Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-07-01
THE COMING MAN.

Whoever may be the destined coming man Of
the empire in this country, is becoming toerably
clear that the coming man" of the cotton field is
to hail from China A steady tide of immigra-
ton from that country has been flowing into San
Francisco for some years, and the Chinese now
form not inconsiderable element of the popula-
ton of California. By the completion of the Pa
cifc Railroad, which was itself built in great part
by Chinese laborers, these oriental immigrants have
secured highway to the older and more settled
portions of the United States.
The South, which has felt the want of laborers
ever since the war, is beginning to consider the
propriety of turning the Chinese into her borders
A convention is to be held in Memphis, on the 18th
of August, by the people Of West Tennessee,
North Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas, to take
measures if considered practicable, for bringing
Chinese laborers into those States. In our own
State company of Charleston capitalists arc ne
gotiating for the importation Of 'coolies, another
class of oriental laborers. The North, too is bid
ding for this kind Of labor. A Chicago company
has, we see it stated contracted for the transpor-
taton of fifty thousand Chinese across the Pacific
Railroad As they are now arriving in San Fran
cisco at the rate of thousand week, this con-
tract will not be hard to fill or long of duration.
Such being the facts, the character of John
Chinaman becomes fair subject of scrutiny
Those who have tried him as laborer are loud in
his praise. He is said to be patient, industrious,
docile, even-tempered, gifted with wonderful en-
durance and possessed of great mechanical Skill
He has been tried at almost every kind of work,
and given general satisfaction, both as to quality
and quantity of work and cheapness Of compensa-
ton. As farm laborer he can soon adapt him
self to any kind of cultivation and can endure any
kind of climate. He already knows something
about the cultivation of cotton and rice, and he
may be the means of making tea Southern sta
pie. Tis favorable report makes him desirable
accession to our population
| But there is another side to the picture. The
Chinese do not come here as settlers but merely
to accumulate fortune, and they keep in fond
remembrance the homes to which they hope to re-
turn. With this end in view they cling with great
tenacity to the customs, morals and religion Of their
native land. These are none of the best-indeed it
may be said, they are decidedly of the worst. Ly-
ing and stealing are among their vices and their
habitual decency is such that it would frequently
bring them into the courts Of justice, if Strictly
held responsible to the law. In San Francisco,
they form distinct Glass; holding none but a bus
iness intercourse with other races, and living ex-
clusively to themselves. Coming, as they do, from
a densely populated country, they do not value
elbow room very much. There are two or three
localities in San Francisco, which constitute the
homes Of nine -tenths of all the Chinese in the
city, where they "pie in, in manner incompre-
hensible to others. One of these places, single
block of buildings, is said to be the roost Of sew
eral thousand celestials
The introduction of herds of such immigrants
becomes matter Of doubtful benefit. Laborers
are good institution; but good citizens are bet
ter one If good citizens can be made out of such
material, it will be well enough; but the expert
ment is dangerous. Human influence is mutual ;
the worse element may degrade the better, as well
as the better elevate the worse. We have already
an inferior element to be elevated, which is pecu
| liarly open to the injurious influence that such O