The New Treaty with China
THE Washington correspondent of the Alta gives the following summary of the new treaty with China:— The substance of the whole matter is that the Chinese Government freely consents that our Government shall regulate, limit, or suspend, the immigration of Chinese laborers to this country whenever we may think proper, but Chinese citizens shall still be permitted to come here as merchants, students, and teachers, or for purposes of travel, curiosity, or pleasure, and all subjects of China traveling or residing in the United States shall be entitled to due protection of life, liberty, or property. The Commercial Treaty contains a stipulation that Chinese vessels and cargoes, and American vessels and cargoes, shall not be subject to the high contracting parties to any discriminating duties in their respective ports of entry. It is now satisfactorily developed since Commissioner Tescott's arrival here, that this treaty contains also another important provision of a special nature, namely, one in regard to the opium traffic, which comprehensively stipulated that Americans shall not import or sell opium in China, and that Chinese shall not import or deal in opium in the United States. The evident aim of the Chinese Government in obtaining the insertion of this anomalous provision is to establish a precedent for placing precisely similar clauses in its future commercial treaties with all other nations who will consent thereto, and thus isolate Great Britain from other civilized Powers in this respect, and put a stamp of international condemnation upon her maintenance of the opium traffic.