Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 3, 1888, Part I

No. 253.
Mr. Bayard to Mr. Chang Yen Hoon.

Department of State,
Washington, February 29, 1888.

Sir: In pursuance of the promise I made you in our conference this morning, I have the honor to inclose herewith copies of the three additional articles discussed by us to the draught of convention to regulate emigration from China to the United States.

These additional articles, which are marked respectively A, B, C, might be inserted in the convention as Articles IV, Y, and VI; and Article IV of the draught convention might be made Article VII.

Accept, etc.,

T. F. Bayard.

[Inclosure.]

Draught of additional articles to the treaty concerning emigration from China to the United States.

A.

In pursuance of Article III of the emigration treaty between the United States and China signed at Peking on the 17th day of November, 1880, it is hereby understood and agreed that Chinese laborers, or Chinese of any other class, either permanently or temporarily residing in the United States, shall have for the protection of their persons and property all rights of process that are given by the laws of the United States to citizens of the most favored nation.

B.

Whereas Chinese subjects, being in remote and unsettled regions of the United States, have been the victims of injuries in their persons and property at the hands of wicked and lawless men; and whereas the Government of the United States, humanely considering the same and bearing in mind the firm and ancient friendship between the United States and China which the high contracting parties wished to cement, is desirous of alleviating the exceptional and deplorable sufferings and losses to which the aforesaid Chinese have been so subjected; therefore the United States, without reference to the question of liability therefor (which it denies), agrees to pay on or before the 1st day of March, 1889, the sum of —— dollars to the Chinese minister at this capital, who shall accept the same, on behalf of his Government, as full indemnity for all losses and injuries sustained by Chinese subjects as aforesaid, and shall distribute the said money among the said sufferers.

C.

The Government of China hereby engage to use their best efforts with the British Government with a view to an arrangement between them to prevent the coming of Chinese laborers into the United States from Hong-Kong, by way of British Columbia.