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Show TO STRENGTHEN WEAK POINTS ' .IN THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT Bill Drawn Up by Department of Justice Introduced Intro-duced in the House by Congress-: Congress-: man Hitt. WASHINGTON. April 16. A bill to strengthen every weak place in the Chinese exclusion act, drawn by the Department of Justice, was introduced in tho House today by Chairman Hitt of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The first section obviates ob-viates and embarrassment on account of the denouncement by the Chinese government of the treaty between tho United States Government and tliat country, by striking from the Chinese oxclusion act the words, "If not inconsistent incon-sistent with the treaty obligations." Tho second section permits tho entrance en-trance Into the United States of persons "of Chines descent who are citizens of the United States by birth, also those who are specifically grantod by law the prlvilogo of. admission "and others." Tho words "Chinese persons," or "person of Chinese descent" are denned de-nned In the bill to mean "any person descended from a Mongolian ancestor which ancestor is now, -or was at any time subsequent to the year 1800, a subject sub-ject of the' emperor of China," Defines Laborers. Tho word "laborers." is construed to include all persons of Chinese descent, not specifically permitted by law. to enter or remain within the United States, The provision of the act of 1803, defining the word "laborer." to embrace skilled and unskilled manual laborers Is repealed. Another section of the bill extends the lurlsdlctlon of officers of the Government Govern-ment by giving them 'he right to decide questions of fact upon which rest a claim of citizenship set up by a Chinese person, as they have to determine matters mat-ters of fact relating to the admission of any alien. The Immigration law of March 3, 1893, is made to apply to Chinese Immigration in all of Its provisions, thus providing for the exclusJon of Chinese suffering from contagious disease. Bight of Appeal. Another important section of tho bill Mvn tiift TTnltPrl staten rlcrht of appeal. heretofore limited to defendant Chinamen. China-men. The duty of administering the Chinese act Is transferred from the Secretary of the Treasury to the Secretary of Commerce Com-merce and Iabor, who is given discretion discre-tion in special cases, "where he is of the opinion tliat such action is just and right and not contrary, to the public welfare, to relievo undue conditions to be determined by him. from the operation opera-tion of tho laws relating to the exclusion or expulsion of any person of Chinese descent, any person who come into the United States prior to December 8, 1S94. or who has rendered, tho Government meritorious service." This section is intended to apply to non-resident Chinese whose evidence In the execution of the exclusion law is considered valuable to the Department of Justice. |