The San Francisco call., 1897-01-26
TIE HIGHBLNDERs.

| not citizen OF such character as to make
his murder a loss to the community, he
was, nevertheless, sufficiently prominent
and powerful to make it an important
event in the City and to call sharply to
the public mind the growing evil of per-
| mitting highbinders to ply their murder
Gus trade along our streets.
Ever since the outbreak of the struggle
between the See Yups and the Sam Yups
professed murderers have piled tn cir trade
in the streets of Chinatown, and have re-
peatedly slaughtered their victims under
| circumstances which show not only dis
regard for human life, but an utter con-
tempt for American law. Little Pete" is
only one of several victims who have
fallen in this struggle, and there is ample
reason for believing that his death viii
be followed by many others unless drastic
measures are taken by the police to pre-
vent them.
It has long ago been dem onstrated that
| it is impossible TO govern the Chinese COM
munity by laws which are sufficient for
Americans and Europeans. In the first
place, the Chinese as a people, have no
adherence of murder, and make no effort
to hunt out the perpetrators of such of
|
regard for the sanctity of an oath, and on
the witness-stand commit such perjuries
| that, whether they testify for or against
the accused, they invariably leave in the
minds of the jury the suspicion which
raises the doubt that, under our law,
must be construed in favor of the pris-
| oner.
To govern the population of Chinatown
| there is needed something of the strict
and despotic law of China. The police
| force in the limits of the Chinese district
| should not only be increased in numbers,
| but should be given increased power. The
police should have authority to arrest any
! Chinaman whom they suspect of being
| high binder and search him to see if he
carries concealed weapons. They should
not have to wait for the commission OF
crime or to have reason for suspecting
man of committing it in order to be
authorized to arrest him and make the
search. They should have that authority
| and be instructed to exercise 1t at all times
of the day or night.
In the performance of their duties in
Chinatown it is as easy for the police
| officers to "spot" high binders as il is for
| them to spot well-known crooks among
gatherings of Americans. If they were
authorized to arrest any person suspected
of being highbinder, to search him and
to take away from him any weapons
found on him, much might be done 10
eradicate that murderous gang from the
City.
Certainly we have had an ample expe-
rience OF Chinatown to be well assured
that the ordinary processes of our law are
not equal to the task of holding in sub
| lection the malignant nature of these
| Mongolian murderers. The highbinders
constitute a profession that is public in
its nature. They have their meetings al
most openly and many of them are we'll
known to the police. They work for hire,
and advertisements offering rewards for
assassinations are posted in Chinatown as
| publicly as advertisements for any legiti-
mate business. 1t is certainly not beyond
the power of American law and Justice to
| put stop to such open offenses.
| The British Government by taking drastic
measures exterminated the thugs in India,
and while in doing so it committed many
acts which shocked the sensibilities of the
| civilized world, the measures nevertheless
| proved eticacious and were justified by
! the results attained. California could
well afford TO initiate the British exam pie
| in this regard. While stringent measures
against highbinders might raise cry in
the East of injustice to the mld-man-
| nered yellow man they would at least save
our City from the disgrace of toIerating
professional murderers and in the end
would justify themselves by the establish
ment OF law and order and the preserva-
| ton Of life.
The highbinders must be suppressed.
They constitute menace not only to the
Chinese but TO the white race. L is true
that at present they rarely or never under
take to kill white man, but if they are
| permitted to grow bold in their infamous
trade there is no telling to what extent
their violence may go. Little Pete" has
not been a credit to the City while he
lived, but if his murder in barber-shop
on public thoroughfare, In an hour of
business activity, rouses the people to a
sense of the evil which confronts them
and determines them TO take resolute ac-
ton to suppress it, then Little Pete will
have become something of a public bene-
factor and do enough by his death to
counteract the evil he did in his life.