The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-11-02

"a Chinese secret society is in it,
III a crime. In every annual re.
'ort from the Straits Settlements
special section IS devoted to til,
lisdeeds of these societies. Foi
ears past law has been in force
mere compelling registration of al
'hinese friendly societies, and de
larin& illegal all that are not regis.
ared although this Is administered
18th greut GLANCE and stringency
t has been found unequal to the
task Of restraining Illicit combna-
ion, and recently u bill was laid be-
fore the Legislative Council at Sing.
aporc for the suppression of all
Chinese secret societies. This would
nave passed unanimously, were it
not that Lord knutstord thought it
desirable to give this drastic policy
more consideration before finally
agreeing to it. One recent official
report from the Straits says that
"the state of the Chinese secret So
cieties is such as to seriously engage
the attention of the Government.
The members of registered secret
societies in Singapore number about
10000, and in Penang about 100,-
900. 1t will be remembered that
,hese are wealthy colonies, with q
powerful police force of British,
Malays and Chinese, that a large
body of troops is always stationed
there, and that a squadron of war
vessels is always within easy reach.
The alarm which these bodies excite
in other places where the guardians
of public order are not so numerous
or efficient can, therefore, be readily
understood. The reports from the
various protected States of the
Malay Peninsula also constantly
refer to these pests, and in the
spanish and Dutch colonies they are
pursued and extirpated without
mercy.
The experience of Sarawak with
these societies has been of n pecu-
,iariy painful character. At one
time it looked as if all the work of
Sir James Brooke were to be undone
by them, and there seemed n pros
pect of the country returning to the
lnarchy and bieodshed from which
lhat ilustgous man had rescued it.
In 1857 there was in Sarawak a
large secret society composed mainly
Of gold miners, who, having been
chased out of the adjoining Sambas,
we're received with hospitality and
protection at Kuching, the capital.
Suddenly, without word of warn
ing and without provocation, they
rose in instruction. 1t is supposed
that the British relations with China
just ut that tIme-it was but few
months prior to our Chinese war
and a violent outbreak of the secret
societies in Singapore month be-
fore, led these refugees to think that
was a favorable moment to eject
Rajah Brooke from Borneo. Fortu-
nately there we're only about 1000
Chinese in the country altogether,
and these were scattered about. In
a single night the town was reduced
to ashes, the forts were seized, and
the Rajah's house, with all its con-
tents, was burnt to the ground. He
escaped himself in the darkness by
diving under boat belonging to
the rebels.
The news Of the outbreak spread
rapidly; fighting Dyaks hurried in
from all quarters, and the Infatuated
population took terrible vengeance
on the Chinese, who were pursued,
harassed, and killed in their flight
tOSambas. When all was over the Ra-
| jah wrote that it was an incalculablr
advantage to have got rid, root and
branch, of body of Chinese with a
semi-political organization, and for
years the Chinese were anathema in
| Sarswak.
Sarawak is not in position to
maintain large force in perpetually
watching Chinese secret societies
it did what is done in China itself as
well as elsewhere, and what it is
proposed to do in Singapore-viz,
suppressed them outright. Those
who are acquainted with the past
history of the Chinese there will moi
be surprised that those responsible
for the maintenance of order SHOULD
view with dread and dismay the
prospect of revival of the terrible
scenes Of 80 years ago, or even O.
the disturbances which occur il
other countries where these secre
associations have managed TO main