New-York tribune., 1908-07-25
CHOP SUET YEN" GONE
CHTN.4TOWN TURNS BLUE.
~Trnde's Com ter the Bingham,
Says "Lobbugosus Leader.

c.. .,n orx. .,ne in g Presidential year the
Nhsef industry Of Chinatown is uhoereoihg y "a .
period Of depression the magnaoes oi tHe ~ NP
Suev Trust which formed a year ago az <
y,,ct CONCERNED and the worst Of the SITUATION Il
that no matter which way the election goes theS
cannot see ar present how they may he'ter tnei
business.
The sad and startling fact is that the demand for
cbon suev Is falling off and the yen for yoko-
mine is decreasing. The man who once sought e''e
savory Dor low gay in its lair is eVidehtiy 0eoi
ing enamored of other epicurean goos- 4 pFoVL %
this is visible in the small attendance al h!e vi
entail food industries any night now as compared
with the throngs that even SO recently as Se@i
$50 were in evidence
Il has not been long since the chop sue= makers
sfe Iobbygovgs and the guides began notice this
,,a ,rsve ~ deDresslon has been sVTeeping slowly
but -elentIessIy eastward ever since the San FRAN
cisco earthquake and fire wiped out Huey Gh
humble shack IN the original Chinatown where
patiently but wit, the enthusiasm of the true
reninS he once labored over his retorts of bean
sprouts his Iernbics of bamboo shoots and MS
rias OF nut oil until finally achieved that dish
which does not exist in China but was invented
for Western consumption-chop suey.
II has been a matter OF common knowledge that
San Francisco's Chinatown has never been the
same" since the fire. However. news arrived here
yesterday from Chicago that number of the chop
suey places there had closed their doors and that
among the 80 or go similar restaurants business
was decreasins rapidly. This is significant be-
cause according TO the Chicago report the natives
have been spending about S2eo4ooo a year for their
suey. The yellow restaurateurs, says this account.
have held meetings. but the cause OF the slump
has not been determined
When the reached New Yorks Chinatown
yesterday il discussed informally, for It did
not surprise. In fact, KID" Blink, un-
derstudy TO Chuck Conners. remarked illuminat-
ingly that there muffin to it.. meaning that
there was no question that the inner circle of the
Chop Suey Trust had felt the wight of the blow.
Them guys has been grinding down the common
people" he continued ''They's more bean sprouts
and less meat than in the coed old days Course,
they's places where you get square deal when
you pass bits for your chuck with the
can o. tea free. But we felt the heel Of tyranny
on our necks. I dunno why the rubbernecks aren't
comm along so good eatin' the stuff, which
most OF used TO buy an then say they was
afraid to eat
In them swell j'ints, O. course, they hands out
right, Pm talkin' for the plain people, for
the fellers here who their daily suey an
their shell o. hop by the sweat o. their brow. say
that if the bad business scares the feeders of US
Chinatown protleariate intuh loosenin' up I'm glad
it's happenin'-''
''Fourfush" Walter president Of the '1obbygows''
union, OF different opinion. and expressed
regret al the news. Amt business bad enough
now?' he asked shifting moodtly at his bottle Of
~fcatarrh cure" 'fWot's goin' be number
now? First, the bulls cleans out the coke and
hop shops round the district, has ter travel
miles ter get the necessary, an We don't get paid
no more 'ceptin' carfare Now. if the suey trades
goin' the Bingham, what'u DO who make
an honest penny totin' O. the stuff TO the
hungry
Ire inner circle Of the trust maintained the usual
silence but it said statement Of denial would
be given soon exclusively to The Chinese Re
form News