Daily national Democrat., 1859-03-26
Chinese slavery.

The Washington Union is in favor of Chi.
nese slavery in California, if we do not mis-
judge the meaning of the subjoined extract
from one of its editorials:
"All that the Pacific requires, TO become
formidable rival to the Atlantic slope in com
merce, agriculture and manufactures is cheap
labor, and that lies at her door, ready-made
to her hands. She has only to reach out and
gather it in The Chinese manddrins hare at
this moment a system Of Slarery n California.
They bring their countrymen TO the mines
under contracts for labor, and enforce it spe-
cifcaliy according to the ldws of China, and
Cithout any reference to the GoyernD,ent laws
or tribunals of California. Tie Legislature
of California has only 10 iegalize this actual
condition Of things, ns to contracts for Asiatic
and Indian labor; give a law requiring their
specific performance, on tie ground that their
rio{ation is fraud, and which the constitu-
tion of Calift rnia will authorize, and thereby
extend its advantage to its own citizens; aud
for one fourth Of the annual interest on an
african Stare. the Californian may hare a
iaborer rho oiW dnSwer all the purposes Of a
negro. The subject is now 0gitated in Cali
fornia, and if the people of the Pacific are
thrown upon their OIgn resources, must com
mend itself te their favorable consideration.
This cheap labor would enable them to open
vast mines now unproductiye, to embark
protitably in the growth of the great staples,
including tea, and to establish manufactures
which would supply the whole Asiatic de
mand, to the exclusion of Eastern and Brit
ish fabrics
We imagine that this benevolent regard for
the interests Of California, on the part of the
Washington Union, will not be very thank
fully appreciated by the American miners of
this State. We believe that one of the grand
objections now entertained to Chinese labor
in the mines is this identical fact, so compla-
Gently alluded to by the Administration or
gan, that large proportion Of the Chinese
miners are mere slaves sent out to California
by capitalists at home to work for their own
ers or hire out to American capitalists here.
Any kind of slave labor, whether Asiatic or
African, must necessarily be exceedingly Oh
noXious to white laborers in gold d-produ-
cling country, because it net only brings out
an overshodowing monopoly against which
1t is useless for poor men, or men in moderate
circumstances, to contend, but it cheapens
reason that even Southern men, in the Con-
vention which framed our State Constitution
voted for the clause which prohibited slavery
They were satisfied that it would never do to
admit slave labor into mining country.
If the miners object to the licensing of Chi
nese to work in the mines now, because some
of them are virtually slaves employed by
capita lists behind the scene, what would they
say were the policy of the Administration
organ carried out, and regular system of
Chinese slavery legalized 10y the Legislature?
Under a state of things where every monied
man in the State had in his service fifty or
hundred Chinese slaves at work in the mining
and industrious white laborer? Altogether
showed aside, excluded from the best portions |
of the mineral regions and forced, in his ina
bility to make living by working for him
self, to hire out to the owner of Chinese
slaves and thus be put upon an equality with
| race that he despises. 1t is a matter of as
onishment that a paper, supposed in the
main to represent the views of the Admins
tration, and therefore supposed to be some.
what careful in maturing its opinions. should
suffer itself to put forth such monstrous and !
dangerous political sentiments as are contain |
ed in the extract above quoted.