The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-04-12
THE HAWAIIAN CHINESE.
The Argonaut of recent issue says:

The Argonaut of recent issue says:
/ Some five or six years ago, when the
agitation that eliminated in the annexa-
/ lion OF the Hawaiian Islands was in its
] Infancy, the Argonaut uttered warning
I to the effect that should the Islands be
/ annexed the Chinese residents there
would attempt to enter this country UNI
der plea of citizenship. This prophecy
has come true. The America Maru has
brought two Chinese into port who claim
"a right to land on the ground that they
were naturaiized citlzers of the Republic
| OF Hawaii, and that the Territorial Act
| creating government for The Islands
recognizes all citizens of the republic as
! cit 2ens of the United States. The Alaska
/ Packing Company'S ship Carrier has sew
/ eral more Chinese who seek to land UNI
der the same plea. The Chinese do not
depend on abstract argument to make
1v"> <t."i" 1000 Tha"a is Traaaury rul'n u
| which, while not ION all fours," as the
, lawyers express II, Still seems to bear
! them out. question arose in Honolulu
4 as to whether a native of China, natural
lied under the Republic of Hawaii, could
so surety on a custom house bond. The
question was referred to the Secretary of
the Treasury, and by him to the Attor-
ncy General. The latter held that under
the law OF August II, 1895, 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 ac-
Crpted naturali2ed Chinese on bonds.
This ruling has not the force of de-
cision OF court of law, but it estab-
fishes II 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 viii 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 tens of thousands of Chinese"
here are less than 20 600 all told, of
whom about 700 We're naturalized under
the laws of the Republic and 1884 born
in the Islands, exclusive of about 400
part Chinese. These classes native and
naturalized, numbering about 400 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
to be one of those who en-
joy the rights of free admittance.
The Argonadt will permit us to say
that as Hawaii is a 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
whore wages ana returns from the
various industries in which the Asia
tics 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
tens of thousands" It tells about only
two have sought admittarce To Coast
ports under the Treasury ruins re-
ferred Co.