File No. 803/3–4.
Chargé Coolidge to
the Secretary of State.
American Legation,
Peking, November 6,
1906.
No. 439.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your instruction No. 190 of September 22, with regard to the
issuing of certificates to Chinese of the exempt classes when such
Chinese may wish to enter the United States from some country other than
China.
On the 3d instant I addressed a note to His Imperial Highness Prince
Ch’ing, a copy of which I have the honor to inclose herewith, stating
that my Government did not concur in the arrangement as proposed by the
Chinese minister at Washington, and reiterating the desire of the United
States that the authority to grant the certificates in question should
be further limited.
I have, etc.,
[Page 276]
[Inclosure.—Extract.]
Chargé Coolidge
to the Prince of Ch’ing.
American Legation,
Peking, November 3,
1906.
No. 179.]
Your Imperial Highness: On July 30, 1906,
your imperial highness addressed a note to Mr. Rockhill stating that
your board had received a dispatch from H. E. Liang Cheng, Chinese
minister to the United States, as follows.a
Your imperial highness desired that the information thus conveyed
should be transmitted to the Department of State for its action. In
compliance with this request the note was forwarded to my
Government, and I am now in receipt of instructions to reply to your
imperial highness that the Department of State did not concur in the
arrangement reported by the Chinese minister in Washington that
Chinese of the exempt classes entering the United States from
countries other than China should secure their certificates from
ministers, chargés d’affaires, consuls-general, or consuls in the
country of their departure. In the opinion of my Government, it is
not at all advisable that the authority to grant such certificates
should be delegated to so many officials. It would only lead to
confusion and embarrassment, owing to the difficulty of verifying
certificates from so many sources. In the case of Chinese who are
subjects of foreign governments, it devolves upon such foreign
governments and not upon China to issue these certificates. As for
Chinese subjects traveling abroad who wish to go to the United
States, it would be an easy matter to present themselves en route to
the official designated by the Chinese Government to issue
certificates. It is neither necessary nor advisable that an official
be appointed at every port from which a Chinese might possibly
embark for America. Consequently in respect to each country a
specific officer or class of officers should alone be
designated.
Secondly, my Government has not consented and is not willing that “in
places where there are no Chinese diplomatic or consular officials
the same American officials shall be empowered to issue the
certificate,” as proposed by the Chinese minister. American
diplomatic and consular officers are charged by the law with the
duty of viséing these certificates, and it would be extremely
inadvisable to make them issue a certificate to be viséed by
themselves.
I have the honor to request that your imperial highness will make a
proper designation of officials in accordance with the foregoing
representations, at such places as the Chinese Government may find
proper, and to reiterate the expressed desire” of my Government that
the above authority be not widely given in order that unnecessary
complications may be avoided.
I avail, etc.,
