The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-16
WHENCE THEY CAME.
Effect OF the Recent Decision of
Judge Hanford.
IT IS ADMITTED TO BE CORRECT.
Probable Effort to Have the Expulsion
Law Amended - Cinnamon on
WILDLY Island Scared.

The special agents of the treasury department
VINO have been engaged in the enforcement of
the Chinese exclusion act in Washington are
aOout 10 lay before the secretary of the treas
urs the new situation created by the interpreta-
tion put upon the law by Judge Hanford. They
declare that the decision of Judge Hanford that
when Cinnamon are proven to have I'M
lawfully entered the United States from
BRUSH Columbia they must be returned
TO that province, while they do not dispute its
accuracy, would make the enforcement of the
Ia" SAVIOR OF persecution, while also reducing
the deportation OF the intruders to a farce
The other decision, that Chinese intruders can
not be deported Without positive proof that they
came from certain foreign country, Is declared
TO reduce the law almost to O dead letter. Their
view of the matter was pretty thoroughly aired
few days ago in q discussion of the matter by
several special agents and customs inspectors,
OF which the substance is as follows:
at Is practically impossible to furnish posi-
tive proof that a certain Chinaman came from a
certain place. Those who have positive knowl-
edge on the subject and could give positive tes-
tlmony are those concerned In bringing them
into the United States. They also have numer-
GUS white friends who have done business with
Cinnamon and who readily swear that they have
seen certain Chinaman in a town in the
United States for several years. Though we
may be confident that these men commit per-
jury, we have no means of proving it Yet the
presumptive evidence 10 usually strong enough
TO convince any ordinary man.
when Chinaman swears that he has lived
In Seattle for any length Of time, and yet knows
nothing of the English language or of the place,
IL Is fair to presume that he is lying and is a
new arrival. Yet such evidence iz not admis-
sible.
"What ought to be done is to put the burden of
proof on the Chinaman. When a man is found
IN most foreign countries without a passport
ne Is required to give satisfactory account Of
himself, or is expelled. The same method ought
to be adopted in the case of Cinnamon in this
country.
'But the decision that the words of the law
whence they came mean whence they last
came,' still further increases the difficulty. We
may secure orders of deportation in every case,
but when British Columbia is the country to
which the Cinnamon are to be deported its exc
cution is either farce or persecution.
We may take the man to the boundary and put
him across the line and he will come right back
II we continue to drive him across the line as
often as he comes back our action will SAVIOR of
persecution; If we do not the expulsion will be
a farce. That is the summing up of the matter"
Though all effort to drive out the newly ar
rived Cinnamon from WILDLY island has been
abandoned since the recent decisions, the
Celestials on the island are in a state of panic
on account of the recent roundup. No more
new Outnauen are going there, ana OLD resi-
dents, OF whom there are about $50,
refuse to go over from Port
Townsend and the other Sound towns
to dig their potatoes unless they have a letter
from the special agent stating that they left a
certain place in the United States for the island
Even with this precaution, the Chinese so
thoroughly appreciate the ill-feeling against
them that a very slight demonstration would
suffice to induce them to withdraw.
IL in aafe tn saw that the aacretarv Of bo
treasury will be strongly urged to ask congress
to amend the law in the direction indicated In
the arguments advanced in the discussion out
lined.