The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-04-24

doubt somewhat affected by the thous-
ands of Chinese in California, have not
been lowered to the rates in the other
States, a fact which surely furnishes no
great cause of alarm to the white
worker The labor of these people in
railway building, in the vineyards
and in the lines of domestic employment
has been generally Advantageous
state at large has some gain to ahow
from it. But, on the other hand. they
are on low plane of life. They do not
become citizens, and it is best they
should not We have enough Ignorant
ones now. Nor is it of much use to try
to educate them in any other ways OF
thinking. Especially is it Improbable
to spend time or money in missionary
work in their behalf. My opinion, from
careful study Of the results, is that
they had better be left to their religion
and their own belief and traditions gem
orally; and in this very many clergymen
and other sincere workers in reforms
agree. They care little for an oath in
the courts and are discredited witnesses
by those who have had most to do with
them. And still this complaint is main
ly directed to the worst orders, for the
great body of them do not come before
ones are peculiarly degraded; but our
adherence of their ways is at least partly
due to the fact that their crimes and
| pracsices are not those of the depraved
classes of our own race-a fact that has
colored criticism in all ages of the world.
| 1t is fair to say that the average eastern
er does not realize the peculiar difficulty
in ferreting out and
Furnishing the sHiphh;nder,,
as the dangerous character among the
Celestials is called here. To bring home
an offence to the person and place, as it
is easy to do among our native popula-
ton, is well nigh impossible in many
cases. These people all look alike, and
the suspected one neither betrays guilt
nor fears that his fellows will betray him
unless because of feud existing between
warning secret societies. These feuds
are the greatest sources of public disor-
| der and often really terrify the commune
| ty. Law is taken into their own hands
| by the highlander leaders, and "China-
town''-whether it be in San Francisco
| or observation-disclosures hotbed of law
lessness. But this class is small and has
no more support or sympathy than any
great majority of the community want
peace and order and the merchants, es-
pecially, will pay any price for it. They
are ever the allies of the peace officers.
| At no time have the highbinders attained
| the dangerous character that attached to
the thugs of Baltimore, the italian soci-
cites of New York or the Malta of New
| Orleans; but the cry against them is
fiercer than against the others whom
the Chinaman, at his worst, can only
feebly initiate.
In January, 1892, as a published &C
count states: ga dozen highlanders
opened fire upon each other on a public
street of San Francisco in broad daylight.
Before the police arrived the assassins
had fled and covered mp their tracks,
| The chief of police now resolved upon
heroic measures. and very pluckily gave
orders to break up their camps and hall
of meeting. For two or three days the
police invaded their headquarters, tear
ing down signboards, demolishing idols
and furniture, and leaving nothing be-
| hind but a heap of debris. The Chez
Kung Tong, the very center and pivot of
highbinderism, was the last to fall"
The Chinese merchants
Supported the Police in Every Turn
and even the Six Companies literally and
openly contributed IN every way to help
on the cause of law and order. A still
more curious account just now appears
in a San Francisco paper and which de-
serves to be given in full, coming as it
does from the pen of veteran observer
and clever correspondent:
'sThe shaking up that Chinatown has
1 been getting is a surprise to it, for it is
new experience. A feud between two
of the society of highbinders having re-
suited in three murders during one
week, Chief OF Police Crowley declared
war himself and his men have been raid
through the quarter demolishing the
headquarters of these assassin gangs,
smashing their idols. breaking their fur
niture, chopping down their fagstaffs,
and clubbing, kicking, punching and in
every way maltreating the highbinders
themselves. Of course there is no legal
warrant whatever for this sort of thing,
and nobody knows it better than Chief
Crowley. But he is a man of sense and
understands that the only way to enforce
respect in Chinatown for the law is to
break it. Yesterday / witnesseda sight
that would have appalled, the soul of
Bishop Potter, or any of the good people
in the East who cannot bear to think Of
the modification which a coolie must
feel on being required to register and
take out a Geary certificate proving his
right to be in this free country. Half
dozen well dressed Cinnamon were stand
ing together on the sidewalk near Wash
ington street on Dupont. Up to them
walked very tall, stout and athletic
man with red beard, and without utter
ing one word he began driving his fists
into those Chinamen's faces and
sending his boots where their
coat tails would have been if they had
/ had any. The assaulted ones made no
resistance; they didn't even cry out or
show any other sign of expostulation,
but gave all their minds and energies to
picking themselves up and running away.
The red-bearded man was policeman
in plain clothes. Specifically the on
slaught looked like an unprovoked
outrage. But those well-dressed, gentle
looking Cinnamon were high binders,
and the policeman knew 1.-THE knew
that their good clothes came from the
earnings of the female slaves ..in the
| alleys. and that their trade was murder