Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-09-25
THE CHINESE MAY COME.
END OF THE WAR OF ExCLU.
SION AGAINST THE PIorAILS.
A Decision OF n United States Judge
Virtually Allows Them TO Como
In rs Fast ms They Please.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1.-THE Chi
nese may come" is n rev Used interpre.
tation Of the Chinese exclusion law
which Acting Secretary Spaulding
reached to-day. For months the Treas
ury has been straining every nerve to
turn back the tide of celestials which
has been flowing across the border
from Canada. A Large force of detec-
tives has been kept in Canada to give
information as to the approach Of
groups of Cinnamon. Acting Score.
trip along the northwestern
border to familiarize himself
with the extent of the traffic and de-
wise further means for keeping the
Cinnamon out. But to-day the
Treasury Department threw up its
hands in despair and declared in effect
that 1.-THE Chinese may come"
1t will be recalled that Attorney
General Miller gave an opinion some
weeks ago to the effect that when.
Cinnamon C me to this country by
way of Canada he could not claim that
Canada was the country from which
he came. AS the Chinese exclusion
act permits the Treasury Department
to return 1hinese to the country from
which they came" the opin. on in effect
declared that Canada was not an
asylum of refuge for Cinnamon and
that when caught they could be
shipped to China and not merely to
Canada II has never done any good
to return them to Canaaa, as they
would slip across the border again.
Acting on the Attorney-Generars
opinion, many Cinnamon have been
stopped ut border points. Some of
them have hired lawyers and fought
the A,torney-General view, and to-
day word was received that test case
at Detroit had been so decided that the
Treasury Department would have to
bring its Chinese crusade to an end.
The collector of customs at Detroit
Photographed Secretary Spaulding that
Judge Swan OF the United States Dis
trict court had decided that canada
was the country from which the Chi
nese came when they got into this
country by way of our northern
neighbor. This was directly in the
face of the Attorney-General's opin-
ION, and ii Judge Swans rule was fol-
lowed, Cinnamon could not be sent
back to China. Secretary Spaulding
was naturally loath to accept such
ruling, but there was no alternative.
The Attorney-Generars view was
merely an opinion which had no bind
ing effect, but the Swan decision came
from federal court. The acting Sec
rotary therefore telegraphed that the
decision of Judge Swan would be &C.
cepted blythe Treasury department as
final unless some method Of appeal to
the Supreme court could be devised.
There is no appeal, however, and the
Treasury officials feel that the war of
exclusion against the Chinese is sud-
denly brought to an end. Secretary
Spalding said that if the border courts
wished to construe the law so as to
favor Chinese immigration the Treasury
would give up it's efforts until congress
came together and changed the law.
This end of the controversy means
much to Canada in the way of the
revenue. as the dominion will now be-
come thoroughfare for Cinnamon en-
route to tins country, each of whom
pays $50 head tax to Canada. Four
shlploads of Cinnamon arrive in Van
couver every month. There were
1900 Cinnamon landed from Jan. to
July Is last, and 1000 were destined to
the United States. Canadas income
on the traffic for this period was S3i5,-
900. The activity of the Treasury de-
tectives and officials has been the only
thing which has in any way limited
the influx thus far, but with the ac-
ceptance OF the Swan decision as final
to-day the Treasury agents are brought
to a standstill, and the bars are prac-
ticallv thrown down for the incoming
Cinnamon.