The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-07-20
CH A. r l. E S TON.
TUESDAY MORNING, JULY 20, 1869.

TUESDAY MORNING, JULY 20, 1869.
| The Chinese Labor Movement.
Worn out as are the planters Of South
Carolina by the uncertainty and costliness
of free negro labor, it is not surprising that
they should desire to avail themselves at
once Of the services of the Chinese, who in
Cuba are paid but S4 8 month, and in China
but 500 year. And the Chinese do not
give Second Chop work for Second Chop
pay. Men Of their own raoe-Tye Kim Orr
and Koopmanschaap-who were ut the
Memphis Convention, say that they work
faithfully and are easily managed, being
patient, industrious, docile, tractable and
obedient. They are temperate in their
habits, whatever the Californians may say,
and Koopmanschaap, the great contractor,
is Of opinion that they can be had for Eve
years, at ten or twelve dollars month. If
only half Of this be true, the Chinese will
be better and cheaper laborers for our low
country than any that we now have, or can
obtain outside Of the Empires of the East
Economy and efficiency are knocking at our
doors, and we confess that our earnest wish
to open wide our gates is not tempered by
any anxiety lest the Asiatic should affect
injuriously our social OF political system.
We all know that, as one Of the oonse :
quences Of the war, tens Of thousands Of fer
tile acres upon our seacoast lie idle, while
every mark Of former cultivation is rap
idly hidden by rank vegetation. There is
not labor enough Of any kind to restore
these deserted plantations to their old ripe :
ness Of production. The colored people,
what with losses by disease, migration to
the citice and towns, end .ks wii::hhaEw. wii::hhaEsws :. .
the womsn frona che ielda. ara not atrnn q
enough to till properly the land now in cul-
tivation. Nor is it q rebel misrepresenta-
ton to say that the colored man does not
labor as zealously as he did before the war,
and that nothing but active competition
will drive him to keep faith with his en-
ployer and work fully up to the terms Of
his bargain. The labor that we need for
the low country cannot oome from Europe.
The choice lies between Asiatic labor and
African labor; and selfinterest will natu.
rally incline our people to encourage the
Introduction Of the former, which is uniim-
tied in quantity, is more; intelligent, and
will be moro profitable than free negro
labor. ''"*' i,l f:,%s f0S aaf-
The Chinamen have pigtails and almend
eyes, and fiattened faces and names studded
with Angs and Engs. But these little Pc
culiarities, will not set our people against
them; 1or on their side is the power of
money, the force Of dollars and cents. AS
they will come in but small numbers at first,
as they have 30 far shown no disposition to
settle permanently in Q foreign land, and as
it would be many years before they could
take sides upon any political question, we
do not fear that they will influence unfa-
vorably our political position. And, so far
as their physica! power goes, We have
enough faith in the white race to believe
that no number Of Cinnamon which we or
our children may see in South Carolina
will be able to drag down the white man
to their level, or fasten upon Western oivili--
zation the superstitions Of the East. They
come to us to fll q vacant place, and they
como in good time. They will make fertile
miles Of rich land which are now q drearv
waste. They will make the State wealthy
and strong. They may drive out the negro;
but they can never driys out the white men
Of the South. - efsasEs III Ssl s35ss9I.sg
And, after all, this is NO ethical question.
but . matter Of bread and meat, Of living
or dying. All other considerations will fade
in the face Of these. We might wait to see
what the Chinese will do in Mississippi and
Louisiana; bnt We have not moment ID
loose in parleying and dreaming. The
problem is solving itself while we sit idly
here. Never did any movement take shape
and form as rapidly as that Of Chinese i'm
migration to the South. In few weeks the
subject has assumed proportions so large as
10 give employment to hundreds Of pens
and TO enter into the calculations Of subtle
politicians. Tne country was ripe There
was NO Acpe FOR the low lands Of the South
but in the Chinese, and they are aasursdly
coming. We say, let them como. We. AZ
all events. have mo doubts, no fears, and
We hail the Chinese as the harbingers Of
fortune and prosperity to the whole seaooast
i Of South Carolina
.$ Behfna she Tames. d
The Barnwell Sentinel is opposed to Chit
nese. fmmirration. 1hut a dnas 80.