The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-26
OUR CHINESE MIGRATION.
OHINAMEN VINo SAN FRAN
CISCO AND NEW HORE.
A Loss or 1000 Chinamen 60 New Tsrh
ana OF $4,000 20 ssn Francisco IN tho
hnst Five T~ears-Poiiss Raids Perhaps
the ~Causs-Chnnaes tn Mott Street.

recent comment among tho officials OF that
city. II Is said that the present Inhabitants
Of the Chinese quarter number only about two
thirds rs many as lived there in 1901, and that
thousands have either died or gone TO other
places since the census OF 1890. This tremen-
dous falling OFT was hardly noticed until about
six months ago, when q man, who had been
making a tour of the Oriental quarter, d.
rected attention TO the fact that stores and
living quarters which always before had been
in demand, were going begging for tenants.
iris statement seems rather remarkable In
view Of the fact that the Chinese quarter In
San Francisco Is only three blocks long and
two blocks wide, and long had n population of
about 10000. However. AZ tho buildings ex-
tend almost as far under ground as they do
above ground. It can be understood how so
few VI them rs thoro are In the quarter can
accommodate so many. In many places the
tenants are packed In like sardines. one largo
room being pertitioncd Off into many, so that
the gradual Withdrawal. from San francisco
While It might aeVer be noticcd by a casual
observer, would be badly fit by the owners
of The }hs causes tST s"'l M : II RaS ssii lsa tG %S I I,yf Iii. re.
mnrkabls emigration are many. The Chinese
Exclusion act stopped the influx. the bad con-
ditiOn OF business drove many merchants away,
and the constant harvesting Of the residents Of
the quarter;by the police and United states au-
thoritles did. the rect. Just what has become
OF all the Cinnamon who have left San Fran.
cisco during the last few years II would be in.
Few have gone home. for most Cinnamon be-
come too well pleased with the land of their
f tuTn to- china nina ' Where llfe i !. ' q Ir ysnrs 10 and md
there is little to do but, work. pay taxes, and
diei The , sgppSSs sts N, is so thG Hro most most, of 81, IL, Tie
years have come to Now York, and there is an
imprcssi Tor abroad In the West that the New
that during the last few years 1t has taken in
nnumber of new streets in the lower part of tho
this Gifts, has been growing steadily smaller
and smaller for years. and since ls0l the pop
Chinese population throughout the neighbor-
ing cities of Brooklyn. Jersey City. Hohoken.
connecticut, principally Hartford and New
Haven. has grown correspondingly; but New
Works colony is dwindling every month, and
the change in its aspect during The last twelve
months has been remarkable. Chinamen are
leaving New York l,y, the dozen. and already
! there are negroes and Italians living in many
l OF the tcncmcnts In Pcll and Doycrs streets
and in Mott street. which were formerly oc-
sion of the Chinese quarter by negroes, which
is very recent, is the most serious thing that
Of the ' %pnTter 70 for foi two " o things ,i ar rcE w ,iif k inIure
to all New Workers: First. that when negroes
l"sln TO settle anywhere they n,artnbly drrye
not like negroes, and will not liv. near them
nor have any dealings with them il they can
escape them. The fuct that negroes have been
able u get II foothuld at all in Chinatown is in
Itself r evidence of the way wa : nh i, n. A., haze Es been
lttN INK u. a lew SSNi1 usp y NhN lll' itlNltSI
kind Of work to get rooms in any of the China
town tenements.
greater than the su:ply. stores, too, were In
great demand. and there wasn't half enough
street for the merchants who wanted 10 start
business In the quarter. Other foreign
could not afford to pay the rent for rooms
which the Cinnamon could and would de-
n,and. Chinatown was prosperous then; it
strange one. There Is still n population Of
about 1000 In the quarter. but five years ago
| tinue to go on as they have been going. NcwYork
will not Lave anyChinatown at all in n few years.
The merchants Tsmaintng there are lnrsely
toners. The Chinese restaurants feed almost
81 Moh iSSnS sn'' fhe e0" 9hin sss" b ntsh' b &s 'h Sores go
make all their money from Americans, who
think they are, getting, things cheaper, and
town. The theatre is half filled ut almost
evory, performance with sightseers. The tea
all II IT wasn't for thsir white customers. Yet
n few years ago the New York Chinese man
quite rich by doing business almost exclusively
among themselves.
ors SaTisn' p FS"s$"s are sf "' ;n g Siist 59F Iii GhinS de,
quarter in the East. The real rrn>on. and the
one ,L the rn more IL ii@t ,hn en,,c nhinS,n%n eve for ~.
ers IL the city have been raided 50 persistcnlv
q TIE chim9m M Every game Of cards or
and II raid Invariably follows. There was a
time when big fan-tan games were run openly
In Chinatown. and opium joints existed In ev-
cry otter house. Ae;ing lnS,pertor brooks,
station, broke M the big gambling in Mott
street by. a series of raids. extending over two
years. lie would corral as many as 10 or 100
securing convictions IN such cases than any
other policeman who had commanded the pre-
c!nct. Capt. Brooks stopped the big gambling
In the Chinese quarter. and each Captain who
has followed him there has adopted his policy
Hf ~ "a N N.4pt ttNts ~ III pli Lac Ia null
get the slightest evidence against. Finally
there lycre no more games to raid. The gam
age to open new games. This fact. however,
didn't stop the police raids FOR, n mor emit,
their own apartments for playing cards and
dominoes. hauled to the Centre Street Court.
S"%ss S"a Without W' any %1 n"tc% S11"f;Ss ev I'd Ss%t0! The
police have been rebuked time and again for
these raids by the city MAGISTRATES; but they
turn around for fear OF being arrested. The
records Of the Centre Street Court show hun
during the last year and no. moro than half a
dozen convietions among them all. This treat.
tho decay Of New Works. Chinatown. ii has
Cinnamon away. and they have s%cattercd in
all directions, SO that now the only, day In the
in its paimy. DAYS is sunday, when the laundry,
men come In from the country round about
To- buy their weeks supplies, and pass their
$500 '''N .Ns 80 N''f - 'N
gcruus To go indoors.
An lrishman who has been in business in
Mott street. Just on the outskirts of the col
ony, for nearly twenty years. and who knows
more about the district and its Inhabitants
than any other man In New York, talked to II
Sun reporter about Its gradual decay.
c,I Isl hSSe IN wr NsM iS GRRin"5sS s s,i shTc ""nS a Its
prepared to say that il has been made the VIC
tim OF police ambition. never IN my lie
old day raids OF fan-tan houses and opium
Joints were legitimate, but this ralding. OF
little games oi cards and domiuocs II Outrn-
geous, know for n fact that the doors OF
mems rooms have been knocked in. aud they
blers, when they were having friendly games.
II goes right on, too, despite the fact that tho
police are rebuked Invariably by the Nagis,
tratcs for making tnose raids on the fiimsiest
evidence, usually the reports of stool pigeons
who will swear to ANYTHING. II Is this con.
slant n~agging that has dIshearteneh the China
men. Every time they are arr ested il means
n lawyers fee and u loss of valuable time. and
they have been moving away, for two years.
Why, only Yesterday / counted, In Mott street,
tMnlNn nOllremnn In citlZnns, cInIhes. lhnY