The Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1852-1872, 1853-03-26
Minority Report OF the Committee OH
Mines and Iiinin Interests.

Minority Report OF the Committee on
Mines and Mining Interests.
Mn. SPEAKER: 1t being impossible for all of
the Committee on Mines and Mining Interests
to agree upon amy line of policy to be pursued
towards Asatics and other people, who cannot
it is maintained, become citizens of the Uni
ted States the unders gned has felt that the i'm
portance OF the subject demands free and can
did expression OF opinion on the part of those
who have had the question under consideration.
1t is to be regretted That many Americans of
this State, in their anxiety to protect the rights
OF their countrymen from what they consider
the Excursions and robbery of barbarans, do
not took beyond the present time, and lose sight of
much of the past, that should instruct them and
be guide for their present action.
1t is also known, that i'll their zeal to afford
protection to the citizens of California, they
leave out of consideration the interests of the
United States altogether, which at least have a
right to representation i'll matters wherein the
public domain is concerned. For example:
they are in favor of expelling all Asatics and
descendants of Asiatics from the mines of Cali
fOrnia. They also recommend that if a China
man shall have Ill his possession mining claim,
nnd an American citizen should wish to take
into his possession the said claim, the American
shall order the Chinaman off; and by paying the
cost OF any improvements that may have been put
upon sucn claim, he (the American) shall take
possession of the said mining claim Those
who would recommend this course, forget that
the Chinaman may have paid to an American
citizen, few days before this time, the sum of
one thousand dollars for said claim; and that if
his claim should be TAKEN he would be robbed
Ut the sum OF one thousand dollars
They even go so far as to recommend that
Chilenos should be excluded the mines of Cali
fornia and that they shall be liable to the same
penalties as the Cinnamon subject to.
They seem to forget that Chile Is Republic
and that her form OF government assiIilates
more nearly to our own than that of any other
country: and the stability of which, when com
pared to the governments of other States of
South America, excites within our minds feel
ing of wonder, that State, composed of the
same material settled by the same people who
first planted colonies in Mexico on the north
and Peru. Bolivia and the Argentine Republic
on the south, should so far excel her sisters that
of all OF those just mentioned, her soil is the only
one that is not drinking continually the blood of
citizens slaughtered by fellow-citizens amid the
rage of civil war.
The only reason that this Republic, whose eiti-
zens are to be treated by those of the model
Republic as the Jews have been and are now
treated by some of the despots of Europe, is,
that because, in commercial point of view,
she has eclipsed the rest; and that because of
her position, the people of other countries have
been induced to visit her ports tor the purpose
OF trading. And they have taken with them.
and left there to terminate, the liberal views of
political economy, that all nations must have if
they occupy prominent position in the COM
mercial history OF the world. Chile has profited
by the examples of England and the United
States; and she bids fair to be in South America
what our own glorious country is in the north
the bulwark of repubcanism.
The absurdity OF a recommendation in bill
that was presented to this House, wherein it
was declared that Cheans should not work in
the mines of California, is so palpable that it is
unnecessary to attempt refutatlon OF any of the
arguments that mig be advanced to prove the
justice or the necessity of such law.
After the declaration that " no Chilean should
be allowed to work the mines of this country
the great matter of surprise to the undersigned
is, that the Chilean be excluded from enjoying
privileges which the author of the bill would al
low to the people of other States of South Ameri-
Ca, namely: Peruvians, Bolivians and Brazli-
ans. Surely, the author of this exclusive bill''
must have known that each of the countries
named above are independent of each other !;
and that this :" blll' would affect none of the
last named. The undersigned cannot believe
that the author OF this bll' desired its passage
but would rather believe that he was induced to
embody the wishes of portion of his constitu-
ents, than to put upon the statute books line
of policy that would be at once partial and un-
just, and in direct opposition to the well known
and fixed policy of the United States Govern
ment. For especially is the interest of the Uni
ted States, in the view of the mission which we
have of spreading abroad the Institutions under
which we flourish. and the exposed condition OF
our whaling and commercial marine ON this side
of the continent, TO cultivate as much us posi-
bic the respect and friendship of all the people
who inhabit the Pacific coast.
The undersigned Is aware that of all the
foreigners who have visited our shores for the
purpose of digging gold from the placers, the
Chinese are the most Objectionable in the opin-
lon OF all Americans who are engaged IN gold
mining. And that against the Chinese there is
more prejudice than any other people who have
lett their hitherto secluded homes in the East TO
try their fortunes among u.s. This prejudice
arises from the fact OF their differing SO entirely
from US IN every attribute thar nation can have:
and from the fact that the Emperor of China
can send to our country, from her almost adioin-
ing shores, sufficient number of her population
TO entirely monopolize mineral lands. of
this fear. the undersigned does net partake.