ce, but pointing out
that refusal would lay the person refusing open to fine or imprisonment.
Over these second orders again was pasted the former threat of the
Tongs. A few days later the enumerators, each accompanied by a
policeman, went through Chinatown. The Chinese wouldn't understand any
language, not even their own. They didn't refuse to give information,
they simply answered, 'No understand' when any question was asked."

TRANSLATION OF THE PROCLAMATION

Whereas, the Director of the Census Bureau of the Department of
Commerce and Labor of the United States, in a letter to His
Excellency Chang, His Imperial Chinese Majesty's Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, requests that, since it
has been the custom of the United States to take a census of the
population once in every ten years, many of which have been taken
and are on record, and since the present year is the time for
taking another such census, which is to include the people of every
nationality residing within the territory of the United States, and
as the Chinese residents of this country, through possible
ignorance of the English language, may mistake the object of the
enumerators to be that of ascertaining what the people possess and
its value, in order to impose taxes, or that of investigating the
certificates of registration, etc., a proclamation be issued fully
explaining the matter to the Chinese people;

And whereas, instructions have been received from His Excellency to
the effect that, the taking of a census being merely to ascertain
the population of the country, and having no connection in any way
with the imposing of taxes or the examination of certificates by
the customs authorities of the Treasury Department, and for fear
that our countrymen may not understand the purpose and make trouble
through a mistaken notion of the whole proceeding, the
Consul-General at San Francisco and the Consul at New York shall
publish and make known to all Chinese residing in every part of the
United States that it is the custom of the United States to take a
census at stated intervals, that this proceeding has no connection
with the laying of taxes or the examination of certificates of
residence, that our countrymen have no cause for suspicion or
alarm, but, as soon as the enumerators present thems