Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-15
sneaking Through the Lines.

The Exclusion Act would only eeem to
successfully exclude the Chinese from
landing in San Francisco and other
American ports on the Pacific. 1t has
long been an open secret that profitable
business in smuggling Chinese into our
territory has been carried on from Vic
toria and other points in British Colum-
bia. They are landed in Victoria by the
steamer from Hong Kong, and
carried over to Puget Sound
in small shallops and landed
at night. They are also run across the
line from Vancouver into Washington
Territory. The Chinese colony estsb-
lished in Lower California, ostensibly for
mining purposes, has also become a
starting point for coolies to cross the
line. Two days since five Cinnamon
were ca ught sneaking across the line at
Tia Jus ma. Three we're caught and COM
peiied to return, the other two having
escape d. 1t has been remarked that
large lumbers of strange Cinnamon have
been eeen in San Diego lately, and the
infere nee is strong that they came sur
reptI iensly across the line from the
eooi baccaroon recently established on
the Aasac grant in Lower California.
1t has been ascertained that the Cana
disl Pacific railroad carries large num-
Der OF Chinese immigrants from British
20 lumbis ostensibly en- route to Canada.
III ESQ are let off at certain isolated sta
TIC ms on the other side, and taken across
to New York at night in boats kept
r. sady for the purpose. We noticed the
ther day that Chinese were landed
rom Cubs in New York every time the
{ &eamers arrive from Havana. It seems
that they are passed through the Custom
House as Spanish citizens, having pass
ports to thst purport.
Thus it will be seen that Chinese are
sBneaking into the United States by every
back door they can find open. The
~question is, how shall this persistent vic.
.-.lation of the Exclusion Act be stopped |
at is simply impossible to place line oi
-.-eustom house officers the whole length
-s0f our frontiers on the British and Mexi-
can boundaries. They would get through
I'm spite of 'all the vigilance and watchful.
ness we could exercise. 1t is evident
too, that neither the Canadian nor the
Mexican government would care to in
terpose any serious obstacle to these in
fractions of the laws of the United States
There is money in the business oil
smuggling Chinese into our territory
and therefore We find the great railroad
corporation of the Dominion engaged
.clandestinely in this nefarioue business.
In view, therefore, of the fact that it is
1mpracticable to prevent excluded aliens
from coming into the United States by
Illicit means, we shall be compelled, in
self.dciense, to adopt different method
to render the law effective. The Act will
have to be so amended that Chinese
legallyqentitled to residence in this coun-
try will be required to take out certif.
Gates to that effect. Each certificate
should bear photograph of its owner on
its face, and this would at once identity
the party holding it as properly in the
country. Those that could not produce
such certificate would be considered
trespassers and sent back to China or
the place whence they came.
1t is not creditable to our Government
to have law on She statute books that
1s persistently and notoriously violated in
spite of ALI can do. The majesty of the
law must be vindicated by it's enforce
ment or all law is brought into contempt.
Ii it cannot be enforced IS it is, and can
be SO amended as to be made operative
and to com pass the end for which it was
designed. then it is our duty to 80 amend
it.