Volcano weekly ledger., 1855-12-08
Letter from Upper Rancheria.

ting to the same subject the following
Rrrrps OF CuINrsE-With the commencement of
the present MONTH the tax upon foreigners, (Which
means simply Chinese mlnerss-ior the collectors,
It is said do not attempt to infct 1t upon any other
people) is increased one-half, making now six dol
lars a month As the Chinese are driven into the
poorest, or exhausted dlggngs, and many are max
ing but dollar or so per day, (and from that must
support themselves,) while many others, are inva-
lids from severe work. and disease engendered on
shipboard they feel the burden TO be intoerable.
Last week the St Germans carried away one hun
dred and forty OF this oppressed people thisweek
the Sea Serpent, fine large clipper, takes some
four hundred. We have witnessed, among some of
these scenes of real distress The prevailing tone
of feeling among the Chinese at the present time Is
that of dependency. Many have met with COM
mercia msfortunes. There is prevalent bitter
ress of feeling among their mercantile class, which
as Christians, we must witness with regret Inc
tide has now begun to set back from California
few years will show our politicians their mistake
Oriental.
Now then, in order that fair statement
may be had, let us ask why the tax has been
levied upon these miscalled oppressed people
Was it not for the direct purpose of protect
ing our own mining interests Were we not
threatened with being overrun by these Mon
golian hordes2 Would there not have been
at this time thousands of places that would
have yielded 81 % $5 per day to the Ameri-
can miner had not these clannish locusts come
among us, thus taking millions of wealth from
our soil to be sent to land that it never will
leaveg In fact, to sum up, have we ever de-
rived any benefit from them? These ques-
tions are easily answered for it is an estab-
shed fact that they will not purchase any
articles of our produce or manufacture, if
the same can be procured from China.
Then as to their being driven into the poor
est dggings any person who has ever been
out Of San Francisco or Sacramento knows
that the assertion is falsehood that many
Of them are at this time making large wages
some that can mention as high us even 81
to $500 per day each, and many of them are
able to purchase good moderate paying claims
at all times.
There are supposed to be scme 10000 of
the Chinese in this State, of which number it
is fair to presume that at least one-third or
I 20 900 are in the mines we will then aver
age the whole at the lowest figure, and say
they earn at least 81 per day to the man, this
gives the sum of $4,000 per day, $l20,000
per week, or in round numbers, the sum of
$6,740O 900 per annum, of which amount they
expend only what is barely necessary to their
existence for little rice and sugar, and
semioccasonally little brandy, vegetables
and meat, together with an average of one
pair of boots per year; the whole cost of
which is about ten cents per diem each, or
the sum total is about equal to 1924, 900 per
annum left with u.s. Add to this that we pay
back to their country for the staple articles
of their consumption (riee and sngar) fully
one-third of the above named amount for
their mining population alone, (not taking into
consideration the other $40, 600 and we find
they actually only leave some $40, 0,000.-
Then again, as to their licenses, not more
than two-thirds Of them ever pay, and this is
even too large An allowance putting the
sum then at past rates of 81 per month, and
the revenue from this source amounts to about
$52 1892 per month"; or equal to some $627,-
9s4 per annum, to collect which requires the
entire time of about 10 men by the Sherffs
of the various mining counties, at an expense
of some $l57, 900, thus leaving a nett reve-
nue. of about $47o, 900 for the treasury, in
the end showing clear loss to us as near as
can be ascertained at these low estimates) of
/ $6,270, 600 per annum.
But of these statistics enough and let me
add that much as many of our counties may
lose in their present receipts from the above
source, still in the end the deficiency will be
more than supplied by the settlement in their
districts of a more permanent and useful class
of citizens If on the other hand our forth
coming Legislature should see proper to lis
ten to the insidious wiles of few storkeep-
ers and interested individuals in the mines, to-
gether with the reiterations of some of the
city press who are anxious to crowd them out
of the city and keep them in our mining dis
tricts, then, repeat in the event of a reduc-
ton of the Tax, (or repeal of the Act of
the last SESSION. there will most certainly
come a crisis that will at once and forever put
to rest this most vexed question
The mode in which it will be accomplished
is simple enough The miners will call their