The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-10-15
The Disfranchisement of a Regularly
Admitted American Citizen.

AOm1CtcQ American C1t1Zens
Wong Chin Foo writes to the editor Of the n Y.
sun-Sir: feel worse than yellow dog to-day
and poorer than Bowery beat in January For
eighteen long years have struggled hard to be-.
come a good imitation American, after 1 had
failed to become a successful Chinaman. It's a
good thing have MT begun to build my million.
dollar marble mansion somewhere upon Uncle
Sans domain, or would not be able to own it,
Now have just discovered that am the only in.
dividual in New York that has no country. The
very thought of it knocks all the light and hope
out of fellow. man without country kicked
out of China, disowned by the United States, and
all for what? ALI because had not been born Jet
black or pure white. Yet feel as if am almost
as white as Denis Kearney or Senator Blair.
yellow heather may not possess any rights in
Christian country but he may have the pre-.
sumption to speak his mind in the land of the
free" and the land of the whites and the ne.
groes" when in despair. What kind Of a govern
ment is this. any way. that has its affairs so
mixed that even its own servants do not know
how to act7 They would willingly and unhesta.
tingly take Chnaman's cash when presented,
and give him guarantee paper for his rights, and
then their superior officers proceed to confscate
those papers and deprive the holder of the rights
that he legally paid for. The authorities in q
public court in the State of Michigan in the year
1874 granted me my naturalization papers and
publicly and solemnly declared me to be citizen
Of the United States and to have the same rights
as any other man here, which conditions 1 have
been permitted to enjoy for eighteen years until
yesterday. when was suddenly deprived of the
privileges above referred to by the Federal author
tiles said to come from Washington
AS to the legality of my naturalization 1 would
ask you this question: Has the Federal Court of
the United States the right to make law which
would be retroactive, as in this case. to strip me
of my citizenship and franchise? 1 do not deny
that government has the right to make laws to
deny the rights of any class of people that it finds
Objectionable to its good citizens In my case it is
an outrage on common sense, and tyrannicai &C.
ton Of the lawmakers. 1 was naturalized in a
court of competent jurisdiction. If had no right
to become citizen of the United States then that
court has committed misdemeanor or a felony in
taking my money fee for such illegal naturalza.
ton,
had hoped. some years ago. when the new
antiChinese bill became q law, that the United
States lawmakers would be wise and liberal
enough to allow what already had been done
to remain it was-that is, those Chinese who
were enterprising enough to have claimed Ameri.
can citizenship. to remain in. possession of their
rights, as they we're mostly men who had, in one
way or another. fallen deeply in love with the
country and the people here, and that never
probably. would claim any other country for their
home, most of them having married white women
and raising half-breed families to grow up with
the country here To deprive these men of their
citizenship and their rights of franchise, to say
the least, is an outrage upon common sense and
humanity-an act too mean and cowardly to be
committed by any great people.
will look earnestly for decision from the fair
minded Americans, aside from a political clap.
trap standpoint. as to my rights, to permit me to
remain the American citizen that had supposed
1 was for eighteen long years. If my color should
be drawback, and on account of that 1 am dis.
franchised, then say this cannot be the country
that has proclaimed itself to the world, for
more than a hundred years. to be the home of
the free and the oppressed of all nations"
In the mean time will call the attention of the
alleged Chinese citizens everywhere, if they
wish the matter tested in the courts, to send me
their cooperation soon as possible.