The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-11
Chinese Can Land Any
where Below the Mexi-
can Border.
The Senator's | fluence Helps to
Change the Exclusion
Regulations.
His Steamships Will Garry the. Men
co.'s to a Point Whence They
Can Sneak Back.

Senator George C. Perkins, who is max
ing desperate but apparently futile efforts
to succeed himself in the councils of the
Nation, is gradually appearing in his true
colors as the champion of transactions
that love not the light.
His latest move was to make a success
full attack on the Chinese exclusion regu-
lations, which are considered the safe
guard of the commercial and moral inter-
ests of California, and all because it put
few Chinese dollars into tue pockets of
himself and the steamship company in
which he is in terested.
When the Chinese exclusion act went
into effect with the amendments that
made it an effectual bar to the incursions
of Monaghan Iaborers, the Secretary OF
the Treasury exercised his legal right in
adding certain regulations that were in
tended to make the law even more etfi-
Gent.
The most important of these was to in
struct the Collector of the Port of San
Francisco that Chinese in transit from
foreign ports to points in Mexico must
not be shipped to ports north OF Salina
Cruz. This was done to prevent them
from landing at ports just below the
American line. whence they could IN
short time work their way into the United
States and thus defeat the exclusion act
This regulation has been in effect for sew
eral years past and has kept the willy
Chinese from getting on to United States
soil from that direction.
The steamship lines i'll which Senator
Perkins is interested do not run as far
south as Salina Cruz and have never had
a slice of the patronage OF the Chinese
going into Mexico, and it has long been
Senator Perkins ambition to find some
way to cireumvent the safeguards thrown
around the interests of California and
Californians.
His opportunity came few days ago,
when seven Chinese arrived by steamer
from Victoria in transit for Mexico. They
did not specify any port in the southern
republic, but merely wanted to go to
Mexico, and Collector Wise. always on
the alert to prevent evasions of the ex-
clusion laws, Immediately scented
rodent. He thought they were planning
to return to the United States and refused
to allow them to tranship to any other
point than Salina Cruz. The Chinese APP
pealed to the Secretary of the Treasury
and Collector Wise also wrote defending
his position and asking instructions.
In the meantime Senator Perkins had
been appealed TO by friends OF the men,
and, spurred on by his own interests, he
Immediately sent long telegram to the
Secretary asking that the men be allowed
to take passage for Mazatlan or some near
by port.
OF course the men would travel by the
Perkins steamers, and many more, seeing
how easy It was to get near the boundary,
would follow their example.
1t was represented to the Secretary at
the time that the building OF railroad lines
into Mexico had made it easy for Chinese
to disem bark at points near the American
border, and that after all there was no
necessity of a regulation requiring the
Mongols to ship to Salina Cruz.
The upshot of the matter was that the
Secretary sent instructions allowing the
seven Chinese to embark for any port
south of the border. 1t is probable that
hundreds more will demand the same
rights, and that Senator Perkins will reap
a rich harvest from his little scheme to
override the wishes of the taxpayers of
California,