The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-07-15
4 sMuocLER.s PARADISE.
Row Cinnamon Gain Access to the United
States.

Row Cinnamon Gain Access to the United
States.
Looking at the map one may see that
the northwest corner OF the state OF |
Washington is torn off, and the space
that is left is filed with water, dotted
with an archipelago. The island OF
Vancouver fits partially into the gaping
corner as If it had been torn out by
some gigantic convulsion. The tatters
and debris of the rent form the archi-
pelago. Our national interest centered
In that corner long ago when that por-
ton of the boundary was in dispute, and
the tension of war feeling was only
relieved when foreign arbitrator set
tied the boundary, and gave us the
island of San Juan, the most important
in the group. The city of Victoria,
writes Julian Ralph in Harper's Maga-
zine, confines nearly all the population
on that corner Of Vancouver island; the
citv of Vancouver is the main settle-
ment on the British Columbia shore,
and ON our borders are such little placee
as Whatcom, New Dungeness, and Port
Angeles. in the state of Washington.
Port Townsend, on Puget sound, is the
principal American town near by, and
the headquarters of the scanty force OF
customs officials who are supposed to
puard against the smuggling, and who
are entitled to the presumption that
they are doing their best in this dlrec-
ton. Victoria has only twenty thou
sand population, Vancouver fewer STILL
and the islands only here and there
house. Deer abound upon these islands,
which are heavily timbered, and the
waterways between them feel the keels
of but few vessels-of none at all, eX-
cept the smallest craft, outside the main
channels. It would be hard to imagine
a more difficult region to police, or a
fairer field for smugglers. Old London
itself has scarcely q greater tangle OF
crooked and confusing thoroughfares
than this archipelago possesses, and
these waterways are so narrow and
sheltered that naere oarsmen can safely
and easily travel many Of them. 1t is a
smuggler's paradise.
Those who transport the Cinnamon
are all white men. The resident Chi'
nese act as their confederates and as
the agents of the smuggled men, but dc
no part of the actual smuggling, that Is
TO saw, the boating. The great SNUG
qline is of opium. The introduction oi
the Chinese themselves is OF small ac
count, SO far as the defiance Of our laws
ia concerned, as compared with the IN
PRODUCTION of opium. Yet that exten
siye business also is carried on by Whit
men. The Chinese can not pass to ap'
fro as white men can, therefore the!
leave the traffic to the whites.
These white men are OF the class on
would expect TO find in such business
A government employe in Victoria toll
me that would "be surprised to know
what important and respectable per
sons were connected. with the SNUG
Cling" but as he gave me no furthe
enlightenment, and as ! failed to oh
taip any proof that any slmber OF SC
called respectable men profted directl
by the business, did not and do no
believe that there are many such. Thos
who do the smuggling OF the Chimes
are unprincipled and reckless chara'
ters. They make their bargains wit
those Chinese whose business II is
Arrange for the carriage OF their coui
trymen into our country. The boat
employed are small sail-boats, and quit
as small steam-launches. When tn
owner Of one Of these boats has secure
n sufficient number Of Chinese to MAX
the venture profitable II IL succeeds, Il
, Journey is made at night, without con
pliance with the law which require
vessels sailing after dark to displa
lights at their sides. At times the co
, trabands ore landed near Whatcom,
times near Port Angeles or New Dung
hess. San Juan island, within o.
! border, is only twelve miles from VI
. toria, and has few Chinese reside'
} upon H. At times Cinnamon are ca
RED there. Once there they can Gro
n 70 the mainland with more freedoi
q and with q possibility Of obtaining tes
' mony To the effect that they are a
' have long been domiciled on Americ'
q soil. The smugglers charge twenty d
v lars TO twenty-five dollars for landil
n each Chinaman on our coast; twen
q dollars is the ordinary and usu
, charge. Wherever the Cinnamon Q
landed they find either men OF thu
own nationality to secrete them,
white men awaiting their arrival, a
q ready to take them TO some Chine
!. quarters. Once on land the danger
G arrest is greatly lessened, and after
10 newly-smuggled Chinaman has made
ID way to one Of the larger towns or cit
le near the coast, his fear Of detention
N our government vanishes entirely.