundua arrived on that day and all the Chinese passengers landed and went away of their own accord without being examined by the Customs. Several shops were opened for transaction of business next day. The Bund is guarded day and night by the marines from the Iphigenia. Everything is now very quiet. Business is very slack now and some steamers are lying idle in harbour on account of the strike.-N. C. Daily New.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
BOYCOTT DISCUSSION AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
andum of a conversation" held in the presence
The following was sent to us as a "memor of Sir Matthew Nathan, Governor of Hongkong, between Mr. Taft Secretary of War of the United States, and the following Chinese gen- tlemen residing in Hongkong Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, Hon. Wel Yuk, Messrs. Fung Wa Chun, Lau Chu Pak, Ku Fai Shea and Leung Pui Chi.
Mr. Taft.-Gentlemen, I am very glad to see you. His Excellency, Sir Matthew Nathan, has been good enough to ask you to come here in order that I may discuss with you the situation with respect to United States trade in the pro- vince of Canton and generally in China in view of the threatened boycott of United States manufactures. I am advised that trouble has arisen out of a feeling of a sense of injustice on the part of Chinamen genera ly with respect to the enforcement of the exclusion laws in the United States. I ought to say that those exclu- sion laws are directed solely against the intro daction into the United States of the coolie or striotly labour class, and that neither by treaty or by law was it intended to exclude merchants or students, nor was it intended to subject them to contumely or insult in the formalities attend- ing their admission to the territory of the United States. The Bureau of Commerce and Labour, though for some time nominally under the Treasury Department, acted really indepen- dently of the head of that Department, who trusted wholly the administration of affairs to the Chief of the Bureau. The Chief of the Bureau was actuated with a desire to prevent the violation of the law, and made rulings with respect to its construction which were formally and, which were in a number of cases probably concurred in by the Secretary of the Treasury too narrow and severe. Not until the last year has the attention of the President and the Cabinet been seriously called to complaints with reference to the unjust operation of the law against merchants and Chinese students who hare attempted to come into the country in accordance with their treaty rights, and then, before even the boycott was threatened, the President directed the most searching investi- gation into the methods of the Bureau and announced his determination to put a stop to the abuses complained of. In public speeches in the United States, with the full consent of the President, I alluded to this subject, and spoke as follows:
“Some allusion has been made to some remarks that I have made on the Chinese question. If I had not been interviewed so many times in so many of your papers, and made to take so many different positions, I should not think it important to restate my position upon that question, because I know that you have a definite view; but my view generally is that we have reached a point in the life of our nation, where we are to be treated by other nations as an adult male; where we are to expect from other nations the same measure of courtesy, and politeness and justice as we mete out to them. Now then, I understand that all the nations of the world recognize that we are under no obliga. tion to make this continent the dumping ground for their beggars and robbers and bad people generally, and therefore that we may pass properly and still look them in the face, alien exclusion laws, which shall prevent this fair land of ours from being loaded down with people who do it no good. I also understand that we have arrived at an agreement with the Chinese nation, by which, because their coolie class, when they come here as labourers, do not amalgama'e and become citizens and do not promise to become a part of this country, that we may exclude them; that has been conceded by the Chinese nation and recognised by us; but on the other hand we have recognised that there are in China merchants and students and other people whom it would be an advantage to this country to have come here. Now we occupy toward the Chinese nation, by reason of the fact that the Chinese nation believes that we are not land grubbing in the Orient, and believes that we desire to do justice, we occupy a position which will give to us interest in the trade which
these a is awaiting development. Now then,
ursue a the premises. Ought we then to pursue
are
107
policy with respect to these merchants and students that have a right to come her will inflict on them contumely and thu the position we have by reason of our no; and the state of California will say no too towards China in international affairs, if the state of California knows her own interest and the interests not only of the wealthy man who carry on her enterprise, but of her labouring men. The labouring men make up the sinew of the country, and every time we increase our population by one hundred millions, it means, that seventy-five millions are going to labour. How is it possible in the interest of labour to throw an insulting message in the face of China merely for the purpose of suiting a few persons who must look at this matter from a superficial standpoint. Now I have made plain my view on the Chinese question. I am not criticizing the enforcement of the law, but, what I am saying is that if either by treaty or law it is necessary that that insult should follow, then the laws and the treaties ought to be repealed because it is not the policy of this government to exclude their class. When you are doing a favour it is just as well to do it politely."
The above was, spoken in San Francisco where there has been more of a prejudios on the subject of exclusion laws than any other part of the county One of the troubles connected with the exclusion law was corruption existing in the consular system, by which in many cases the certificate of the consul was wholly unreliable because procured through fraud. The President has taken decided steps upon that subject, has removed the officials conniving at this corruption and loose practice, and has restored by his proclamation proper evidential weight to the certificates of the consuls.
the President's earnest desire that the classes I can speak with certainty and confidence of of Chinamen, the merchants, students and others who have the right to enter the country, shall not be in any way hindered in their free coming and going between China and the United States. It may be necessary in order to accomplish this that there be some change in the law or treaty, and if so the President will certainly take pleasure in effecting and recommending to Congress such reasonable changes. The method of securing this by boycott is not a fortunate.
one.
The illegali'y of the boycott and ils violation of our treaty rights, I need hardly explain. The United States does not claim that the individual Chinaman is bound under the treaty to trade with any of its citizens; it does not claim that a number of Chinamen may not agree to withhold their trade from the United States, but it does insist that associations shall not be permitted to be formed which shall use means of intimidation and threats to prevent Chinese merchants who wish to trade with the United States from continuing that trade. The evil of the boycott is that it attempts to deprive the United States of trade by intimidation and daress of these who would otherwise be willing traders with the United States. The citizens of the United States under the treaties between the United States and China have the right to insist that the police authorities of China shall suppress such intimidation and allow the trade, which was guaranteed to be unrestricted by the government, to continue unrestricted. I need not say to you, as I have said in the United States, that I think it greatly better that one hundred Chinamen during the year shall evade the law, though coolies, than that intelligent Chinese gentlemen,merchants and students, who wish to visit the United States, or to do busi. ness there, should be harassed in their attempt. to enter the United States by measures subject- ing them to discomfort, inconvenience, con. tumely and insult, andI do not hesitate to say that the influence of President's Roosevelt's admin- istration will be thrown toward a protection of the rights of these classes. Of course
Plac
to determine. What the
whether he is a coolie, mer- man's status is, chant or a student, is at his own home, and the disposition and tendency of t President is to make the artificate of the American Consul in China the strongest and most conclusive evidence upon this subject unless fraud or forgery appeır.
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The attitude of the United States toward China in political or international matters,