, 1883-08-16
ContTabrand Queues.

GOnIfdGrand queues
Under the heading Of this article
the Tacoma Lcdy~r has the following
to say about the Chinese invasion of
or border. a. recently brought 10
public and official notice by the
ARGUS
The attention Of the authorities at
Washington has been very properly
called by the Collector Of Customs
here to the systematic, and hitherto
practically undistmbrd smuggling
Of Cinnamon into this country from
British Columbia, So far a. this
Territory Is concerned. the operation
Of the law excluding the objection
able because morally filthy, Mongol-
ian has been farce. and the statute
itself dead letter. In this as in a
great many other cases which might
be quoted, the law makers are con-
tent merely to le9islate without
bothering about the details necessary
for the efficient carrying out of the
law. An old adage says that 4
smart man can drive coach and
four through an act OF Congress, and
it would seem as If the feat would
not be a particularly difficult one,
were all acts so loosely constructed
and so laxly enforced as that for the
exclusion of the Chinese. 1t is a
matter of notoriety that, ever since
the law came into force, batch after
batch of those undesirable immi-
grants have been conveyed from
British Columbia into this country.
apparently without let or hindrance.
1t is absurd to blame the customs
officials Their time and attention
are fully occupied III looking out for
the more normal varieties of contra
band goods, and the force at their
disposal is quite inadequate for cop
ing with this additional demand on
their watchfulness. Mr. Basins re-
quest for additional force was. there
fore, very proper and reasonable
one under the circumstances, and,
unless it is granted, and that imme-
diately, the act may just as we'll, so
far us the States and Territories Dor
dering on the British possessions are
concerned, be expunged from the
statute-book. The iterated and reit-
Grated cries that the Chinese must
go which have for long time past
arisen from every part of the Pacific
Coast have no more value or pith
than words, empty, windy and
worthless.
A good suggestion, though perhaps
opposed to the Constitution, has
been made which might be put into
operation, and which would, we
doubt not, have salutary effect in
checking the influx of the misnamed
Celestial race 1t is well known that
every Cinnamon comes here with the
fixed resolve to return to his native
country just as soon as he has made
his pile His religion teaches, among
other things, that it is eternal per-
dition, or something very like it, for
him to die and be buried outside the
limits of the kingdom of the sover-
eign who is cousin to the sun and
moon and closely related to several
of the planets Emperor of
China. Hence, ifa law We're enacted
that all Cinnamon who once landed
on American soil would be compelled
to stay there for the balance of their
natural life, and be prohibited from
making any attempt to return to
China under penalty of all the prop
erty owned by them, including their
cherished queue, there would be few
if any of them found bold enough to
seek our shores. An arrangement
could be rrade whereby non transfer
able passes would be distributed to
those who, unfortunately for the
country, are already here, permitting
them to return home when they are
ready, but enjoining them, under
heavy penalties, not to return. Thus
we would be delivered from the pres
ence of the ar.ly of Mongolian
locusts which now possess the land,
and future inroads would be prevent
ed OF course such a statute would
be con current in its operation with
the existing one, and would, if we do
not greatly mistake, be such com
plement to the present imperfect and
unsatisfactory law as would give the
country an ideally perfect system of
anti Chinese Legislation.