The San Francisco call., 1898-12-25
MORE THAN SEVEN THOUSAND
THE ROAD MADE SMOOTHER BY
 CHIEF MEREDITH.

Enormous Corruption Fund Availa-
 ble for the Nefarious Traffic in
 Human Flesh and
 Blood.
 The great and disproportionate increase in the number of Chinese male laborers and female slaves admitted at the port of San Francisco during the present ad- ministraton of Customs Collector Jack son, with the Chinese Bureau in charge of Ben F.. Meredith, has caused alarm among persons conversant with the facts and having the interests of the State and of the white laboring element at heart.
 In 1896 there were landed by the Col lector 1749 Chinese men and women at this port. In 1897 the number had swelied to 3540-more than twice the number. In 1898, the year not yet being finished and the tide of coolie immigration having been recently checked by the exposures made in The Call, the number Is 3263. Dur ing the years 1885, 1896, 1897 and 1898 the total number landed was 9S71. The num- Der admitted during 1897 and 1898 under the Jackson-Meredith management of the bureau was 1903, making in round num- bers seven-ninths of the whole total of the four years Yet it was during the preceding administration that the Dick Williams frauds were unearthed, where it was shown that Williams had made fortune by selling Chinese certificates of registration.
 Various differences are being drawn from this condition, of affairs, the facts being undisputed, for the foregoing figures have been furnished to The Call by Collector Jackson himself. The most common in- ference that is adduced is, that the in crease in the influx of the Mongolian horde is due5to the, ease with which they are now being admitted It is a note worthy fact that when the Chinese Blu reau makes a mistake the mistake is in- variably in favor of the Chinese and against the Government. But there is proof of something worse than blundering on the part of the bureau The case Of Fong Suey Wan is still fresh in the mem ory of the public. but there are some facts connected with it which never have been published. For instance, when the fact was called to the attention of Collector Jackson that Chief Meredith had been warned by reporter that Fong Suey Wan would escape unless he at once filed charges against her, the Collector replied that Meredith had denied the statement of the reporter and insisted that he had not been so warned. Whereupon the re- porter called upon Meredith, and Mere dtth denied that he had denied. Then went lile ltpOTItI lO lHt IOll6ClOT WItu lIG fresh fact of the admission of Meredith and the Collector replied that he would decline to discuss the matter at all
 Ex-Collector Wise, now in Washington, is circulating story to the effect that be- fore he left San Francisco Collector Jack son told him that ex-Assistant United tron Cameron of the Presbyterian Chinese Home Mission had requested that Fong Suey Wan be allowed to return to China Wise anything of the kind and MT. Schlesnger and Miss Cameron deny that they had interceded for Fong Suey Wan. against Fong Suey, might be allowed to return to China, because her testimony was of hearsay character and would not be admissible in a court of law. The story told by Wise would have the effect of ex- onerating Meredith from the charge of in competency or collision if the officials at Washington were not advised by the press to the contrary.
 Another of the peculiar mistakes of Meredith was his neglect and refusal to compel Chinese immigrants to sign their names to the written statements made by them to the officers of the Bureau. This afforded no opportunity to the coolie to say when confronted with his statement in Commissioner Heacocks court that he did not make such a statement and that 1t had been incorrectly transcribed. Hence Judge Heacock insisted that the state ment should be signed, but for months and months Meredith refused to comply with his request, until The Call began to direct attention to the suspicious actions of the chief of the Chinese Bureau, and until Commissioner Heacock had men, toned the matter to the reporters upon being pointedly asked why he had not in- sisted that the statements be signed. Then it was that Judge Heacock explained the fact that his repeated requests to Mere dith had been Ignored. This action of Meredith was in favor of the coolie inn porters, for without signed statement it l was not possible for the Commissioner to | determine whether the applicant had or had not told contradictory stories.
 The worst case of all developed few weeks ago, when a Customs Inspector named Gavan intercepted a letter of in- | structions that was being taken to an i'm migrant the Mail dock by a man | named Brown, who had up to that time | been employed occasionally by an attor- l ney making a speciality of landing Chi | neSe. The following is one of these sam | pie letters: To Mrs Yau Gum-Dear Aunt: My folks | wee landed safely on the second day of the | third month. so dismiss all anxious thoughts | from your mind. I trust you returned to China Tn good health and that you are enjoying the blessings of life |
 We who are abroad. I am thankful to say. well also and now wish to send you our | If you wish to return to this city and to bring girls over. be sure to put up the claim 1 Buy them from two to three years of age If l you wish some boys as well girls. that is | years old say they were born In the eighth ! or ninth month of the year September or Oc- |
 
 they were born four five months after you | had returned to China. If you should buy one | girl six seven years old, be sure that you do | not buy big, lest the white people | should speak of your bringing over girls for | immoral purposes. If upon your arrival you should be asked concerning the six or seven year old girl you 1 state that her relatives friends being poor | and not having rice for her. had of their own i will and accord presented you with the girl so | that she can do errands for you and play with | the little children, and that when she grew l up, either here China, she may become the | wife of some By doing this the prob ability is a landing will be secured The only | thing need lear Is that Quan Bing may enter into kind of collusion with pro- fessional white witnesses and demand more or less before being willing to guarantee their landing. Other matters less important I shall | not now speak about Will give you good news from time to time. With kndest regards | remain. your affectionate nephew.
 ON YEUNG.
 The following is another and very sig nifcant letter intercepted on the Mail dock:
 To Chan Hing-Dear Sir: Upon recefpt of this be sure to take the testimony and com init it to memory word by word This is the best way. The day the customs people come down to examine you, the way they ask VOL the way you answer-these things you write down in small and legible characters and very particularly. and whenever any one is landed you hand the writing to him to be quickly de- lvered at my store. The importance of this