The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-11-23

descent (not citizens of the United States)
who have been convicted of crimes should be
SO amended as to include those who are here
after convicted of felony, as we'll as those
who have been previously convicted thereof
AS the law at present stands only those who
are convicted OF a felony by the act OF May
s., 1892. could be deported
In habeas corpus proceedings, where the Chi
nese persons claim to have been born in the
United States, the widest discretion should be
given the Judge or Commissioner in his ruI-
! ings on the crediblity of witnesses and the
admission of the evidence.
10 illustrate this Take the proceedings in
the commissioners Court almost any morning.
A Chinaman is before the Commissioner on a
writ of habeas corpus; his attorney claims
that he was born in the United States; the
enough about language or customs 40
claim anything; but, nevertheless. there are
Will testify that they knew the applicant =
rather and mother twenty or twenty-five years
ago; that applicant was born at 10 Dupont
street, on the third floor, in room No. 49,:
that when the boy was years old he was taken
TO China by his mother to be educated; that
ne has lived in China ever since that time;
that now his mother is dead and his father
is dead and he wants to back to his
native America to take care of the business
OF his old uncle or cousin-and the uncle or
cousin is there to to It,
SO common is this story, well is it learned,
and so carefully is it presented in evidence in
the courts. that one of the Federal Judges es-
timated that if the story. were true every Chi
Twenty-Five years ago must have had at least
500 children.
!
states commissioners the widest range in ad-
Knitting Chinese testimony. The newspapers Cf
mis- city nave paid great deal of attention
TO the question Of slavery, and the public have
come to know through the efforts of the press
that here in this free land in the city of San
Francisco, under the very shadow of the fiar
that is the hope, the inspiration and the glory
of all who love liberty and rejoice in freedom.
human chattels are bought and sold bartered
and exchanged-yes, in the very market place
And there is no Federal law on the statute
books to reach and remedy this evil; and SO the
new chinese exclusion law must be framed to
soil.
To learn this may astonish many but It is
a fact nevertheless. At present there is no
law relating to the question of slavery ,lnless
1t relates to negroes, mulattoes or foreigners:
therefore, with reference to Chinese slave girls
who claim to have been born in the United
states, there is no penal statute by which
their owners can be prosecuted All that can
be done in attempting to break I'D the fnvol-
untary servitude Of Chinese girls held for inn
moral purposes is to arrest the urfortuna tes
on the charge that they unlawfully in the
united states and deport them should thew
fail to establish their right to be here. hut
II they establish their American nativity there
is no Federal statute which will compel their
owner to release them This phase of the Chi
nese problem requires the careful attention nf
our lawmakers when they are considering t,e
new exclusion act. "
In conclusion 1 wish to say again that we
can justly feel every confidence in the states
manship and honesty and ability of our Con-
gressional delegation They will frame the new
exclusion law and frame It, I am sure g
wisely as human wisdom can But this con-
pention can voice the heartfelt prayer of all
California tfat the East may join with tha
West and In the coming session of Congress-
ala us In passing just and wise measure tha +
shall guard and protect from the blight
labor and industry, her commerce. her trade
her homes, her children and her future