The morning call., 1893-03-31
DODGING THE LAW
How the Chinese Hope to
Avoid the Geary Act.
THE SIX COMPANIES DEFIANT.
They Prevent the Registration of the
Employees of the Oakland
Jute-Mills.

InelT 60uS ana aims IN defeating Inc act 10
do so, was made plainly manifest yesterday.
Several days ago the proprietors of the
California Jute Mills in Oakland. where
some 200 Chinese are employed, sent word
to Collector John c. Quinn that the employees
Of the mills were ready and willing to regis
ter. 1t was minated to Mr.. Quinn at the
time that the Chinese would much prefer
registering without any notoriety, or, in
other words, they did not want tina Chinese
Six Companies to know anything about
their plans. Consequently the collector
quietly opened a registration bureau at 1OO6
Washington street, in Oakland. placing j.
l.. Edwards in charge, and also arranged
to send special deputies to the jute mills
yesterday to see the Chinese who wanted
to register and take their application.
On the last boat leaving this city Wednes-
day night two Chinese left the offices of tie
SIX Companies at 72S Commercial street,
and went to Oakland. An hour after their
arrival the employees Of the jute mills were
all up and jabber.ng away at a rate that
rendered sleep tor Superintendent Robert
| son of the mills, who rooms near the works,
impossible. Then the Chinese workmen
| began coming TO the superintendent
rooms, at first in couples, and then IN
| drOyes. The story they told was as follows:
( In some way the Six Companies had learned
| of the intention of the employees OF the jute
mills to obey the registration law, and they
| at once sent two emissaries to warn the men
| that they would register at their peril.
| The owners of the lute mills had told the
| Chinese that unless they registered arrange
| ments would be made to replace them, as
! the mill could not afford to take the risk of
| having all their employees taken away at one
| time by arrest for not obeYing the Geary
law, leaving the mills idle. This put the
| Chinese between two fires On the one
| hand the loss of position unless they regis
| tered. on the other the emnitY of the Six
! Companies if they did register.
| Between the two evils the Chinese decided
| to obey the Six Companies, aud have fatty
| refused to obey the Geary law. They will
not register and give as their reason the
! fact that the Six Companies have practically
! forbidden them to DO so. Argument and
! eXpOstulation were useless, the wOrkmen
| simply refused absolutely 10 even talk to the
! deputies sent by Collector Quinn at their
| own request. Later in the day General
| McComb who has charge of the Registra-
| tion Bureau. visited Oakland, but met with
| the same reply from the Chinese that the
deputies received. The men all belong to
the See Yup Society. and it is claimed that
| the emissaTies who visited them Wednesday
| night were sent from that body.
Al the offices of the SIX Companies and
| the See Yup Society yesterday the most
| profound Ignorance of any and all matters
concerning the registration OF Chinese WAS
! manifested. AT the See 1up headquarters
| the reply was mo sabe," and at the offices
of the Six Companies Tone, the Secretary.
| denied everything.
There is no longer any doubt but that the
| Six Companies are sending agents through
| the State to prevent others from obeying
| the law. They coax and threaten their
| counlTymen until they agree TO obey the
orders sent to them by the Chinese con-
| gress.
! Congressman Geary, the author OF the
! registration act, and Collector Quinn are
| thinking seriously OF causing the arrest of
| the officers of the Six Companies under
section $3.50 of the Revised Statutes of the
| United States of 1875 which r. ads as fol-
| lows:
| tory cORspire 10 overthrow, put down or to
| destroy 10y force the Government OF the United
States. or o levy war against them, 10 oppose
by force the authority ihefeof ROY force 10 pre-
| Usat, hinder or deIuU the execution Of dnU ldlO
| Of the United States, or by force to seize, take
| or possess any property OF The Uniled States
| contrary to The authority thereof, each OF them
shall be punished by fine OF not less than $500
! and not more than $1,000, or by Imprisonment,
wiki or without hard labor, for not less than six
! months or more than six years.
1t is claimed, and can probably be proved,
| that force has been used by the Chinese 10
| prevent their countrymen registering. Yes
terday m orning stslwart highlander sta
| toned himself in the hallway OF the Ap-
| praiser's building, and stopped every China
| man that entered. For a time his work
was not noticed; then an interpreter was
| the sentnePs conversation without being
| seen. He reported that the highlander asked
! every Chinese that entered the building
| whether be intended TO register. II the
| reply was in the affirmative and the Chinese
showed him slip of paper, the man was
| allowed to pass; but if the man wanted to
| register and had no slip of paper, then the
! sentinel called down upon his head the
! curses of all the Chinese gods, and threat
| ened him with the vengeance OF the Six
| Companies.
A deputy collector with more zeal than
sense spoiled the scheme. which wOuld have
| resulted in an important arrest. by rushing
| out and hustiing the sentinel out of the
building before he had been given a chance
| to talk 10 certain Chinese that were being
sent in to him, and who would afterward
| have testified as to his threats and state
| meats.
Another thing the Collector of Internal
Revenue has discovered, and that is that
| large numbers of the Chinese women are
being registered. A Chinese woman ac-
| cordiug to her age and beauty, is worth
| anywhere from $500 to $1,000, and the
owners of female slaves have evidently
made some arrangement with the Six Com
| panles whereby the women now here will
| be sale and allowed TO remain in this
country regardless Of the Geary act being
| declared Institutional or unconstitutional.
Another plan to defeat the GeaTy law has
| been discovered. The Chinese will prob
ably hold back until two or three days be-
fore the law goes into effect and then rush
| into the Offices for registration by the hum
dreds. OF course, it will be absolutely i'm
possible to register even third of the ap-
plicants under such conditions, and when
those unregistered are arrested they will say
| I'VE tried to get registered, but they
couldn't attend to us"
In vain will the counter claim be urged
that they had ample time and ample notice
for registration before the 9TH day of May
The law only provides that a Chinese who
nm, rfef.a "A
May 3. and there are going to be hundreds
who Will take advantage of the ION" The
question then arises that, having applied for
| registration and having found the office too
crowded to admit OF their application being
handled in time, can they be punished under
the law? The question is one that no law
yer can be found willing to answer.
Fnrty-hve Chinese registered yesterday.
the majority being sailors and house
servants. OF late Collector Quinn has had
scores of applications from white men who
had Chinese servants in their employ and
who wanted them registered secretly. In
all such cases the Collector has granted the
favor. and there are to-day several hundred
Chinese servants who have been secretly
registered and possess certificates.
The keepers of sailor boarding houses are
also instrumental in causing many Chinese
sailors 70 register.
Collector Quinn is determined to enforce
the law. Yesterday lie said: my duties
are laid down in the law passed by Com
gress, and l propose to carry them out a
far as practicable. 1t in no way concerns
me whether the Chinese register or not.
and If they think it is too much trouble
they have only TO remain away l again
give notice that | shall enforce the provs-
ions of the Geary net, and on the 9Th day OF
May l shall arrest every Cainaman in my
district who does not possess q certificate.
The law compels me to take this action.
The Six Companies and their subjects know
what they must expect, and If they refuse
TO protect themselves no blame can attach
to either the Government or the officials
thereof
at is true that registrations should in
crease. 1t is q time. hoMaYar. when mo re q Z