File No. 704.9318/3.
No. 34.]
American Legation,
San Jose
,
September 12, 1914
.
[Inclosure 2—Translation.]
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs to Minister Hale.
Foreign Office,
San José
,
September 9, 1914
.
Mr. Minister: I have had the honor to
receive your polite note of September 3, in which your excellency is
pleased to inform me that the Chinese Government has addressed that
of the United States requesting it to exercise its good offices in
behalf of the Chinese in Costa Rica; your excellency adds that you
have instructions to inquire if such a step would be agreeable to my
Government.
In reply I should state to your excellency that by Decree No. 6 of
May 30, 1897, the Constitutional Congress of the Republic absolutely
prohibited the entrance into the country of persons belonging to the
Chinese nationality, tolerating only those who had settled here
prior to that date.
It is seventeen years since then and the number of Chinese, which at
that time was very small, has diminished, as is natural, in a
notable manner; wherefore we can say today, with all justice, that
in Costa Rica there are almost no Chinese.
Possibly some have entered surreptitiously, but these should be
considered as legally non-existent, since at any moment they can be
expelled.
My Government therefore believes, and I very respectfully take the
liberty of so stating to your excellency, that it is not in order to
accede to the desires of the Chinese Government, especially if it is
taken into consideration that both those individuals of that race
who have a right to remain in Costa Rica and those who have entered
furtively afterward enjoy among us all the guaranties which a
civilized nation grants to all human beings who, either permanently
or accidentally, are found on its soil.
I avail [etc.]