The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-08
WILL OPEN GATE
FOR ADMISSION
OF THE CHINESE
Standard Oil Ships and Tramp
Vessels Afford Every Oppor-
tunity for Illegal Landing
Recent Investigations by Special
Agents Reveal Startling
Facts at This Port

Facts at This Port
The recent investigation by special
agents from Washington into the en-
forcement at this port of the Chinese
exclusion act is said to have revealed
the startling fact that while the gate
on the main travelled ocean highway
is reasonably well guarded there is
side entrance wide open and practically
unmatched through which undesirable
Celestials may be smuggled in by
dozens
How many have come in through
this unguarded portal only the unwel-
come immigrants themselves know.
The fact. however, that Chinese will
pay as much as $500 each for the
rather uncertain chance of being SNUG
gled ashore from a Pacific Mail liner
leads the officials to believe that many
have taken advantage of the oppor-
tunities to land open to Chinese mem
bers of the crews of the steamers
operated by the Standard oil company
OF these ships, flying the British and
German flags, probably a dozen come
regularly to this port. Each of them
carries between 40 and so Chinese sail
ors and firemen
Standard Oil Ships
When a Standard oil ship arrives the
vessel is boarded by an official os the
Chinese b,,raa, ,,-ho Ii.+s +i,o A.;o+ia.
in the crew, taking a brief description
of each man. This description is pure
ly perfunctory and, except where sus-
picion is aroused, means little in the
way of a check. Before that ship is
given clearance a watchman from the
immigration bureau goes on board
with the list, calls the roll and If the
number OF Chinese on board tallies
with the list he so certifies and the
ship is allowed to sail
Between the taking of the first list
when the ship comes in and checking it
up before the vessel is granted clear
ance the immigration bureau pays no
attention to the ship and the going
and coming of the Chinese is left 10
the discretion of the ships officers.
System Is Lax
AS is the case on the big passenger
liners, the ships officers are personally
acquainted with only a few of the
members OF the Chinese crew All or
ders are given to a No man, of whom
there are two in the deck department
and two in the flreroom. Apart from
these No. 1 men all others are just Chi
nese.
This being the case, nobody on board
in authority is any wiser if All Wing
of Typhoon goes ashore and HON Six,
who has just sold out his business in
Chinatown, should return in his place.
The No. 1 man in All Wings division
knows the difference, but as the ex-
change may be worth $500 to him his
eyesight is naturally defective.
If this should happen in a dozen cases
on the same ship all the No. men
would be in funds; IL Chinese who
could not have entered the United
States by the regular route are happily
located in the land OF the free, and
uOzSu -OolSSlidlS WIN nave HduS lHelr
respective piles are assured of a free
passage home.
They All Look Alike
To the average immigration bureau
watchman all Chinese look alike, and
when the men from Chinatown answer
to the names of the men from China
the white man doing the checking
marks the list o K and the transac-
ton is complete.
With it's present force of Il watch
men the local officials are powerless to
maintain more effective supervision
over the Standard oil ships and for
eign tramps carrying Chinese crews.
Meanwhile Rockefeller is maintaining.
innocently. no doubt, an open door for
the admission of aliens officially
marked by act of congress as undesir-
able.
Rio Grande Border
Ell PASO. Tex, July 7.-Daniel j.
Keefe, commissioner general of immi-
grafton, accompanied by F. w. Berk-
shire, chief inspector for Texas,
reached this city today on tour of
inspection of the entire Rio Grande
border preliminary to establishing
more stringent regulations to prevent
smuggling of Chinese across the bor-
der from Mexico. 1t is said that gov
ernment inspectors will be sent to