The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-02
MANIFEST INJUSTICE.

a San Francisco contemporary of one
day last week says: Yesterday Judge
LAWYER fined YEE SING 500 for visiting a
house of ill-fame, and a little later in the
day An SING was fined $3.50 for like
olfense. Judge JoACHIMsEN fined Mock
FAM $3.50 for the same reason, and
another Chinaman forfeited his 500 cash
bail Us matter Of economy. Judge R1X
fined a Chinaman 500 for having lottery
tickets in his possession, and LEM POI 500
for going into house of bad repute In
nearly all the cases named the Cinnamon
went to jail, being unable to pay their fines.
Quite a number of Chinese will be sen
fenced to-day for like ofTenses." The item
is prefaced with the remark that the Chi
nese community is ''all broke up" On ac-
count of the heavy fines imposed by the
police judges on all classes of Chinese of
tenders.
The Chinese have mighty few if any
friends in this country. 1t may be said
that they are offensive to all, and that all
would be pleased if there were none of the
yellow race in the United States Butsuch
doings as those recorded above force few
to protest, not in behalf of the Chinese, but
in the name of decency and in the interest
of popular respec: for our laws and our pro-
fessions. Those Chinese who are here are
here by right and just as good right us
that which is back of the Italians, the
Greeks and other foreigners They came
because our ports were open to them
and we had issued an invitation to all the
world to come and enjoy the blessings of
free republican government. They came
because we promised them the sasle pro
lection that we promised TO the German
and the Frenchman, and because they be.
iieved they could place confidence in our
word.
/ We don't like the Chinese, but we dc
like honesty and fairdcaling. We wish
the Chinese were all on the other side OF
the Pacific, but as they are not there and
those Of them who are here have a right tC
! be here, a sense of justice protests against
their abuse and ill-trcatmcnt in the name
OF the law and by the laws officers. a
state cannot afford to discriminate and b(
partial ia such matters. TO do so is i'm
moral and will have bad effect on The
public mind. 1t will teach men TO believ,
that the laws are intended to be applied
with partially, and in that way viii IN.
spire people with q disrcspect for statute.
and contempt for those who administer
them.
Here are three police judges in one city
consplring against a class Of people, and by
concert of action using the law to be crue
and oppressive. The ordinary fines imposed
Tor the offenscs here named are from 50 t,
TO SD, when it is thought worth while t,
:inc ut al, but the guilty parties in thes,
instances being Cinnamon they are mulcte,
to the tune of from Sl0G to $2a0 If thes,
same judges were to impose such fines Oh
American citizens or foreign residents othe
than Chinese, what howl would go up
and how loud and earnest would be the de
lnand for the removal of the justices! ANT
yet the Chinese arc entitled to just as fai
treatment in such cases as members of an,
other race.
II we cannot be just to the Chinese, W
should at least respect our OWL laws, AM
be consistent with ourselves.