The herald., 1893-09-18
LETTER BAG.
That Chfnaman.

EDITORS HERALD.-We see that some
people have a pile of sympathy with
China John, and they want to give him
another chance owing TO his Ignorance.
| But be it known to these lovers OF
humanity that John knew all about the
law. He was we'll aware that the gov.
ernment required that he should regis
ter, and he also knew that the Six COM
panies told him not to do it, and he
didn't. He knowingly, willEully and in
tentionally violated law that would
protect him and give him perfect rights
and liberty to remain in our country,
and now finding that there are still left
remnant OF American citizens that OBJ
ject to have our laws trampled and ig-
nored, he comes and asks for another
chance. and, D my, what howl is
made, and how the law is denounced
as unfair, and dear, dear John
must have another chance. In the
name of common sense why not rive all
| the law-breakers another chance. They
are all on the same basis. Since the 9th
OF May last every Chinaman that should
register and did not is criminal in
every sense of the word his very pres
ence in the country 10 in itself Hufic-
/ lent proof against him and the punish
ment provided by law ie to send him
away to China. A law might be made
to give John an extension of time to
register, but no law can be law until it
is made. and to make a law at this date
covering times past seems to be contrary
to all principles. And this is question
to our smart (?) congressman. Inas-
much as John has committed crime
that he Is now and has been for the past
three months criminal, how can law
be made to make him free and blot
away his sin without atonement?
And if il can be done with him why
not do the same thing with all Grim
inals? Then make law to repeal all
other laws. set free all prisoners, and
have new start. We have nothing
against the Chinaman as species Of
human being and could not tolerate
any violence, but we do object to have
any foreigners to come here and run the
whole country to suit themselves and
set all our laws and customs at naught.
No government with any backbone
would tolerate such an insult. We are
becoming the laughing stock OF all the
world, and our course of proceeding is
the most ridiculous in the history of ma
tionH, We are asked here, "Why make
/ q OlSCl 9CGWCOA bAO OdAhAAAaOa.
and other foreigners To this we an
swer, that no other foreigners were pro-
hibited from coming to the country and
most of the Cinnamon now in the
country came here contrary to law, and
the Geary law was made to give them
another chance, or to make legal the
presence of those that previous laws
held as criminals. This Geary law is in
itself as generous law as could be en-
acted, and favors John more than any
other class of men in America. Fur
| thermore we say, that when other
classes of foreigners are in the country
under the same conditions as the China
men and are given the same chance
and will scornfully decline, they will be
dealt with according to law. Space
would permit US not to look at this
Chinese question from it's various
aspects, especially the value of John to
our community, and the church side of
the question. CAvILo.
A Suggestion About Public Moneys.
EDITORS HERALD: The worst thing
that could possibly happen, so far as
money matters are concerned, under
the present scarcity or smallness of the
volume of money, would be TO Btrictly
enforce the law requiring all public
moneys to be kept on special deposit, or
in vaults prepared by the different de-
partments OF government. The money
collected for state, county and city taxes
in the state of California each year is
about $28,000,00 The money in the
state all told, including government,
state, county and city treasurers, and
| all locked up in bank vaults, allowing
$24 per capita to be correct, is $28 $780,
900. OF this $2S 800. 600 there is, or was
on the 1st Of July, according to the
sworn statements of the bank commits
HioneYs, and the presidents OF all the
banks of the state, locked up as re-
serve fund s29,000,000 in round num-
bers.
In that estimate most of the public
! funds are counted. Ii the public money
| is to be taken out of circulation as fast
as the taxes are paid, where is the
money to come from to pay the taxes,
and what will the people do to carry on
other kinds of business? The facts are,
there would soon be but little business
to carry on, as it would soon be a regu-
lar cyclone that would ruin and wipe
out of existence nearly all the business
of the state-a regular rubbing out and
commencing anew.
l am no great friend of the present
banking system, but if the presidents of
10 or Is of the best banking institutions
of the county are safe as the bondsmen
of treasurer, fail to zee why they
should not be safe to handle the public
money, and especially under the clear
ing house system, when each one is
willing by bond to make themselves
responsible for any losses sustained by
a city or county through the failure or
dishonesty of any one of them holding
or using public money. OF all the plans
that have ever heard suggested for the
safe keeping of the public funds, think
the clearing house offer is the safest,
much safer than the strongest vault ever
constructed by any state or county,
though it might be guarded by 20 men
at time, whose orders were as strict as
Roman soldiers, namely, death for
desertion or sleeping while on duty.
J. W. PORTS.