, 1883-08-23
Tie Chinese Muddle Solvedl?'

'
has had himself interviewed by a re
porter OF the 5. F. Erdmincr. Evi-
IDENTITY lac feels a. though the reports
he has been sending to Washington
with view of doctoring up matters
for effect arc being exposed Il little
too much to admit the conclusion
that he has done his duty \ coun-
ter move in the shape of a mud sling
ing campaign through 4 democratic
sheet, attacking the motives of the
Collector of Customs for asking for
an increase of service necessary to a
proper enforcement OF the restriction
law, and connecting the editor of
this paper with an imaginary sinister
attempt to secure an appointment.
has evidently been deemed by our
willy official the only means left to
cover his retreat. He either mistakes
it for argument from his side OF the
question, or imagines he can palm it
off on others in lien of something
more convincing. No attempt is
made in manly, open way. to CON
tradict the positive and explicit state
ments made by this paper as to the
incoming of Chinese from time to
time from British Columbia in vio-
lation of the law, but an indirect,
.scurrilous, generalizing doubt is
sought to be thrown over said state
ments by attacking the motives of
the person making them. In the
first place, the Examiner reporter
says that Chinese have been reported
as coming across the border from
British Columbia "by hundreds"
which is not the case. We have
given the public in every instance
explicit information, and the squads
coming across have varied in num-
bers from half dozen to twenty
The aggregate number SO far known
to have thus crossed the line will
reach considerable amount, and the
number who have come i'll, escaping
detection, us evidenced by the sud
den and mysterious appearance of
strange faces on this side, will prob
ably reach hundreds, but no one has
said they were coming in hundreds
at time, and to say that such has
been the report is begging the ques-
ton besides being untrue.
The Examiner says it called on the
government officials in San Francis
co some time ago in reference to re-
ported Chinese violations of the law
along the border between Washing
ton Territory and British Columbia,
and was informed by them that
there could be no truth in the re-
ports, as the line was SO well guarded
as to render such condition of things
impossible" This in the face of the
fact that there is not custom officer
between Port Townsend and Cape
Flattery, distance of ninety miles
by straight line and at least hun
dred and fifty of shore line; that
only one inspector is stationed at Sc
miahmoo and Sehome, to guard the
coast line from Vancouver's Island
across the Gulf of Georgia to Mount
Baker, a distance of perhaps a
hundred miles on straight line, and
where innumerable islands and pas
sages afford every opportunity of
dodging the most careful scrutiny;
that but one inspector is stationed to
guard the hundreds of miles of in
land border He is at Fort Colville,
near mountain pass, it is true, but
the pass he guards is by no means
the only one, and while he Is guard
ing one the celestials can easily get
in through another Now, one of
three things is true; either the re-
porter lied about the information
(which is not likely, or the Officials"
referred to were wofully ignorant of
facts, or else they deliberately falsi-
fed.
They are also credited with the
statement that "the topography of
the country through which the Mon
golians would have to pass in max
ing an entrance, was such that they
would meet with accidents, and even
stdrUe to death should they attempt
any such scheme. This last is the
thinnest lie we have seen yet, and
that it could have been worked off
upon an apparently intelligent San
Francisco reporter as fact, is be-
yond our comprehension. ''Starve
to deathr' The Examiner purports
to have sent a reporter finally to the
official to ascertain what if any
thing was back of the continued re-
ports about Chinese coming over the
border. The following is given as
the reply:
Let me tell you something was
the answer, In a certain district in
Washington Territory there is col
lector OF customs who halls from
Indiana good Republican-who,
like all Republicans, is desirous of
helping along his family and friends.
Believing that among the webfooters
of the great Northwest there were
none smart enough to serve with him
in his fight against the willy heather,
he sent to Indiana for more Republi
cans. They came, they saw, but they
conquered not, if the reports be true.
The influx of Chinese from Victoria
and of Republicans from Indiana
failed to suit the people of his dis
trlct, so q protest was made against
his administration Amnpo otba,u