Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-03-22
CHINATOWN CORRECT METHOD
AT LAST

At last San Francisco authorities are
proceeding properly in the suppression of
the Chinatown nuisance. Against their
present campaign the most rabid pro-
Chinese advocate cannot raise a whisper Of
objection. The authorities in the first
place put on duty police guard at the
mouths of all the China alleys leading
into the streets and by relay system kept
the officers on duty constantly, every hour
of the day or night. The result wss
that violations of the law by soliciting
or otherwise became impossible, and the
vigilance of the officers was such that the
swarm of criminals in the alleys had to
vacate the places Inside of week they
had to leave, and now it is said that over
five hundred places are nailed up and
signs 'to let" displayed. Where the
offenders against decency have gone re-
mains to be seen, but when they manifest
their presence in another quarter the
same plan Of campaign is to be pursued
until the rascals with their gambling out
fits, their female slaves, their opium Joints
and their dens, into which men were
dragged and robbed, find that there is no
spot in the city Of San Francisco secret
enough to hide them.
On the top of this procedure the health
authorities entered upon a work that
should have been undertaken long ago.
They have instituted house to house in
spection in the Chinese quarter and served
notices for every tenement and room to be
put into good sanitary condition, specify
ing in the notices in each case the defects
in drainage, ventilation, deposits of filth,
and other things Thus far over three
hundred houses have been formally con-
demned, and the work is not third fin
ished. In cleanliness the Chinese quarter
is impossible. Therefore the most effective
way to treat Chinese filth methods is TO
apply to them the same laws that are
enforced against our own people. Why
this has not been done before as thor
oughly as now is the wonder OF the stu
alton.
The Eastern people have these many
years told US that our complaint against
the Chinaman because of his habits in
quarters inhabited by him was senseless,
since if we choose TO do so we could COM
pei the Chinese TO conform to all wise
health and police regulations, and that if
they would not do so, they would of ne
cessity be compelled to vacate the coun-
try. This is precisely what San Fran
cisco is now attempting to do. We believe
that it now possible to enforce the health
and order laws in the Chinatowns of the
State, though a few years ago it was not to
be done. The Chinese have, however,
now discovered that the laws are made to
be obeyed, and that behind them is au-
thority TO enforce obedience. The silly
ordinance that the San Francisco author
titles passed few days ago to compel the
Chinese to remove 10 another and distant
quarter, is of no effect, and is little more
than laughing stock. But the enforce
ment upon the Chinese OF the same health
regulations that Americans are compelled
TO accept, and that are confirmed by the
wisdom of sanitary science, is an assault
upon the Chinese that neither public SEN
timent, the most habby sentimentality,
the Courts nor the Federal Government
can or will interfere with.