The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-03-11
FORCING AN ISSUE.

It Will be remembered that as one OF the
initiatory steps In the inauguration OF active
hostilitles against the Chinese In San Fran
cisco, the immaculate mayor, Kalloch, and
some Of his followers, acting as board of
health. made an inspection OF the quarter OF
the city where the Celestials do mostly con-
gregate, and claimed to have been Mortified
by the beastly condition OF the Inhabitants.
According to their report, which was at once
published to the world. the Chinese quarter
surpassed In filthiness anything ever beheld
In the "slums Of London" and compared to
which the old-time disagreeable odoriferous-
ness Of the "Seven Dlals' or "Flve Points
localities might have been regarded as de-
llcious bouquet. THAT this people, as q
GLASS;" says the report, "should so peril
naclously and willfully disregard our sani-
tary laws, so criminally neglect to report
their cases OF smallpox to the authorities, go
maliciously pursue that course Of conduct
which they know is bringing distress upon
our city by destroying the lives OF our citi-
zens, and seriously impairing the business of
q whole community, can only be accounted
for on the supposition that they are enemies
OF our race and people. and In their wicked
ness rejoice In our distress and sorrow"
This conclusion, as might have been anticl.
pated, was received with wild yell OF de-
light by the assembled sand-lotters, and 1t
was forthwith resolved that the heathens must
be driven away, and that quarter of the
city thoroughly cleansed and purified, 80
as not to imperil the lives Of the citizens
and seriously impair the business OF
a whole community" Now. 1t evidently never
occurred to Kalloch and his board Of health,
while they we're making this report, that
much Of the blame for the evil complained Of
might properly be laid at their own doors.
II, as they stated In their report, the buildings
In Chinatown were more densely crowded
than the law permitted; that the alleys and
passage-ways were full OF filth, and the OBJ
structed sewers were over1owing into the
houses; that many OF the buildings had no
drainage; that offal and garbage were not
carted away" and, In q word, that the health
ordinances were generally neglected, was 1t
not the duty Of the city authorities to see to
their enforcement, and had they not, with
ample authority at their disposal, persistent
~ II not wllfully neglected the same for
years, until, all Of a sudden, 1t seemed to offer
from San Francisco! And In consid-
Grafton Of this fact will not dlsinter-
ested persons beyond the sound of
Mr.. Denis Kearney's stentorian lungs
be disposed to think that the authorities of
San Francisco have lately shown very little
desire to adopt rigid sanitary measures, and
that they and the owners of the tenement
houses Of Chinatown, and not the almond
eyed lepers," should be held responsible for
the evils complained Of? But, after all, there
would seem to be very little use In discussing
such question with persons so prejudlced
and intolerant as these sand lot agitators ap-
pear to be- Having fully made up their
minds that they are masters Of the situation,
they will scarcely feel content to pause in
their violent measures until the interven-
tion OF stronger power brings them
back to realisation of the fact that
this country has not yet been set apart
for any particular races q human beings. end