CONGRESS. (REDEMPTION OF TEADE-DOLLARS.) 



201 



such forfeiture, and the declaration and consequences 

 thereof, shall be made, had, determined, and executed 

 by the proper authorities of the United States, exer- 

 cising judicial powers within the Empire of China. 



The treaty provisiou which this measure is 

 designed to carry out was doubtless intended 

 not only as a protection for China, but as a pro- 

 test against the policy of Great Britain in 

 forcing into China the Indian opium raised 

 under government monopoly. Mr. Cox, of 

 North Carolina, said in explanation of it : 



" This bill, Mr. Speaker, does not interfere 

 between the citizens of the United States and 

 other governments, except with reference to 

 China. By a treaty which was ratified in 1881 

 it was agreed that in the open ports of China, 

 certain designated ports, they should not permit 

 opium to be carried there by citizens of the 

 United States, nor to be brought here and sold 

 by United States citizens to the subjects of 

 China. 



"It is well known that one of the greatest 

 social evils, probably, prevailing in China is the 

 traffic in opium. By the treaty of 1841, made 

 by Mr. Reed, it was restricted, and citizens of 

 the United States in China violating the pro- 

 visions of that treaty were punishable under 

 the laws of China. The Burlingame treaty 

 made no provision in reference to the subject, 

 but there is a treaty which regulates the mode 

 and method of punishment of United States 

 citizens who reside in China and engage in this 

 traffic. Now they are punishable under the 

 laws of the United States, and this is expressly 

 to prevent citizens of the United States in China 

 from engaging in the traffic. 



"By the treaty of 1844 there are five open 

 ports provided for in China, and in these open 

 ports the citizens of the United States have 

 the right to obtain houses and places of busi- 

 ness, etc. By the treaty of 1858, the number 

 of these ports was increased, with the power 

 to the citizens of the United States who may 

 be there to reside with their families in the 

 same, and to trade, and proceed from- one port 

 to another on business and pleasure. They 

 shall riot, however, use the privilege thus ac- 

 corded them to carry on a clandestine or illegal 

 trade along the coast, under such pains and 

 penalities as may be prescribed by law. The 

 treaty concluded November, 1880, contains the 

 article which I will send to the Clerk's desk 

 to be read." 



The Clerk read as follows: 

 ARTICLE II. The Governments of China and of the 

 United States mutually a^ree and undertake that Chi- 

 nese subjects shall not he permitted to import opium 

 Into any of the ports of the United States ; and citizens 

 of the United ill not be permitted to import 



opium into any of th>; open ports of China ; to trans- 

 port it from one <->jmn port to any other open port ; or 

 to buy and sell opium in any of the open ports of 

 China. This absolute prohibition, which extends to 

 vessels owned by the citizens or subjects of either 

 power, to foreign vessels employed by them, or to 

 veweli ". v the citizens or subjects of either 



power:!; ;,y other persons for the trans- 



portation of opium, shall be enforced by appropriate 

 legislation , u the part of China and the United 



States ; and the benefits of the favored-nation clause 

 in existing treaties shall not be claimed by the citi- 

 zens or subjects of either power as again&t the pro- 

 visions of this article. 



" The President of the United States in May 

 last communicated to Congress in special mes- 

 sage the necessity for some legislation to carry 

 into effect the provisions of this article. There 

 are provisions in this treaty affecting our citi- 

 zens in China which are provided for under 

 this bill. A recent case has been called to the 

 attention of the State Department by United 

 States minister at Pekin concerning the right 

 of an American citizen to lease to a British 

 merchant a portion of his house for the opium 

 business. The manifest intent of this treaty is 

 to prevent American citizens in China from 

 engaging in this opium-traffic, or in knowingly 

 aiding others to do so. The treaty itself is not 

 self-executing. Appropriate legislation is re- 

 quired to make it effective. The passage of 

 this bill, it is believed, will accomplish the 

 purpose, and if no gentleman desires to be 

 heard on the subject, and no further explana- 

 tion is required, I ask that it may be put upon 

 its passage." 



At the first session of this Congress, the 

 Senate passed a bill to indemnify certain sub- 

 jects of the Chinese Empire for losses sustained 

 by the violence of a mob at Rock Springs, in 

 the Territory of Wyoming, in September, 1885. 

 The measure provided for the appointment of 

 a commission to investigate the actual loss and 

 damage, and report the testimony taken, and 

 the findings, to the Secretary of State, the 

 President being empowered to apportion to 

 each person a just compensation for the in- 

 juries sustained, the aggregate sum so appor- 

 tioned not to exceed $150,000, to be paid over 

 to the Chinese minister at Washington, in full 

 satisfaction of injuries inflicted upon the sub- 

 jects of the empire. The House substituted 

 for this measure the following, which was 

 passed Feb. 8, 1887 : 



Be it enacted, etc., That the sum of $147,748.74 be, 

 and the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any 

 moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 

 to be paid to the Chinese Government, m consider- 

 ation of the losses unhappily sustained by certain 

 Chinese subjects by mob violence at Rock Springs. 

 in the Territory of Wyoming, Sept. 2, 1885 ; the said 

 sum being intended for distribution among the suf- 

 ferers and their legal representatives, in the discre- 

 tion of the Chinese Government. 



The President approved of this measure Feb- 

 ruary 23. 



Redemption of Trade-Dollars. The old ques- 

 tion in regard to the redemption of trade- 

 dollars was settled in this session of Congress. 

 Dec. 17, 1886, the Senate passed a bill pro- 

 viding for the redemption of these coins. Feb. 

 12, 1887, the House adopted and passed a sub- 

 stitute for this measure ; and the Senate non- 

 concurred in the House amendments. The 

 main difference of opinion was, as to whether 

 the redeemed trade-dollars should be regarded 

 as part of the bullion to bo purchased and 

 coined under the act of Feb. 28, 1878. A 



