Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-20
CHINESE SLAVES.
Struggled MongoIians in This Country
Practically Sold Into Bondage.

Chinese traffic, as conducted by
modern smugglers, is just like the
slave trade of the olden days" said
Inspector Ross, of the immigration Of
flee, who, for several years, under
Chief Inspector Tippett. followed the
trail of the smugglers. says The De-
troit Free Press 1T is made to pay
just exactly in the same way as the
negro traffic in the South was made to
pay in slavery days" continued Mr..
Ross.
'The poor Chinese, who come to this
country at great expense to some
persons, are nothing less than slaves
for several years. What man, who
understands the business, wouldn't be
willing to put up, say $1,000 in order to
have second bond slave working for
perhaps five years, for nothing but
food and clothing?
In order to understand just how it is
done. one must know all about the
conditions under which the Chinese
live i'll this country; must be familiar
with their mysterious organization
and their social instinct, and the ma
tional tie which binds them together
in the very midst of a race, which
and which has passed exclusion laws
to that end.
While we are all the time trying to
trap and arrest the men who are
bringing the Chinese over the border.
they are not the ones at the bottom
OF the system. The ones who are
actually at the bottom of the system
are wealthy Chinese merchants i'm
Chicago and elsewhere They are the
ones who usually finance the enter
prise, but to connect them with the
smuggling in criminal way seems al
most impossible. Yet many of these
Chinese merchants are not at all Sc
cretive in their interest in the Chin
csc, whom we sometimes capture
They come into open court and put
up cash bail for the Celestials and
they see that they are delivered to the
court.
For instance, there is Hong Sling,
who owns several laundries and res
taurants, and who is Interested in va
r1ous other enterprises in Chicago He
didn't hesitate to show an interest in
the three Chinese we recently brought
over the border He was in Commits
sioner Harris's office, in Port Huron
when the three We're arraigned, and
he supplied $4,000 cash bail for the
three men, taking them to Chicago to
await examination.
Il asked Hong Sling if he were not
afraid the three men would run away,
and he be the loser.
They won't run away, replied
Sling. They wouldn't dare go.
| asked Sling.
I'D get them again. ne said
What would happen if they did
try to keep away from you:" | asked
him again. And Sling drew his fin
ger across his throat, smiled meaning
ly and made gurglng sound.
Perhaps Sling didn't mean that
But he meant something like it.
He meant that smuggicG Chimes" can't
evade their bondmasters. Surprising
those three Cinnamon did run away,
and Sling lost $1,000 each for their bail.
they would have to pay him in labor
Tor years to come.
Even if they don't run away, and
stay to contest the cases in court
those Chinese will cost close to 81 900
each before they get free, il they d.
escape the courts. 1t costs about $500
TO have them smuggled. and it costs
about $500 in court for attorneys and
expenses. 1t is just a matter of in
vesting $1,000 in slave. OF course,
you might say that 4 Cinnamon will
work in gratitude for the man who de-
tends him. but it is not all gratitude
The man wants to get into the coun-
try and he makes a hard bargain He
knows he can't escape paying his part
of the bill, because the Chinese organ
izations in this country would follow
him just as the slave owners in the
South used to help each other in get
ting back escaped negroes He is |
traced out. He has to abide by GUS
tom. We couldn't follow a Chinaman