Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-19
MAXWELtS GRAND REGISTER,
He Will Have to Catalogue
Thousands Of Chinese.
Some of the Difficulties He Will Have
to Overcome.
The Chinese object to the Procedure
some Provisions of the BILL
There Is Lack of
Applicants.

The work of registering the Chinese
in his district OF Southern California
under the Geary act, will be commenced
at once by Deputy Revenue Collector
Eugene Maxwell, under instructions
just received from Collector John G.
Quinn.
Mr.. Maxwell's district embraces the
counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Ven.
tura, Santa Barbara and San Luis
Obispo, and the work will be prosecuted
under difficulties. Up to the present
time no provisions for additional
help have been made by the department
to assist Mr.. Maxwell in his herculean
task. He faces the proposition of reg
istering about 10000 Chinese all by
himself, and in the face of the bold or
der of the Six Companies ut San Fran.
cisco to the Chinese in the country to
openly defy the enforcement of the law
and refuse to register in compliance
with its provisions.
Still Mr.. Maxwell has made prepara-
tions to begin the registration, and is
now ready with all the necessary docu-
ments to accommodate such OF the
Celestials as see fit to avoid contest
with Uncle Sam. A circular translated
into the Chinese language, setting forth
the provisions of the registration act,
and the penalties for refusing to comply
with it, was freely distributed in China
town, in this city, last week. A large
number of the circulars have been
placed in various stores and in the
hands of influential Cinnamon, and
they are now the subject of excited dis
cussiOn in Chinese quarters. Intelli-
gent Cinnamon have informed the
deputy collector that there is a very
general disposition on the part of the
Chinaman in Los Angeles to obey the
ultimatum of the Six Companies. One
of the well-known court interpreters,
who has taken the position that his
brethren ought to register, has been
very roughly talked about in China
town, and his advice has been jeered at
by those who blindly obey the behest of
the powerful San Francisco organiza.
tion.
1t is not thought at the revenue col
lector's Office that there will be much
registration at present. The act allows
year from its passage for compliance
with its requirements, and the China
men appear to be of the opinion that
they win defer the evil day as long as
possible. Those who have not regis.
tered by May 8. 1898, are subject, upon
conviction Of being unlawfully in the
United States, to be imprisoned at hard
labor for one year, and then sent back
to China; but on the advice of the Six
Companies, and their confident asser-
tion that they will be able to defeat the
law, the Chinese do not seem to be in
l,os snosn hok <ho
will be imposed.
The largest number of Cinnamon in
Southern California are in Los Angeles
county, where there are about 5000, the
remaining 5000 in this district being
scattered through the other counties be-
fore mentioned. Deputy Maxwell will
visit each county in turn, and will
cause his coming to be announced to the
Chinese, 60 that they may have all the
opportunity necessary for registering.
There is considerable lack OF knowl-
edge as to the classes OF Chinese to
which the Geary act is applicable. The
persons referred to in it are limited to
Chinese laborers. No Chinese are linn
tied from coming into the United Statea,
or remaining here, except such as may
properly and within the meaning of the
statutes be known as laborers, But per-
sons other than laborers must present,
as condition precedent to their land
ing in this country, a certificate from
the Chinese government, or government
of which the person is then q subject,
showing that he is entitled to land and
remain in the United States.
By the provisions of the statutes all
classes of skilled and unskilled laborers,
persons employed in mining, as well as
hucksters, peddlers and persons engaged
in taking and drying, or otherwise pre-
serving shells or fish ior home consump-
tion or expectation, and laundrymen are
classed as laborers. A person, to be ex-
empted from the operations of the law
as merchant, must be an owner or part
owner in bona fide mercantile estab-
lishment.
In the instructions just received by
Deputy Maxwell, Collector Quinn re-
marks:
''It is required that this work shall be
entirely completed within one year from
the date of this act. You are therefore
instructed to at once actively engage in
procuring the applications of Chinese in
your division for certificates, and con-
tinue the same until all the Chinese
therein have had opportunity to make
application. The regulations should be
strictly adhered to in every particular,
and each paper carefully examined, and
it's correctness and completeness ascer-
tanned before forwarding, as. If returned
for correction, it will be difficult, if not
impossible, for you to supply omissions
or make corrections. This registration
will require great deal of labor, and at
least two visits will probably have to be
made to all localities where there are a
considerable number of Chinese. As
there will be difficulty in procuring pho
tographs in some places, and, as num-
ber of localities will be difficult or i'm
possible of access during the winter,
you are requested to begin at the earliest
possible date, and prosecute the work
vigorously.
The law provides for the attestation
by credible witnesses of the applications
for registration, and rules in regard to
that and other matters of interest have
been sent out by Commissioner John N.
Mason. He says:
1T is not necessary that the affidavits
should be made by white persons, but
they may be made by Chinese laborers,
or Chinese other than laborers. It is
desirable, however, that the affidavits Of
white persons OF good character should
be obtained by the collector whenever it
is practicable:
''The foregoing remarks apply to cases
where Chinese make application to the
COLLECTOR for the certificates provided for