The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-14
CHINATOWN WANTS WAR.
TON LEE GETTING UP a REGIMENT
FOR SERVICE IN OUBA.

Has Eniisted In ut Himself. with Sam PlnE
Ice, Toch sal, N1oy sing. Han TeunG, Chin
snnG, Lni Ling, and q scero Or others. IN the
Name or the Chinese Equal Rights League.
The Chinese Equal Rights League Of 20 Mott
street has headquarters nt Chicago, and alleges
that Its membership is S,00O, and that 3, 900 of
its members live in the CITY OF New York. It
was under the auspices of this society that
Congressman Smith Of Illinois recently intro.
duced q bill providing for the naturalization Of
Cinnamon.
Thomas l.. Ice, a naturalized citizen and a
merchant In business ut 161st street and Morris
avenue, read OF the Havana riots in THE SUN
yesterday. Ho started Immediately for China
town, and issued q call for q special meeting Of
the League. About fifty responded. and when
tho meeting was called to order Lee had q copy
Of one Of the afternoon papers. He read the
war nows' to tho meeting, and tbon made q
speech.
I'VE are anxious" said he, ito have the
proper sort Of Cinnamon naturalized. We can
do more to show tho justice of our demands
now than at any other time. Let us get up a
regiment of Chinese soldiers from tho Greater
New York, and offer ourselves to the Govern:
ment to fight those cowardly Spanish. Mister
Price. tho lawyer, tells me that service in arms
under a flag of itself gives the right Of citizen
ship. / am rich. am a citizen. / have many
thousands Of dollars, bat there are some Of my
brothers who are not 80 fortunate. To help them
reach where 1 am I will be the first to enlist.
Who will be the NEXT"
Lees speech created q sensation. and was
greeted with applause. Within ten minutes
thirty names had been added to tho rolls.
Prominent among these were Sam Ping Lee,
tho general manager Of the leaguo; James
White of 10 Mott street, William Sing, whose son
was ut one time on the policeforce of this:city;
Teang. a merchant Of is Mott street; D. II.
head IL the great Wo Kec Company Of 8 Mott
street, and Lai Ling. a cigar dealer at II Mott
1t was decided that Lawyer Edmund Z. Price
should BIO retained to draw up the articles Of
enlistment and see that tho complete roll should
ties tG in Washington. Tom Lee, Sam Ping Lee,
and James White were delegated q committee,
s and they he cs Immediately strsst o wsn 6n e b6i l% {tSe p Fatsin.
The league. will hold another meeting to;
and Lawyer Prices articles Of enlistment will
be ready for more signatures. ,-+
day ~" us 9r a rather erp exclusive TeU one. We IeS viii ad.
NIT only such Cinnamon as will mako good citi-
Eens. All Of our members must cut of their
queues, adopt American dress and customs,
must be able to speak English and must promise
to invest all Of their earnings in this country.
we nope bno OHer OIsOur beTNlCoS Will not y y
fused or ridiculed. as VIC arc thoroughly, in
earnest. We are anxious to make 1t possible
for good Cinnamon to become good Americans.
The fact that many of us, already citizens and
well.to do, are willing to take u chance Of being
killed, merely to advance our cause and show
our patriotism and prove we are worthy OF
what wo demand, should speak eloquently in
our favor. We win be able to enlist and equip
a full regiment from Greater New York, and
personally l am anxious for the war to como SO
we can prove we are in earnest. We Chinese
OF the higher, Glass are not towards and we
want to fight for the Stars and Stripes, for we
as well as of natives of other countries"
Sam Ping Lee speake fiuently English, Span.
ish, German and Chinese. The other members
of the league can all: speak English intelli-
gibly.
'0ne thing I want to add. " declared Tom Lee,
land that is that a number of our merchants
who are too old to go to the war themselves
have avowed their willingness to give money
toward equipping the regiment and hiring sub
stitutes."
War talk was at q fever heat in all the 70.
sorts in Chinatown last night and 1t was a com.
mon sight to SEQ q little knot of Cinnamon sur
rounding ono who was reading the war news to
them. from the evening newspapers, translating
1t to their mother tongue.