The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-05
SMUGGLING.

stcamcra are usually very large. The Chinese
resort to all kinds of ilod@cs TO smuggle It In;
stuffed with it; egg shells have been found to
have been filled with it; it has been discovered
in the Celestials boots, in his hat his clothing,
in boxes with false bottoms, and so on. A SNORT
time ago eight bales whose contents were nc,
scribed as medicinal s'roots' were discovered
to be nothing but opium colored. ana miAea
with fibres in such way as closely to resem-
BILE t.roots" ''John' was trying to play roots
on the customhouSe.
SENDING DEAD CIIINAMEN HOME FOR BURIAL"
also asked Fung' Tang "What Is the real
reason that the Chinese will not De buried
here ?" ssWell," said he, tour people arc ac-
customcd on the Sd Of March and 9th OF Sep
tcmber to visit the tombs OF their relatives.
There are frequently twelve or fifteen genera
tions, or many more, lying close together IN
the same vaults" 1t is very much q rellglous
duty to make this visit; incense and seemed
paper are burnt before the tombs, and the
mourners remain for hours together with
bowed heads thinking of their ancestors. OF
lost parents OF friends, and OF the fate 10 wnich
they and we must all come. But frnS rang
assured lis that although every Chlnanan VINO
dies in California is carried to his own land
dead Cinnamon being recognized articic ol
freight, one of our exports large arg hunpef er
have been buried in Melbourne. We talked OF
many other matters; notably OF the Stare
tax on Chinese miners 81 per head per month
which he considered greatly too high for the
prescnt time, as most OF the more OF less
worked-out mines will nowadays yield only
bare existence, even to Chinanlai.
TIE CHINESE COMPANIES.
MANY absurd notions are afloat-even on
this coast-in regard TO the six great Chlnese
companies Some have thought them 10 be
political and secret societies, or legal tribunals
more dreaded by the Chinese than our own,
or coolie agencies, and what not. The TACT Is
that they are societies organized exclusively
for the benefit of the Chinese coming and stop
ping here These associations have each their
Headquarters or companys house; their con-
stitution, bylaws, and officers. When mem
ber is sick or in trouble, he Is cared for and
defended; quarrels among themselves are ar
btrated without the necessity OF going TO law.
One great use of these institutions Is that dis
honest Cinnamon are looked after, and would
be absconding debtors are made to settle up
all claims before leaving. They are also ex-
cellent intelligence Offices; the whereabouts of
nearly every Chinaman in the country may be
found In their records. A small initiation fee
and subscription is required from each mem
ber.
THE COMPANY BUILDING
or vi Kun, is invaluable to the newly arrived
immigrant; to it he resorts as to caravan
means and appliances for cooking and prepar-
ing his food, and may spread his mat. Servants
of the company to which he belongs meet him
at the wharf and conduct him to the building,
afford him information about the country and
find him may be lodging, and other imme-
diate employment. So much for the general
organization of the companies.
THE YUNG wO COMPANY.
A second, and almost equally intelligent
China merchant, who on our nrst lsitrouuc-
ton, politely handed me his caru printed IN
American style, with his name Wong Wal
upon it, was my guide to the building OF the
Yunr Wo Company. Wong Wal speaks and
reads English; he has been studying ii for five
wears, and takes lessons from private Eng
lish tutor every evening. we ma the cohl-
pany in q moderate sized building on Sacrl-
mento street. My first question to the head man
or president of the company, translated ny
Wong Wal, had reference to the organization
of the Institution. The company reports over
2S. 600 members among the Chinese since its
organization in 1852. All Cinnamon belonging
TO the society pay ten dollars entrance fec,
with, as in all the companies. other fees for The
maintenance Of the building, fund fOr legal
advice, and the like.
'Did you not" said /, propose to send
some deputation, American or otherwise, TO
represent YOU at Washington this year?"
1--WE did at first" said Wong Wai, after con-
sultng the president, pretty stout old China
man who did not speak English, "Dut the COM
panies did not agree, nor could they form an
estimate Of the probable expenses. we once
he cost us several thousand dollars more than
we expected"
"What proportion of Cinnamon ever go
back to China? You know that many .6ject
that you only come TO this country to make
little money, and do your best to accumulate
it, always with the view OF returning to your
"Probably about one-Gfth go back; many
find it very difficult to raise money enough"
said Wong Wal sin the mines now they can
only make seventy-five cents to one dollar
day as o rule, hut Of this they will spend
nearly fif(y cents day, and four dollars
month for the tax, so that you see 1t will take
O long time for a poor Chinaman to raise few
hundred dollars. Laborers and men working
in city are little better OIL, 6nt have greater
temptation to spend mOEy. lis nonsense to
say that they spend nothing here; much OF
their food is, of course, that of this country
much of their clothing also. When they make
money they often spend it freely in American
LIQUORS and other luXuries."
'sHow many Cinnamon arc there on the
coast at this time p
siAbout 10000"
This Is an oyer-cstimSte. About l3S, 900 have
come here since lS49, bit 81, 600 have returned,
and more than 10, 600 have died.
TIE C0OLIE TALK.
Many reoplc-opposcd to the Chinese move
mcnt-talk Of the Oclcstials here as coolies,
and the notion has been re-echoed by the
Eastern press. The fact is that there never
were coolies in California, and all the Chinese
here are free to come and go as they please.
Here the persecution Cinnamon receive Is al
ways from outsiders. their employers almost
always treat them well.
But US '.coolie" is q term OF reproach. the
enemies of the Chinese here-tast becoming a
very small minority-nvariably refer to thcmi
by that title. Anti-coole meetings have been
called together frequently lately. At one OF
them it was proposed to ask the Legislature to
impose tax of $500 ON every Chinaman enter
ING the country, and Il fine of like amount
on every steamboat company bringing them
here, and on every person employing them.
An export duty on dead Cinnamon would DC
far more sensible.
In the annual report Of the San Francisco
Society ior the Protection Of the Chinese, we
find the following statements:
THE HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATIONS OF. THE
CHINESE.
The Chinese belong, without exception, to
most hierarchical organization that Is subject
to the home government OF China. THIS luct
should be more generally known than ii Is. for
the effect of such bond or institution Is TO
place the Chinese here in America as fully un-
der the control of the imperial Chinese powers
as if they were still in their native districts.
hiool fat var