🚀 go-pugleaf

of justice in a public and open court." But these
objections were not allowed to prevail.

It appears that some hesitation was felt on the part of the home
authorities in giving approval to the new ordinance. It may have been
the warning given by Attorney General Pauncefote, it may have been
something else. Whatever it was, the Commission informs us: "The
Ordinance 10 of 1867 received its final sanction when the conclusion
arrived at by the Colonial Government was before the home authorities,
showing that in the event of the ordinance becoming law, _revenue
would be derived_ from the tainted source of prostitution among the
Chinese." (The italics are the authors').

Ordinance 10, 1867 now came into operation, with the following
additional powers in the hands of the "Protector" of Chinese, the
Registrar General:

    1st, Not only were keepers of unregistered houses to be fined or
    sent to prison, but the women--"held in practical slavery for the
    purposes of prostitution"--when found in unregistered houses were
    also subject to fine and imprisonment.

    2nd, The Registrar-General, otherwise the "Protector" of Chinese,
    could break into any house suspected of being a brothel, and
    arrest the keeper thereof without warrant. And he could authorize
    his underlings to do the same.

    3rd, The Registrar General could exercise both judicial and
    executive powers in the prosecution of the duties of his office.

    4th, All outdoor prostitutes could be arrested without warrant,
    fined and imprisoned.

    The new law possessed one virtue over the old. It frankly, and
    more honestly, employed the word "licensed