The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-11
THE HAWAIIAN CHINESE.
The Argonaut of recent issue says

|
| Some FIVE or six years ago, when the
agitation that eliminated in the annexa-
ton of the Hawaiian Islands was in its
| infancy, the Argonaut uttered a warning
to the effect that should the islands be
! annexed the Chinese residents there
would attempt to enter this country I'M
der a plea of citizenship. This prophecy
has come true. The America Maru mas
brought two Chinese into port who claim
a right to land on the ground that they
were naturalized citizens of the Republic
of Hawaii, and that the Territorial Act
CT eating a government for The Islands
recognizes all citizens of the republic as
citizens of the United States. Inc Alaska
Packing Company's ship Carrier has sew
eral more Chinese who seek to land I'M
der the same plea. The Chinese do not
depend on abstract argument TO make
out their case. There is a Treasury ruling
which. while not ION ali fours," as the
awyers express 1t, still seems to bear
them out. A question arose N Honolulu
as to whether a native of China, natural
lied under the Republic OF HAWAII, could
60 surety on a c.stum house bond. Inc
question was referred to the Secretary of
the Treasury, and by him to the Attor-
ney General. \ he latter held that under
the law of August L. 1898. all citizens Of
the Republic of Hawaii including nat
uralized Chinese, became citizens of the.
United States, and acquired all the rights
of such citizenship. Under this ruling,
the Treasury Department has since &C
cepted naturalized Chinese on bonds.
This ruling has not the force of a de-
cision of a court of law. but 1t estab-
fishes a precedent, and Is likely to be
followed until reversed in the courts.
Nevertheless, the Chinese who are seek
ing to enter have been kept In detention
and will be retained there until the At
torney General has passed upon their
cases. 1t is not that the entry of this
handful of Chinese is a serious matter,
but to admit them would let down the
bars for the tens of thousands of Chi
nese who are residents Of the islands.
The items of thousands of Chinese
here are less than 10000 all told, of
whom about 700 were naturalized under
the laws of the Republic and 1924 born
in the Islands, exclusive of about l4O0
part Chinese. These classes native and
numbering about AGO are
the only ones entitled to freely pass be-
tween Hawaii and the mainland The
remainder can be kept away from there
as easily as are those who sometimes
undertake to get ashore from China by
pretending to be one of those who en-
joy the rights of free admittance.
The Argonaut will permit us to say
that as Hawaii is much more desir-
able place for the Chinese than is Cali
fornia, Oregon or Washington, these
Islands are more in danger of getting
them from the Coast than the Coast
is in danger of getting them from here.
Few Cinnamon care to leave Hawaii
where wages and returns from the
various industries in which the Asia
ties engage are much higher than is
the case on the mainland. The Ar
gonaut ought to have surmised as
much from the fact that out of those
items of thousands 1t tells about, only
two have sought admittance to Coast
ports under the Treasury ruling re-
ferred to-