Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-10

ing privileges of American citizenship,
proposition would be presented which COM
mands the utmost consideration and care
full elaboration to probable results on
the question of racial problems.
How We Would Be Affected.
at is estimated that there are appcoSi-
nately close to 20oO,O0O Chinese in the
Philippines at present and if that estimate
be reasonably accurate II may be assumed,
In the absence of official data, that at least
1,00OOO0. and perhaps even more, were
born in the Philippines. Let us consider &C
tual possible results, situations and condi-
tors.
Assuming that ultimately these 100000
Philippine born Chinese be declared ma
tive born in the sense mentioned they
would be entitled to come and go at will in
the United States. This country to the
Chinese is a land filled with golden lilies to
be plucked, stored away and transported to
the flowery kingdom by all faithful celes-'
tails. The influx of Chinese from the Phil
ippines if the exclusion act should not ap-
ply rigdly thereto, and. If it should so ap-
ply, then of the native-born Philippine Chi
nese, would be tremendous in either la
mentable event.
Let us suppose that all these latter Chi
nese should determine to cast their lot with
us, 100000 of them, their distribution and
location would be a matter of peculiar In
terest to our people. An equitable distribu-
ton of the 1,o00,0O0 Philippine-born Chi
nese would be like this:
New York 100. 900; Chicago, 1000; Phil
adelphia. 10000; Boston, 10000; San Fran
cisco, 60.0ao; st. Louis. 5000: Washington,
10000; Buffalo. $1,000; Milwaukee 10000,
and Detroit. Cincinnati, Cleveland, New Or
leans Denver. Minneapolis and St. Paul,
5000 each. or $4,000 Phlippine-born Chi
nese distributed among the great centers of
population, to which they would tmmedi-
ately flock and the remaining 1000 dis
tributed among the different cities and
towns all over the country.
Under conditions stated this influx is not
only not impossible, but it may be entirely
probable to its fullest extent and Ieason
ably certain to an undeterminable degree al
the present time.
Invasion of Our Manufacturing Cities
'Once the yellow stream We're turned in
the direction of the country of the golden
lilies it would flow steadily, increasingly
and silently in ever-increasing volume 1t
would distribute it's tributaries and offshoots
in every community in the land to great
er or less degree. depending upon the por-
ton which would be found to be most re-
munerative to Chinese cheap labor. The
large cities and the manufacturing centers
would serve as loadstones to attract the
dreaded neverto-be-citizens as Americans
understand the term, and hold them there
with the tenacity of particles of iron to
magnet trailed through the sand. First
few. then more and more. prying into this
trade. crowding into another. and slowly
surely persistently and stoldly making
Roadway to the expulsion of white labor,
and the paral lying of the local Industries
into which the yellow mites had penetrated
1T is reasonable to suppose that New
England would be visited by the Chinese
blight with particular severity. That sec
ton is filled with factories turning out
goods. in the making of WHICH Chinese on
the Pacific coast have demonstrated that
they can crowd out white labor. This is
especially true in the manufacturing of
Sh he Shno Iii, nil Of Srn nIyfA
Lynn and other cities in Massachusetts,
would swarm with the creatures the phi
lanthropistS of the Hub so greatly admire
but whom the operatives in their mills and
factories dread as residents of the tropics
dread a reptile. Once free, once released
from restraint, the sting and the poison of
the Chinese cheap labor cobra would per-
meate the industrial interests of this coun-
try and wither them by it's deadly effects
City Ordinances Against the Chinese.
Il read an article in The Star recently on
the question of Chinese labor as applied to
the laundry business in Washington and
elsewhere, and it reminds me of two city
ordinances in San Francisco, the existence
of which will prove of interest and surprise
to eastern people.
Il do not know whether such ordinances
are in existence in Washington, but If not
they ought to be at once enacted for the
protection of white labor on the one hand
and of the patrons of the Chinese laundries
on the other
These laundries have as yet not become
sufficiently numerous in Washington to at
tract especial attention or so seriously cut
into the white labor laundry business as to
call for positive action on the part of the
trade unions l suppose. but notice that
their number has increased since my visit
at the last session. The accretion of the
Chinese here may be found to be slow. but
1t sticks once it is piastered upon a city.
one ordinance in my city requires that
all laundries in San Francisco shall close
at midnight. just as the local law here de-
crees that the saloons shall close at that
hours. Inquiry would Immediately be made:
w hat. close at midnight? Do you mean to
say That the Chinese work in their laundries
in San Francisco until after midnight
And the answer is. yes, and all night
all day. Sundays, holidays and every day
the law allows The police 'raidS Chinese
iaundrles just as the police of eastern cities
raid places of questionable resort They
take with them axes, crowbars and batter
ing rams. Why? Because the Chinese con-
tinue to work after midnight. They bar
thick, heavy. tightly fitting wooden shut
tiers lined with sheet iron, as on Chinese
gambling houses held in place by iron bars
bolted to the sides of the windows and
doors as the gates of a stockade. The light
is excluded from the crevices of these bar
ricaded windows and doors. The Chinese
within work as silently as possible These
are the good citizens some people talk
apout. w ite laundries open and close at
Christian hours. but all day and an night
constitutes the Chinese working day.
The Communication Of Disease.
'The police. when suspicious Of the VIOLA
ton of the ordinance. watch laundry
carefully, and when the time Is ripe for a
raid. descend upon it suddenly, breaking
their way through the barricades These
Chinese work In close, air-excluded rooms
hour after hour. night after night, in an
a " W. SrrfF.
man. -.-. -F
The second ordinance is against Chinese