elves, they
should answer the questions put to them without evasion or
reservation, in order not to incur the penalty of the law:

Now, therefore, we, Li Yung Yew, His Imperial Chinese Majesty's
Consul-General at the port of San Francisco, and Yang Yu Ying, His
Imperial Chinese Majesty's Consul at the port of New York, in
pursuance of instructions as aforesaid, do hereby publish and make
known that inasmuch as it is the custom of the United States to
take a census of the population thereof once in every ten years,
and as this proceeding has no connection whatever with the laying
of taxes or the examination of certificates of residence, and as
all persons irrespective of nationality are to be enumerated under
the provisions of the law, our countrymen should not be alarmed or
cherish any suspicion, but, as soon as the proper officers of the
Census Bureau present themselves with this Consular proclamation,
should answer all the questions put to them without evasion or
reservation, in order not to incur the penalty of the law.

A list of the questions to be answered is hereby appended for the
information of all concerned:

Population schedule (32 questions).

Agriculture schedule (59 questions).

Dated Hsuan Tung, second year, First moon (February, 1910), and
sealed with our respective seals of office.

THIRTEENTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES

CHINESE CONSULAR PROCLAMATION

[Illustration: Chinese text]

(SEE TRANSLATION ABOVE)

"What was finally done?" the policeman queried.

"The Consul-General had to ask the Five Companies to back up the census
order, and they did. The fifth layer of paper was put on the billboards,
and the Five Companies, without beating around the bush, just ordered
the Chinese to do as they were told."

"I've always heard that the Five Companies were stronger on the Pacific
coast than they are here. I wonder why?"

"I asked that very question," Hamilton said, "and the man who told me
all about this explained that it was because they controlled the Chinese
slave traffic to America."

"'Tis like enough," the policeman agreed, "and of course the most of
that would be on the other slope. But there's enough of it here, just
the same, and half the trouble between the Tongs is because of it."

"That was what started the trouble in Oakland between the Hop Sings
a