Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-05-15
PIG TAlLSCROSSINC THE LINE
Constant STRAIN of Cinnamon En-
tering the United States.
The Officials Are Ignorant and Neglect
Their Duty.
The Schemes of Chinese Merchants to
Avoid the Laws.

WASHINGTON, May 9.-The president
pro tenn laid before the senate today a let
ter from the acting secretary of the treas
ury transmitting copies OF reports from
special agents at points on the Canadian
frontier upon the evasions of the laws for
the exclusion of Chinese laborers. Special
Agent Whitehead stationed at Suspension
Bri dye, n. Y, in his report calls at
tention to information received by him
that there are hrge number of China
men now in Toronto, recently arrived
from British Columbia. who. it is be-
ieved, will find their way into the United
States.
Wing Tai & Co. and Lee Wing. of
Toronto, he says, are prominent leaders
Of their countrymn, and are said to re-
ceive $50 each for landing their country
men across the line. Close watch, he
says, is kept Oh this part of the
frontier and thi1teen arrests have been
made within the past three weeks, and
this, he thinks, will doubtless have ten
dency to check tie immigration of these
persons, but there is do reason to believe
that it can be stopped altogether An
arrest and return to Canada, he says,
seems to have the effect of causing them
to seek some other outlet; and there
ore instances when special agents
have arrested and returned
Cinnamon to Canada, and the same are
now engaged In pursuits peculiar to their
people In the city of New York. If the
department, he says, should direct that
every Chinese person found unlawfully in
the United States tie removed to China, a
second attempt to come here would not be
made, but the present system will not
etfectually keep out this undesirable class.
Another phase of the subject. and one
that has caused some embarrassment on
his part and is likely to become more ser
lous, is that Chinese persons are found
unlawfully in the United States, SNUG
gled from Canada and who do
not have certificates showing that
they have paid the dominion customs
tax. They cannot be returned, he says, as
under these circumstances, the dominion
customs officers will refuse to admit them,
and he requests the department to give
some instructions touching Oh this matter.
Special Agent Brooks reports from
Toronto, Can, under date of May: For
two days the case of All May and his
brother has been before United States
Consul Pope, of Toronto. All May
recently came from Vancouver, B. c.,
under pretense of taking his brother to
see Chinese doctor in the United States.
He wanted to cross the boundary line. and
they would have given satisfactory evil
dence that they we're entitled to admis-
sion, had he not been present and OBJ
jected, for the reason that neither con-
sus or collectors as a rule, know the
nature of the evidence required as proof
of Chinese right as a merchant to enter,
or what constitutes a merchant under the
restriction act.
United States Consul Pope, he says, is
a fair representative of his class Of off
cials, but he knows absolutely nothing
concerning Legislation affecting Chinese,
nor has he been supplied with any copy
vi any law restricting Chinese immigra-
ton or excluding their laborers. That
more Chinese have crossed the border
under the cover of this consulate
is because they did not seek to eros:
by that route. The state de-
partment cannot too soon put into the
hands of our consuls along the Canadian
border. copy OF all laws
regarding Chinese immigration and
exclusion, and the latest decisions of the
treasury department under these laws
He details his action in the
All May case which resulted in thei1
being refused the papers they sought, and
says he is credibly Informed from Chinese
sources that organized effort has, during
the past year, unlawfully put over into the
United States upwards of 200 Chinese per
sons.