“The whole scheme of Ling Soo’s well-planned government will — according to his beliefs — go into effect. It will replace the existing government. Quickly and speedily.”
“The man must be crazy,” declared Branch. “It will take hundreds of years—”
“The Chinese think in terms of centuries — not in terms of years.”
“But the man’s schemes are treasonable!”
“If taken seriously, yes. But Ling Soo is too cagy for that. His organization cannot be considered as more than a harmless order with scattered members.
“On the surface, it is so vague and theoretical that to attack it would mean ridicule. Ling Soo is accumulating wealth, which he intends to pass to his successor, that the great cause may go on.
“Those traveling representatives of his are like the collectors whom the ancient Chinese emperors used to send into their provinces to gather funds for the support of the imperial Peking government.
“But in actual practice, these disciples of Ling Soo are the most law-abiding of all Chinese in America. As a result, our Civilian Committee organization felt that they needed our friendship rather than our opposition.”
“Because they behaved themselves?”
“Yes; and because they have incurred the enmity of lawless Chinese. The members of the Wu-Fan; peaceful and idealistic, feel that the tongs, with their wranglings, are detrimental to the progress of the great cause. They try to keep clear of the secret societies known as the tongs.