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- Feb，1884 The Honorable Huang Zun Xian The Chinese Consul-General in San Francisco, We are Chinese merchants (names of stores) living in Victoria, British Columbia, we hereby request for protection against oppression by the Westerners and for instructions to solve troubles within Chinese communities. Since the establishment of the Chinese communities in Victoria there are more and more Chinese merchants and workers living here. Now there are over 100 stores and the total number of Chinese, including railway workers, gold-miners, fishers, and maids, has reached 6,000 to 7,000. The government and local people had treated us well. However, they were influenced by the idea from the U.S. that Chinese are scrambling for job opportunities from the Westerners, and began to hate Chinese. They passed a law in 1879 that every Chinese should pay $40 for the rights to live in B.C.. It was abolished eventually because of the protest of the Chinese who launched a petition through the former Chinese Consul-General Chan in Francesco to the Chinese Ambassador to England. Evil stages a comeback only a few years gone by. This year, the B.C. Legislature again passed a law prohibiting Chinese new comers from entering B.C. and compelling every Chinese, currently living in B.C., to pay $10 annually for a license to live in the province. Other discriminating laws concerning our business and residence would follow. These are the major issues of the pressing foreign oppression. Meanwhile internal disturbance makes it worse. Chinese have abided by the law and behaved themselves. In the wake of the increase of Chinese population, good and bad people mix up. Vicious gangs bully their fellow-countrymen; prostitution, gambling, fighting, brawling pervade the Chinese communities; the old, the poor and the unemployed suffer from sickness, coldness and starvation, and some die in the streets. These are the major issues of the threatening internal troubles within Chinese communities. It is necessary and imperative to eliminate the oppression and restore things to order otherwise it will endanger the lifeline of the Chinese communities. We worry about this situation, and gathered together many times for discussion to find a way out. We assume that to eliminate oppression by the Westerners we should fight for the abolition of the discriminatory laws; to solve the troubles within the Chinese communities we should first prohibit prostitution; to ensure lasting stability we should establish the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association; and to protect the interests of the Chinese communities we request to set up a Chinese Consulate. These are the four things that need action now. We venture to elect 4 representatives (names of 4 persons) to go to your office to submit a detailed report and have your instructions. Could you please instruct us which, among these four things, is top priority, which could work well, and which should be initiated later on? Besides these four things any others should be considered? Our representatives could take this opportunity to meet your honor in person to attend to your guidance, and to present our humble opinion. Please give our representatives a guideline so as for them to inform the Chinese communities here how to proceed. We are unfortunate to stay in a British territory, far away from our motherland, and away from protection of our government. Your honor has been at the post of the Chinese Consul-General in San Francisco for three years, and has enjoyed a high reputation. Your honor has helped the Chinese communities in Victoria for many times. At this critical moment we feel no hesitation in seeking again your instructions because we know your honor would save us from the misery. Attached are: One copy of The Constitution of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Victoria One copy of English Version of The Rules and By-laws of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Victoria Yours Sincerely, Merchants of Victoria
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