| Show CHINESE MERCHANTS An Important Decision Hy the Solicitor So-licitor of the Treasury r WASHINGTON July nThe solicitor solici-tor of the treasury has rendered an opinion in the case of Low Yee Soon a Chinese person whose landing at San Francisco from the steamer Bel gic which arrived at that port on June 1 last was refused by the collector col-lector The applicant for admission claimed to be a merchant doing business busi-ness in Los Angeles It is ascertained that he is a proprietor of a restaurant there and he claimed that a restaurant restau-rant keeper is a merchant within the ourview under the act of 1893 which defines a merchant as a person who buys and sells merchandise at a fixed place of business The applicant appealed ap-pealed from the decision of the collector col-lector and pending the termination of the question he was transferred to another vessel where he has since been held in custody The solicitor in his opinion holds that the laws governing gov-erning the admission Of Chinese who are not laborers upon presentation of prescribed certificates or satisfactory proof or identity do not restrict such admission to cases where the applicants appli-cants are merchants but that Chinese except laborers who are lawfully in the United States have the right to visit China or any other foreign country coun-try and return here on complying with the requirements of the statutes sta-tutes Assistant Secretary Wickes advised ad-vised the collector at San Francisco that the department concurs in i the opinion of the solicitor and that the admission of Low Yee Soon has been ordered |
