Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-02
CHINESE EXCLUSION.
The News Creates General
Rejoicing.
EXCITEMENT IN CHINATOWN.
Federal Officials and the New Law.
Novel Retaliation Suggest
ed to China.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
SAN Francisco, October 1.-The news
of President Cleveland's approval Of the
Chinese Exclusion bill was received
here to-day with a marked degree of in
terest. Large crowds congregated around
the newspaper bulletin boards and dis
cussed the situation. The news reached
the Chinese quarter of the town early
and the announcement of the approval OF
the bill was soon posted on bulletin
board there. The Chinese manifested
considerable excitement. The principal
subject of discussion here is as to what
effect the bill will have upon the several
thousand Chinese who have arrived here
within the past year and have been
landed by the Federal Courts upon writs
of habeas corpus, and are now out on
bail awaiting examination; and also
upon the two thousand more Chinese
who are now on their way to this port.
About two hundred Chinese arrived
here Saturday on the steamer
City of New York. The Bel
gic will be due next Thursday
with eight hundred. Three other steam
ers are now on the Pacific with over one
thousand Celestials bound for this port.
There is considerable speculation as to
whether the courts will permit these
Cinnamon to come ashore on writs Of
habeas corpus, and then release them
upon bail pending examination, or COM
pei them to remain aboard the steamers
and return to their own country.
Collector of Port Hager expressed him
self to-day as being doubtful of the bill's
effectiveness. "The present BILL" he
said, sis intended to exclude the Chinese.
So was the Restriction act. But did the
Restriction act exclude them? If the
same principle is applied to this bill as
was applied to the other, don't see that
it is going to be any great improvement.
If the courts can continue to land Chi
nese on writs of habeas corpus and allow
them on our soil on bail, that will abro-
gate any kind of restriction by Congress.
When they are allowed bail they are in
the country, and they then forfeit their
bail and remain here in spite of the law"
The Collector concluded by stating that
in all probability he would, when Off
cially informed OF the passage and ap-
proval of the bill, refuse landing to Chi
nese whether bearing return certificates
or not, unless writs of habeas corpus
were issued by the courts. in which case
the matter would be out of his hands.
United States District Attorney Carey
stated that in his opinion the bill could
not affect the 5000 Chinese now out on
bail, but he believed that those now on
their way here would be refused landing.
He further stated that he did not believe
that writs of habeas corpus would be
issued except possibly in one or two
cases, in order to make test OF the mat
ter in the courts.
A prominent lawyer who handles
Chinese cases almost exclusively in the
Federal courts, stated that in his opinion
writs of habeas corpus would still have
to be issued to Chinese demanding them,
as it was Constitutional right, and that
bail also would have to be issued as here
tofore. He also expressed the belief that
all Chinese holding return certificates
could return to this country in spite of
the Exclusion bill, as the United States
Supreme Court has decided on several
occasions that Congress cannot annul ex
isting contracts such as these certificates
are.
Demonstrations were held in this city
duu OtucT pldC0b LII UuO DtdtC oliD OFCh-
ing, to celebrate the passage and approval
of the bill.
RED LETTER DAY.
An impromptu parade and large mass
meeting at Metropolitan Hall, under the
auspices of the Democratic State Central
Committee, tonight, gave an oppor-
tunity for the citizens of San Fran
cisco to express their qualification at
the signing of the Chinese Exclusion bill
by President Cleveland. At headquar-
ters of both the Republican and Demo-
cratic committees dispatches of congratu-
lation from a number of points in the
State were read, showing conclusively
that public sentiment stamped this as a
red-letrer day in the history of Cali
fornia.