The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-02-16
HE IRISH STANDARD: SATURDAY FEBRUARY Is 49,
TROUBLESOME CHINESE.
A Source Of Great Annoy anco to
the Government Officials.

A Source Of Great Annoy anco to
the Government Officials.
Smuggling Operations Of the Sly Celes-
tlals In the Rio Grande Country
Effects of the Exclusion
In no section of this country did the
| Chinese exclusion act entail such hard
! ships upon the Acknowledged residents OF
the United States as it did along the Rio
Grande in Texas. In the revenue dis
trict of the Rio Grande there were, pre-
vious to last June, about one thousand
Cinnamon. Ell Pasa, the main port OF
| entry from Mexico, claimed seven hum
! dred and fifty Of these, and San An
tonic, an inland city, one hundred and
ten. The rest are scattered about,
three or four in each little town in the
| district. 1t was found by the revenue
officers that not over four hundred Of
| these were entitled to remain in the
United States. and the other six hun
! dred we're deported. either to China or
to Mexico, if they came to this country
from that republic, says Harpers
Weekly.
Ell Paso was allotted ten thousand
three hundred and thirty-eight inhabi-
tants by the census of 1890, and the
business interests Of the city are nearly
entirely dependent upon the transfer Of
goods from Or into Mexican territory.
Two wagon bridges and one railroad
bridge connect American with Mexican
soil and at times the Rio Grande is SO low
that it can be crossed almost dry sllod.
Railroads reach to the north, east, west
and south, affording quick and easy
transit in any direction, so that it is an
ideal smuggling point. Notwithstand-
ing the sleepless vigilance of the rev.
sunes formidable proportions, and it is
largely due to this fact that the Chi
ncsc element forms so large a proper
ton of the population.
The Chinaman is an expert smuggler,
and devotcs his energies to transferring
opium, tobacco, silks, Mexican en-
broidery and drawn-work, on all OF
which articles there is a heavy tariff,
from Mexican to United States soil
without paying duty thereon. The
most profitable article for smuggling
has been in the past the Chinaman him
SELF and it was to prevent the whole
sale importation of this class of goods
that congress made the Chinese excll-
SIGN law even more severe than it was
under the act of 1882. In 1886 congress
passed law prohibiting the coming of
Chinese laborers into the United States
for a period of ten years, and provided
penalty for bringing them in. In
this act provision was made for GER
tifcates of Identification for those al
ready here, which entitled them to
come and go. This act was easily
evaded at FL Paso, and doubtless else
where, for John would show mp one
| day in queue, long shirt and wooden
shoes and receive his certificate as
j 'Hong," and the next day the same
mild-looking oriental would put in an
appearance dressed ''allee samcc Mel
lean man" and receive his certificate as
Cling" One of these certificates was
naturally for sale, and the price they
brought ran at times as high as two
hundred dollars.
&: Across the river from El Paso is the
Mexican city Of Ell Juarez. There are
many Cinnamon there as well, who act
as confederates of their countrymen
across the river. Chief among them is
'Doc" Sing. who is rated commercially
at about one hundred thousand dollars.
| doc" is king among them, and with
/; fertile and cunning brain he has engi-
neered many scheme whereby the
,, revenues were none the richer,
or whereby the population Of the
! United States was increased by one
Mongolian not really entitled to the
protection of the stars and stripes.
Wong Ming is his chief lieutenant, and
is a resident of Ell Paso. where he ranks
high as business man. Wong Ming
has lived in the United States about
| seventeen years, and is one of the few
Cinnamon who have families to share
the freedom of this country with them,
| and he lives a retired and domestic life.
| These two Cinnamon are the authori-
ties in the Rio Grande country among
their own people, and everything that
comes up for settlement among them
! selves or in the relations of the Chinese
| to the Americans is referred to them.
In October, 1883, all act of congress
| went into effect abolishing the certif-
| cate of Identification. This cut off
| great source of revenue, and the inn
| portation of Cinnamon became simply a
question of out-and-out smuggling. In
| 1892 the exclusion law was extended to
1902. This new law also provided that
| to remain in the United States China
| man must obtain a certificate showing
| that he was here in 1882. On these
| certificates are photographs Of their
! holders, and the certificates cannot be
! obtained without the testimony of a
| reputa BILE white man to the effect that
the statements made by the Chinaman
are correct.
In the registration there was great
| trouble at first in getting the pictures