The evening times., 1899-10-19
CHINESE LAW VIOLATIONS.
The Treasury Department. Seeks
Power to Punish Offenders.


At the Treasury Department today II was
said that at the coming session of Congress
a request would be made for the passage of
a law that will enable the department to
control the admission OF Cinnamon to this
country for exhibition purposes under spe
cial bills. AT the present time also there
is clause in the exclusion act that permits
the importation of Cinnamon to expositions,
but under it no one is held responsible TO
see that they are returned to China. The
action Of the department is to be based up
on the complaints that have been made
the exposition at Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Exposition Association
was granted permission by special act
March 1 last to introduce Cinnamon into
the country. No limit or restriction, how
ever, was placed upon that association as
duced. Four hundred and fifty have al
ready been brought In, and others are un-
derstcod to be on the way The Treasury
Department has no power to stop them. The
exposition authorities and concessionaire
may land as many as they may declare are
necessary for their purposes.
In a letter to the Treasury Department.
the concessionaire stated that he would
need $50 Cinnamon. A letter was address,
ed to the director general of the exposition
expostulatfng in regard to the large num-
Der, but the reply declared that no smaller
number would suffice. This gave rise to
considerable correspondence and it was
! pointed out to the director general of the
exposition that great danger lay in such
importations. and that the introduction of
Cinnamon invariably proved to be excess
sive Of the actual need, and many escaped
The Treasury Department has been, it
is said. unofficially advised that the con-
cessionaire advertised in Chinese papers
that he could introduce Cinnamon into the
united States for -vftain sum Of money,
in each ease amounting, it is understood,
to several hundred dollars
1t is believed, in consequence of this al
legation, that instead of importing bona
fide artists and actors, he has actually sold
the privilege of becoming inhabitants of
this country to each of the 450 Cinnamon
introduced. Even in this accusation the
department has no power to act, it is said,
under the act of Congress, and can make no
regulations, or exact bonds for the depor-
tation of the Cinnamon, after the close of
the exposition.
In similar instance, when the solicitor
OF the Treasury held bonds for the depor-
tation of Cinnamon from the Nashville Ex-
position, their return could not be effected.
A Chinaman upon leaving the exposition
grounds was arrested. but was Immediately
discharged by the United States Commits
sioner in that district.
In the same way, some months ago,
troupe Of Chinese actors was admitted for
the Omaha Exposition under similar spe-
cial law. After the closing of the expo
stion they started on a tour through the
country and were arrested in Chicago for
deportation They were discharged, how
ever, by United States judge without even
an opinion ON the case, notwithstanding the
fact that the Omaha Exposition act pro-
vided that such Chipamen should not re-
main in the country longer than three
months after the close OF the exposition.