The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-07-11
TROUBLESOME CHINESE.
A Source Of Great Annovanoa Ao
the Government Olnoiala.

- sA0 SovoIneoC O1o01ala
s0nGgaiag Opseatieas of the nv oeaee
sisls In sh~ Rio 0ranas cevntx1
-E6scts ef the Exclusseo
6Aes Law.
In no section Of this country did The
Chinese exclusion act entail such haro
ships upon the almond-eyed residents o1
the United States ~ It did along the Ric
0rande In Texas. In the revenue dis.
trict of the Rio GranGe there were. pre-
vious to last June, about one thousand
Cinnamon. Ell Pasa, the main port Of
entry from Mexico, claimed seven hun.
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. It 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 were deported, either to China or
to Mexico, If they came to this country
from that republic, says Harper's
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-shod.
Railroads reach to the north, east, west
and south, affording quick and easy
transit in any direction, 50 that it Is an
ideal smuggling point. Notwithstand-
ing the sleepless vigilance Of the rev.
enue officers, the smuggling trade as
sumes formidable proportions, and It IL
largely due to this fact that the Chi
nese element forms 30 large proper
tion Of the population.
The Chinaman is an expert smuggler,
and devotes his energies to transferring
opium, tobacco, silks, Mexican en-
broidery and drawn-work, on all of
which articles there is . 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 exclu-
sion law even more severe than it was
under the act of 1889. In 1886 congress
passed law prohibiting the coming of
Chinese laborers into the United States
for . period Of ten years, and provided
. penalty for bringing them in. In
this act a provision was made for GER
tificates of Identification for those al
ready here, which entitled them to
come and go. This act was easily
evaded at Ell Paso, and doubtless else
where, for John would show up one
day in queue, long shirt and wooden
shoes and receive his certificate -
"Hong," and the next day the same
oriental would put in an
dressed ''allee samee Mel
ican man" and receive his certificate as
Hing" One Of these certificates was
naturally for sale, and the price they
brought ran at times rs high az two
hundred dollars.
Across the river from Ell Paso l. the
Mexican city of FL 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
dongolian not really entitled to the
of the stars and stripes.
Wong Ming is his chief lieutenant, and
8 a resident of Ell Paso, where he ranks
high as q business man. Wong Ming
las lived in the United States about
years, and is one Of the few
,hinamen who have families to share
he freedom Of this country with them,
nd he lives a retired and domestic life.
These two Cinnamon are the authori-
les in the Rio Grande country among
heir own people, and everything that
ONES up for settlement among them
elves or in the relations of the Chinese
o the Americans is referred to them.
In October, 1883, an act of congress
7ent into effect abolishing the certi6-
ate of Identification. This cut on q
reat source of revenue, and the i'm
of Cinnamon became simply q
uestion of out-and-out smuggling. In
500 the exclusion law was extended to
902. This new law also provided that
D remain in the United States China
ian must obtain . certificate showing
hat he was here in 1882. On these
ertifcates are photographs Of their
olders, and the certificates cannot be
btained without the testimony of .
eputable white man to the effect that
ne statements made by the Chinaman
re correct.
In the registration there was great
'ouble at first in getting the pictures
Iken according to law, the regulations
) to size and costume being very strict.
'hen Wong Ming and his family were
bout to be registered . new. difficulty
rose. The women, according to their
lstom, had never been seen by white
IN, and wore heavy wells when upon the
rect. The agent Of the government
yreed to . private audience, and Wong
ing and his wife, her two sisters and
d two-year-o,d child were duly photo
raphed and registered. The smug-
ing Of Cinnamon has by this new law
Aen rsl1nnA6 tn n minimum hnt the ,