Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-16

recognition Of his powerful and far-reach-
| ing influence is essential to intelligent con-
| sideration Of the problem he offers the fu.
ture government In the Philippines
The Thumb-Mark Test.
From the report of Gen. James r. Smith,
/ collector OF customs of the islands and Of
the chief port. the following extracts on
this topic are Of interest:
! In September, $685. by virtue OF an or
der OF the military governor, the Chinese
| exclusion acts in force in the United States
were made operative In the Philippines. and
| since that time all Chinese persons except
I FORMER residents and those belonging to
! the exempt classes have been refused per-
mission to land In the islands. Residents
| who left the archipelago subsequent to the
| PRONUNCIATION of the order are not permitted
| to return unless they produce certificates
| of residence issued to them by the collector
| or customs prior to their departure. These
| certificates until April 18 of the present
year, identified the person to whom issued
| by thumb marks and such scars, signs and
| facial and personal characteristics as would
render Identification on return reasonably
| certain and definite. Since April 1901 how
| ever, owing to an attempt to float fraudu-
| lent certificates printed in Hong Kong.
and quite skillfully forged. all departing
| Chinese have been obliged to produce du-
plicate photographs Of themselves, one copy
being firmly attached and sealed to the GER
| tificate issued and the other affixed in the
| same manner to the retained stub. Return
| certificates only delivered to departing
| Chinese on board the vessel on which they
have taken passage. Immediately prior TO
| the hour OF sailing. The certificates are
| only receivable at the port from which is
| sued.
| Chinese residents who left the islands
| between December 81, 1895. and September.
! 1898, have been permitted to return on the
production of satisfactory evidence OF for
| mer residence, but 1 think that privilege
should now be cut off, inasmuch as all such
persons have had ample time to return TO
their homes, and a further continuance OF
| the grace will only serve to make fat
| livelihood for the constituencies brokers
who, for a consideration, stuff prospective
| Chinese immigrants with such Information
! as may enable them to pass the trying ex-
| animation to which they are subjected.
What the Report DisclOses.
During the period of time from January
! l. 1899, down to and including May. 1901.
| 2S.75S Chinese arrived at the port Of Ma
| Mia, Of whom q .697 were permitted to dis
| embark and LOCI refused a landing. Dur
! ing the same period Of time %, 65S Chinese
| took their departure from Manila, leaving
| an increase Of 4,O29 arrivals over depar-
lures"
| Here follow tables showing that during
| the first six months Of 1899 CLOS Chinese
| landed and 4,392 departed; during the last
six months of that year 1882 landed, 2eS
were rejected and 5,O66 emigrated. During
the first six months of 1900 4145 Chinese
were allowed to land, Isl were rejected
and Isl left the country. During the last
six months of 1900 5,235 entered the is
| lands. 237 were rejected and 4,992 departed.
During the months Of January, February,
| March, April and May of the present year
| 5,277 landed. 4O5 were rejected and 4,O27
| left the islands.
lin the period intervening between the
month of May and the middle Of September
tx,t 1nx
Der in the years 1900 and 1901. Chinese
| steerage passengers have been forbidden,
under the quarantine regulations to come
! to the Philippines. 1t will. therefore. be
Noted that in the months of April and May,
Immediately before the quarantine reguia-
| ton goes into effect and in the months Of
September and October, Immediately after
1t expires, there Is very much larger per-
centage of arrivals than during any other
period.
Complaints Against Exclusion.
Some merchants. a few large property
| owners nearly all contractors, and all those
engaged In enterprises OF such magnitude
that cheap labor counts as one of the ele-
ments Of success, complain not a little that
the unlimited labor market of China, just
| over the way, has been closed to them. and
that the material progress Of the country
must suffer for want Of a labor supply
| possessing the ideal elements Of cheapness.
adaptabtlity, patience and accomplishing
industry. There is no question but what
unlimited Chinese immigration would for q
time give an immediate and powerful i'm
petus to manufacturing, railroad construc-
| ton. ship building, the making of high
| ways, and even to the larger farming in
| dustries, but 1t Is very questionable wheth-
| er the benefit SO accruing would anything
| like balance the incalculable damage and
| ruin which would befall the great mass OF
the population to the manor BORN who
would be deprived Of employment and who
hut Ia oto nofo fal
gress of which they were not partakers.
| and which brought them neither happiness
| nor prosperity.
ments now being advanced in favor vr
Chinese immigration to the Philippines
claimed the enthusiastic attention of the
people of the United States. and there. as
here, 1T was claimed that cheap labor from
China would open great lines of communi-
cation, bind the country together with rib
bons of steel, encourage manufactures, snd
in general bring about an era of material
advancement well nigh impossible without
It. Chinese immigration to the United
States did all that was prophesied for II
1t built railroads and manufactured
watches, developed mines and relied Gig
ars made shoes for the feet and coats for
the back, constructed engines and peddled
| garden truck, quarried stone and gathered
hay in the harvest field. But 1t did more.
It drove the American laborer, with all his
intelligence. energy and activity, from
every avenue Of employment open to its
cOmpetlClOn, closed the doors or uSeIul
trades and industries to the rising genera
ton, and proved to a moral certainty that
all benefits to be deprived from 1t could only
| accrue to comparative few. and that by
sacrificing the well being and happiness OF
the overwhelming majority.
American Experience Instructive.
What happened in the United States, I
| firmly believe. will happen here if the bars
to Chinese immigration are once let down.
only In a form more aggravated and with
consequences more disastrous. Holding
these opinions, Notwithstanding theoretical
arguments to the contrary, which for me
have been refuted by the test Of actual ex-
perience, 1 cannot do otherwise than
earnestly recommend that the present ex-
clusion regulations be continued in force,
with such additional legislation as may
render their evasion impracticabfe.
1.-The embarrassment which many inter-
ests suffer from scarcity of labor is tenn
porary in character and will pass away
under the influence Of more settled condi-
tons and higher wages OF course, those
who are patiently waiting for the good old
days when they could stroll down the
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