File No. 819.55/66.
Minister Price to the
Secretary of State.
[Extract.]
No. 414.]
American Legation,
Panama,
February 18, 1915.
Sir: Referring further to the matter of
anti-Chinese legislative restrictions on the part of the Panaman
Government, I have the honor to enclose herewith a copy and translation
of a Foreign Office note under date of February 12 last, the contents of
which I have communicated to the Chinese Consul General.
This came in response to my Foreign Office note of February 1 last, and
pursuant to my conferences with the President and Secretary of Foreign
Affairs of Panama in the extension of good offices on behalf of the
Chinese, all of which was reported in recent telegrams and in my
despatch 400 of February 5.
It will be seen that Señor Lefevre’s response in its reference to the
applicability of treaty provisions in this matter fails to take into
account the phrasing of my note to the effect that hope was expressed
that no action would be taken in this matter, the practical carrying out of which might lead to contravention of
treaty obligations.
I have [etc.]
[Inclosure—Translation.]
The Secretary for Foreign
Affairs to Minister Price.
No. S–5672.]
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Panama,
February 12, 1915.
Mr. Minister: I have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s courteous note No. 128
[129] of the 1st instant, having reference to the proposed law
changing Law 50 of 1913, which has been discussed in the National
Assembly.
During the visit which your excellency paid me in company of the
Chinese Consul General, to communicate to me that the Chinese
Government had requested the United States of America through the
medium of your excellency to extend its good offices in this matter
to help the Chinese colony, I had the honor to show to your
excellency, as I had indicated before to the above-mentioned
consular official, that the information received about this proposed
law was exaggerated and that there was no intention to adopt means
of persecution against the said colony, but only to make more
difficult the clandestine entry into the country of all individuals
whose immigration is prohibited.
[Page 1269]
Even less does the proposed law contain anything affecting the rights
or obligations arising from international treaties, as I assured
your excellency, since Panama has signed no treaty with any of the
nations from which such excluded immigrants proceed, and the
Bunau-Varilla-Hay Treaty makes no mention of the residence,
admission or exclusion of the Chinese of Panama, nor of the rights
or obligations of the individuals of this race.
I avail [etc.]
