The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-04-15
A SMUGGLER'S PARADISE
HOW CHINAMEN GAIN ACCESS To
THE UNITED STATES.

White Men smuggle the Orientals on |
Dark Nights From Vancouver to |
Washington--The Prices Charged |
Looking at the map one may see that
the northwest corner of the State OF
Washington is torn of, and the space
that is left is filed with water, dotted
with an archipelago. The island o. Van
couver 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 archipelago.
Our national interest centred in that
corner long ago when that portion Of the
boundary was in dispute, and the tension
of war feeling was only relieved when
a foreign arbitrator settled the boundary,
and gave us the island of San Juan, the
most important IN the group. The city
of Victoria cor fines nearly all the popu-
lation on that corner of Vancouver ISL
aud; the city of Vancouver is the main
settlement on the British Columbia
shore; and on our borders are such
little places as Whstcom, New
Dungencss and Port Angeles, in the
State of Washington. Port Town
send, on Puget Sound, is the principal
American town near by, and the head
quarters of the scanty force of customs
officials who are supposed to guard
against the smuggling, and who are en-
titled to the presumption that they are
doing their best in this direction. Vic
toria has only 10000 population, Van
couver 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 keel of but few vessels-of
none at all, except the smallest craft,
outside the main channels. 1t would be
hard to imagine a more difficult region to
police, or a fairer field for smugglers.
Old London itself has scarcely a greater
tangle of crooked and confusing thor
oughfares than this archipelago possesses.
and these waterways are SO narrow and
sheltered that mere oarsmen can safely
and easily travel many of them. 1t is
smuggler's prradise.
Those who transport the Cinnamon
are all white men. The resident Chinese
actas their confederates and as the agents
of the smuggled men, but do no part of
the actual smuggling, that is to say, the
boating. The great smuggling is of
opium. The introduction of the Chinese
themselves is of small account, so far as
the defiance of our laws is concerned, as
compared with the introduction of opium.
Yet that extensive business also is car
ried on 10y white men. The Chinese
cannot pass to and fro as white men can,
therefore they leave the traffic to the
whites.
These white men are of the class one
would expect to find in such business. A
J Government employe in Victoria told me
that would "be surprised to know
what important and respectable persons
were connected with the smuggling"
but as he gave me no further enlighten-
ment, and as l failed to obtain any proof
that any number of so called respectable
men pro6ted directly by the business,
did not and d. not believe that there are
many such. Those who do the smug-
Cling of the Chinese are unprincipled
and reckless characters. They make their
bargains with those Chinese whose busi-
ness it is to arrange for the carriage of
their countrymen into our country. The
boats employed are small sail boats, and
quite as small steam launches. When the
owner of one of these boats has secured
a sufficient number of Chinese to make
the venture profitable, if it succeeds, th7
journey is made at night, without CON-
pliance with the law, which requires
vessels sailing after dark to display lights
at their sides. At times the contrabands
are landed near Port Angeles or New
Dungeness. San Juan Island, within Oul
border, is only twelve miles from Vic
toria, and has few Chinese resident
upon it. At times Cinnamon are carried
there. Once there they can cross to the
mainland with more freedom, and with
a possibility of obtaining testimony to
the effect that they are and have long
been domicIled on American soil. The
smugglers charge $50 to $25 for landing
each Cmnaman on our coast; $40 is the
ordiEary and usual charge. Wherever
the Cinnamon are landed they find eithel
men of their own nationality to seeretC
them, or white men awaiting their ar
rival, and ready TO take them to somC
Chinese quarters. Once on land tn,
danger Of arrest is greatly lessened, auc
after a newly-smuggled Chinaman ha'
made his way to one of the larger town.
or cities near the coast, his fear of deten
tion by our Government vanishes en-
tirely.-HaIPer's Magazine.