To make the Tennessee Exposition a great success, Congress resolved to make it possible for China to send over an exhibit of her wonderful art works.
A resolution was therefore passed, that the Chinese Exclusion Law shall not be held to prevent the landing of Chinamen who are going to exhibit at the Exposition, or whose labor is necessary to prepare the exhibit.
The bill, happily, adds that Chinamen coming to this country on Exposition business must have a special permission from the Secretary of the Treasury before they will be allowed to land, and that they can only stay in the country one year after the close of the Exposition. If found in the country after that time, they will be arrested, and then sent back to China.
This was too fine a chance for the Chinese to miss. They started for this country by the hundred, all declaring that they had special business at the Fair.
Word was sent to the Secretary of the Treasury that over 2,000 Chinamen had started for these shores to get the exhibit in order. This seemed so serious, that the Government began to look into the matter.
Several weeks ago 179 of these undesirable immigrants came into the United States, and another batch of one hundred and fourteen are waiting to enter.
As you may suppose, such an invasion as this had to be stopped, and stopped quickly.
The Secretary of the Treasury sent to the Attorney-General, and asked him whether, under the new resolution, any and every Chinaman had to be admitted to this country, or whether he had power to limit the number.
Mr. McKenna, the Attorney-General, gave it as his opinion that the Secretary of the Treasury has full power to say how many shall be allowed to enter the country.
The Secretary, Mr. Lyman Gage, then inquired of the Exposition company how many Chinamen were really necessary to do the work for the Fair. Word was sent back that only two hundred were required.