The morning call., 1893-05-05
The CALL CALENDAR.
WHO SHOULD BE DEpoRTEDa

But few hours remain in which the
Chinese may. according to the law of the
land, register in the various cities Of the
United States, thereby securing a right to
remain in this country. According TO this
law those Mongolians who are not regis
tered at the close OF business hours to-day
may be arrested by any United States
customs official, Collector of Internal Reve-
nue. or his deputies, United States Marshal
or hisdeputies, and taken before a United
States Judge. whose duty it shall be to
order that he be deported from the United
States as hereinbefore provided, unless he
shall clearly establish to the satisfaction OF
said Judge that by reason Of accident, sick
ness or ether unavoidable cause he has
been unable to procure his certificate"
That is the law. and its provisions seem
to be perfectly clear. Chinese must register
before the close of Office hours on May 5,
1898; otherwise the law requires that they
be deported. And yet up to date not one
Chinaman in a thousand has complied with
the law, and not one Chinaman in ten
thousand expects to be deported for non
compliance.
This. truly, is a strange state Of affairs.
Here is large population of foreigners
who expect to avoid the penalty attached by
the Government to a refusal to obey Its rsa-
sOnable command. And the strangest part
of it all is that this confidence is evidently
founded on the conviction that the execu-
tive part of the Government Of the United
States will not enforce the laws made by the
legislative department. 10 fact, that the
President refuses to do the will of the
American people and becomes the virtual
leader Of the Chinese in America. Truly.
as was said before, this is a strange state of
affairs.
Until the election of Grover Cleveland
there was a prospect that the Chinese evil
would be kept within existing bounds
There was every indication that the exclu-
sion law would be enforced. and that while
the rights of Chinese now here would be
scIupulously respected a stop would be put
TO the fraudulent Importation of people so
undesirable There was for a time great
trepldation among the Mongoian poDula-
ton, which, however, became less as the
Political campaign progressed, and when
the election of Cleveland was ascertsined it
not only disappeared altogether. but gave
place to a defiant refusal to obey the law.
As soon as the new administration took
the charge of affairs the reason for this de-
1ianee became plain. The Chinese had
friends at Washington. 1t was soon per-
ceiyed that the law of the land relating to
MOng0lans had but the half-hearted sup
port of the President. The Chinese be-
came :bolder and the Govern ment's weak
ness became clearer, and at last means
were found, by what may be called the Mon
golian government in America. to even pre-
vent those Chinese from registering who
earnestly desired to do so. Order after
order has been Issued from Washington
curtailing the powers of officials whose
duties we're to enforce the exclusion act.
1t will not appear strange if the people
Of this coast are indignant at this state OF
affairs, but their Indignation is directed
toward the administration and not toward
the Chinese. There is no danger that the
latter will be molested for refusing to obey
the law by invitation of the Government.
There will be no attempt 10 deport Them
because they have refused to take out GER
t.tcates. The feeling of Indignation is di-
rected against the Washington officials who
lave suspended the operation of an act of
Congress.