The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-05-08
What Is 10 be Done with the CAinese In
California;

OF legislative committee on Chinese immi-
grafton. 1t recommends emphatically that all
further Importation of Chinese be prohibited,
and that every endeavor be used to prevent
their settling in the State. The subject was
brought before the public sometime since,
partly through the shameless immortality of the
Chinese women, and partly in consequence Of
the narrow minded alarm Of the white labor
ers lest the cheap Chinese should drive them
out of the market. 1t was then urged by the
friends of the Chinese that, in the first place,
the State Of California had no constitutional
right to exclude aliens of any race, and Be-
cOndly, that the Chinese were industrious,
moral and we'll behaved, and, on the whole, an
accession Of strength to the country.
1t is to these two assertions that the report
OF the committee now before US undertakes to
reply. The first position is, that by the law Of
nations every State has right to exclude
aliens. This doctrine is sustained by copious
quotations from Vattel. It appears to be re-
cognized by that article Of the constitution
which forbids Congress to prohibit the impor-
tation Of slaves prior 70 the year 1903; for if
Congress had not the power to make such pro-
hibition, it would not have been necessary to
limit it's exercise. Nor is it in reality contrary
to democratic principles or common sense. A
nation has as plain right to choose her citi-
zeIe as householder his tenant. Foreigners
possess no rights, for instance, on the soil Of
the United States; and having none, they
can be deprived of none if they are forbidden
IN caff1a hor A ~ 81; e. rou ~,
the committee between the case of European
immigrants and immigrants from China The
former it is said, have by long usage acquired
a prescriptive title to settle in the United
States. No law authorized their coming. But
in the transition from the colonial to the in
dependent regime no provision was made to
exclude them, and they continued to cone as
before. After 30 long lapse of time as that
which has interviewed since the tide set in,
there would be degree Of unfairness in now
suddenly shutting it out. Very different is
the case of the Chinese. Ten years ago, Ed
ropeans had never penetrated their country,
but in disguise or on public service; and very
few Chinese had ever gone abroad. They have
no rights here, certainly, whether prescriptive
or acquired; and we are now quite at liberty
to adjudicate upon their case in it's integrity
and entirety.
The next point to be settled is whether the
Chinese are or are not injurious settlers in
native on each Of these grounds They con-
slider the Chinese depraved people. They
regard them as an inferior race, and deprecate
the mischief of system of helotism. They
deny the possibility Of any satisfactory fusion
between them and the whites, and see no re-
source but wholesale exclusion of one or the
other.
The first Of these propositions has been 50
often repeated by travellers that it is
generally understood. According to the
testimony Of the best informed Of
Chinese travellers, Monsieur Hue, no
description can convey an idea of the
loathsoms depravity of the Chinese at home.
Corruption pervades every avenue in politics,
justice, religion. Letters and art are the mere
landmarks of lust Villany of every kind,
thievishness and lying are innate in the majo-
rity of the Chinese people. This is in brief NJ.
Hucs verdict, and ifi is only half true, enough
remains to render the Chinese very undesirable
neighbors and most unacceptable immigrants.
Nor can there be any question, in an
economical point Of view, of the fallacy
Of rearing an inferior race side by side
with a superior one. History is full Of ex-
amples Of the experiment all failures But
We cannot help wishing the committee had
devoted little of the space so gracefully oc-
cupied by flowers Of rhetoric, to a serious in
quiIy into the chronological question of the
mixture Of races. III what it does say it is not
always right. 1t affrms that no great and
prosperous nation ever sprang from the COM
mingling blood Of two races, forgetting that
the reporters themselves are part and parcel OF
nation not Insignificant, which sprung from
the cross of Normans and Saxons, with da.
Of the native Angle. Hitherto it certainly
appears doubtful how far colors can be crossed
with advantage. The mulatto and other metis
shades are inferior to the white, certainly;
but they are superior to the black except in
the duration of life and if all the female
blacks were to breed upward, it would rather
follow that the world would be gamer
NY lDc CIOSpk AS SusC VI SSutIul AmCIlCh As
not wholly in point. There the pun Celtic
blood of the Spaniards was diluted in oceans
of negro and Indian blood, which latter have
wholly predominated. But there is on record
no experience to prove beyond question that a
cross between the mixed Anglo-Sa1ons of Cali
fornia and the Chinese would necessarily lead
to deterioration OF the species, though that
result is highly probable.
For these reasons the committee desire TO
see the immigration of Chinese into California
wholly prevented in future. We cannot but
regard it as sensible measure of precau ton,
and trust it will be carried out.
BEAUTIFUL ExTRAcT.-Our Fourierite philo-
sophers Of the Tribune, Whose ambition is
model style of writing for nervous socialists)
indulge in the following beautiful strain of