Los Angeles herald., 1905-06-25

Fifteen Thousand Armed Chinese
From the most conservative estimate.
there are $4,000 armed Chinese equipped
with the most modern improved rifles
under thorough military organization
in the United States. These men are
divided into numerous companies and
scattered over the country, two COM
panies being stationed in Los Angeles.
They are officered by men said to be
duly commissioned by the so-called
Chinese Reform Army and paid from
funds of that political organization.
which has for it's object the restoration
Of the deposed Chinese emperor, Kwong
Sui, to power.
In order to evade the strict require
ments of the Chinese exclusion act,
these Chinese soldiers assume to be
military students. For instance. in Los
Angeles they have their armory, which
they term an academy, having secured.
as they claim. charter from the Cali
fornia state government permitting
them to conduct a military academy"
Many Inducements Held Out
A prominent American military man.
whose name for judicious reasons is
necessarily withheld. is authority for
the statement that officers holding
commissions from the federal govern
ment have been offered extravagant
pay to induce them to resign from the
United States service and accept COM
missions under the proposed new Chi
nese government to drill these COM
panies.
Authorities say these various
Chinese military organizations are
tudiciously strung across the con-
tinent at points where most ef-
fectlve work could be done in the
event any hostile feeling should be
aroused between China and this coun-
try. From authority which cannot
be questioned The Herald learns
that early in the coming spring,
maybe before then. a great military en-
campment is being planned and maneu-
vers are to be executed in the remote
recesses of the mountains of California
and Nevada. The arms and equip
ments of this large army of Chinese
soldiers. according to report, are to be
shipped and the Chinese themselves
are to gather at the rendezvous
unarmed. A number of ex-United
States army officers and state
military men are said to have been en-
ployed at handsome salaries for COM
manding these troops during their
naneuvers.
Playing Two Roles
It is a we'll established fact that a
number of Chinese. native born citizens
Of America, are duly enlisted in the
militia of the various states. Two of
the lieutenants of the local Chinese
military companies are also members
of the National Guard of California.
According to Los Angeles military
men who have been approached by the
leaders of the so-called. Chinese Reform
Army, their roster contains the names
of a number of prominent men of the
country who have been identified with
American army life for years. The list
is complete in every detail, 1t is said,
graduating even into classes showing
the enlistment of surgeons, trained
nurses. etc. While no salaries are paid
those who are not at the present time
actively engaged in drilling Chinese
troops, they are slated for official posi-
tions in the army in the proposed new
government of China.
There are many heads to the So
called Chinese Reform Army, of whom
General" Homer Lea has head
quarters in Los Angeles. Kong
WI Wei. former prime minister of
China under the deposed emperor, is
recognized as the head of the whole
movement. and at present he and Lea
are in the east looking after the in
terests of their army.
Authorities Take Action
Press dispatches say that Governor
Higgins of New York. who has been
informed Of these Chinese organizations
in his state, has demanded an investi-
cation by government officials on the
ground that 1t Is a violation OF the
treaty laws and the Chinese exclusion
act. Commissioner McAdoo has found
ample evidence of the existence of the
organizations In various cities, and that
the men are uniformed and drilling
with arms. There are companies in
New York. Philadelphia, Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles and other large
cities. In California Chinese military
companies have either been formed or
are being formed in many of the small
er towns up and down the coast.
Press dispatches give accounts of nu-
merous meetings in the cities of China,
working up feeling antagonistic to
America and advocating boycott of
all American goods. A Paris journal
says regular anti-Caucasian paper is
being published in Japan.
Boasted Of Strength
II will be remembered that the public
was recently regaled with the bolster
ous contentious over official authority
In this Chinese Reform Army" when
General" Homer Lea and some OF his