President William D. Wheelright, of the Chamber of Commerce of this city, on behalf of that organisation, has sent letter to President Roosevelt bearing upon the question of Chinese exclusion.
The letter urges President Roosevelt to take "steps toward negotiating a new treaty with China that shall provide for the removal of the exacting conditions that now attach to the entrance into this country of their merchants, students, and professional men, for absolute freedom of all Chinese residents of this country to visit their own land and return here, and for the admission ducing the next ten years of a number of male Chinese Iabourers that in any one year shall not exceed one-tenth of one per cent of the population of this country.
"American labour," he says, "has tle appreciation of its own digni y and power, as well as of its capabilities: for improvement, if it raises any objections to such limited Chinese immigration as that—amounting, in ten years, to less than one per cent of our population—and thus endeavours to deprive the nation of this additional moans to its own development, not only in this country, but n and Philippine Islands and President is asked to give publicity tentions in this regard-as soon as practicable. The letter says in part "It is true that the citizens of Oalifornia, more than thirty years ago, appealed to the general government for protection against an apparent danger of unknown and therefure possibly overwhelming proportions, and that primary legislation to limit Asiatic immigration was enacted in response to that appeal.
"But experience since that time has shown that such feu was without warrant, that the Chinese have no desire to attain citizenship, that they attempt no part in the administration of affairs, and that they have no influence on our institutions. Thus it has come to pass, we believe, that the Pacific coast is now no more in favour of their exclusion than the middle West, the East, or the South.
"While the country appreciates the efforts that the Government has recently made to ensure better treatment of the fow Chinese that come here, we are con-vineed that these efforts will not touch the root of the difficulty, and that the negotiation of a new treaty and the enactment of new laws by Congress are necessary to the maintenance of the principles of humanity on which this government is founded.
"Pho fear that they (the Chinese) will exercise demoralising influence on our civilisation has passed away; their usefulness as patient and intelligent labourers, who give full equivalent for the wages asked, and practically all of whom return sooner or later to their own Jand, has been demonstrated. They are needed, especially in the undeveloped portions of the country, to do the work that remains undone because there is an insufficient supply of labourers to do it, and they are wanted as household servants.
"<The objections to their admission for these purposes come mainly, we believe, from those Ixbourers who tink the staudard of wages and the position of the wage-earner will both be lowered by their competition, but we submit. that the average condition of the Jabourer in this country has constantly improved and still continues to improve in spite of an enor: mons immigrationref working people froni-. nearly every country of Eu: ope, and that there is no obj-ction "to the admission to Pacific coast ports of a moderate number of Chinese that d xn lie force against the entry into Boston, and Philadelphia of Itwlinua, Poles, Stave, Russians, and the inhabitants of south-eastern Kurope.
Vast areas of territory on the Pacific coast are undeveloped at the present time and will so remain under present labour conditions; whereas, with the influx of only a tithe of the immigration that is now coming in on the Atlantic coast, lands would -be cleared and improved, public highways would be built in regions where there is an entire absence of good roads, and railroad construction would take on new activity.
"Next come the considerations covering our relations with China as they affect our trade with that country, which will improve or decline according to whether the said relations are friendly or othorwise. While it is true that the oxpoits from the Pacific const have materially increased during the past ten years, it is to be borne in mind that during that period and up to 8th December lest a treaty of comparatively recent date was in existence, to the terms of which both nations had given their assent, and in ro-newing which the Chinese doubtless hoped for some modifications in their favour.
"But now that. that treaty has expired and the negotiations for " new modus vivendi have failed, and the Chinese are thereto i il i it is easy to seo that not only the trade will aot continue to grow, but that there is danger of its complete cessation, Such a result cannot be contemplated except with the veliest dissatisinction, for there is no apartment of the country's cémmerco that so needs fostering as its Oriental export trade.
"Tustead of its volume being largo, us some enthusiasts would have us believe, it is pitifully small as compared witl almost all other branches of the country's business, and especially as contrasted with the large export trade of other nations.
In this critical condition of our imperative that we and proper moans to people on whose friendly attitude the enlargement of that trade depends, and the importation of oven a small number of Chinese would reduce the expense of marketing our produce by providing' for steamers on their return trips the revenue that they now lack."
The letter then urges the President to take the action recommended. above.—
"New York Evening Mail," 12th July,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.