The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-16
TItc Chinese.
now THE CHINESE 1MNuGBANTs ARE BROUGHT
TO AMERICA.


HOW THE CHINESE IMMIGRANTS ARE BROUGHT
TO AMERICA.
Edward Atkinson, Esq, gives in the
Boston Post the following explanation Of the
contract system whereby so many Chinese
have reached our shores, and it is proposed to
bring so many more to work on the cotton
lands Of the South. He says:-
The system was established by gentleman
now in San Francisco, who explained it to me
himself. give 1t from memory, at the risk OF
some errors.
He went to Hong-Kong, and there found
Chinese merchant of great wealth who was
willing to attempt to induce the voluntary
migration of laborers and to become response
ble for the fulflment of contracts made by
them; and If my memory serves ime, he sent
out over twenty thousand men. He (the
merchant) agreed with other Cinnamon that
each should furnish one thousand. These
men again agreed with others to furnish fifty
each, and the contractors for fifty went out
to find the men. The bargain was TO advance
fourteen dollars-the cost Of passage-and a
deposit with the Chinese Company of San
Francisco to secure the return of bodies in
case of death. The contract made 10y the
laborer and accredited before United States
Consul, was to work out this advance at a
certain rate Of wages, and thereafter to be
free to make a new bargain or to go whore he
pleased.
l was assured by the gentleman who made
these arrangements that each laborer gave his
note for such amount, with his neighbors, rs
surety; these notes were endorsed by the con-
tractors for fifty to the contractors for one
thousand, 10y them to the merchant in HONG
Kong and he executed a mortgage on real
estate for their fUlhlment. | was also assured
that it had not been necessary to fall back
uponthe security, but that the agreements had
been faithfully met.
The gentleman who made this statement to
me returned to San Francisco a few weeks
since to enter into the business of furnishing
other laborers upon the same terms. If such
contracts can be made with men sufficiently
educated and trained to made them and abide
by them, they cannot fail to be economically
valuable as laborers
In fact nothing but arbitrary legislation,
absolutely prohibiting the immigration OF
Chinese labor, can possibly prevent il. Take
only the State of Arkansas, covering over
fifty thousand square miles, one half of which
is cotton land of the best quality, mostly river
bottom The Chinaman is fitted in every re-
spect to settle this sregion. of which only about
one acre in a hundred has ever yet been cul-
tivated in cotton. The crop easily made is a
bale to the acre, and eight to ten bales to the
hand besides food. The value Of ten bales is
now over 5000 in currency. The labor is
not hard, but persistent
Here are the conditions Of demand for
labor, and sixty days time, with about 5lOD
in money, will bring an unlimited supply. If
such contracts can be made as were laid be-
fore me by my informant, such demand and
such supply cannot fail to meet.
The Pacific Mail Company can move about
twelve thousand per month. One hundred
thousand such laborers would add eight hun
dred thousand to one million bales to our an
nual crop Of cotton, and would place under
cultivation, in Arkansas, we will say, only
two or three acres more out of each hundred
i'll addition to the little patch now under cul-
tivation.
There is plan now maturing in st. Louis
for building a short line OF railroad from Cape
Girardeau to Helena, the distance being, [
believe, about 200 miles, and continuing the
Iron Mountain road southward the en-
bankment for this road to form a levee. ex-
Guiding the Mississippi river from five million
acres of the richest bottom land-of which
over a million acres have been subscribed to-
ward the construction of the road If this
road should be built, and the little patch put
into cotton by Cinnamon, the crop therefrom
might be four to five million bales of cotton
from land now almost uncultvated and
worthless.