Page:American Diplomacy in the Orient - Foster (1903).djvu/319

 friendly spirit by the Chinese government, and within two months after its arrival at the capital a treaty on immigration was concluded and signed. By its provisions there was conferred upon the government of the United States, whenever in its opinion "the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States, or their residence therein, affects or threatens to affect the interests of that country, . . . power to regulate, limit, or suspend such coming or residence, but not absolutely to prohibit it." This power to limit immigration was only to apply to Chinese laborers, other classes of Chinese being permitted to enter freely and reside in the United States.

The Chinese government having in so gracious a spirit yielded to the desires of the American commissioners on the subject of immigration, the latter were very ready to gratify the former in the matter of the opium traffic,—a subject of extreme anxiety and embarrassment to the Chinese rulers. At their request a commercial treaty was signed, in which it was stipulated that "citizens of the United States shall not be permitted to import opium into any of the open ports of China, to transport it from one open port to another open port, or to buy and sell opium in any of the open ports of China;" and this absolute prohibition was to be enforced by appropriate legislation. A similar provision was inserted in the treaty of 1882 between the United States and Korea.

After the commercial treaty had been executed, Dr. Angell, the American minister at Peking and one of the commissioners, transmitted to the Secretary of State a