New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-13
MIL ON CHINA.

To the author Of what Mr.. John Stuart Mil
is pleased to call On able article in The TRIB-
UYE, the economical views Of which ION the
Chinese question correspond with his own, that
exact philosopher has written q noteworthy
letter His opinions against the Chinese are,
that their very great immigration here must SO
diminish wages "a to reduce to lower stage
of physical comfort the population we have.
Lowering labor IN this way cannot have, he
thinks. any eventual effect of raising its price
and hence he argues that in such case the
exclusion of the immigrants would be justified,
as but temporary good would be done to the
oyercrowded Chinese, and permanent harm
to us.
Mr. Mill has here plainly in view the dan
gers of COolie immigration, or OF any such
artful substitute for it rs may smugglc TO our
shores an overcheapcned and degraded popu-
lation. lie would have, as would we, the most
stringent laws against the form of slavery
known as immigration under contract He adj
vises us, and with good reason, TO guard
against every semblance of this dehumanzed
traffic. The frightful massacres in the South
Seas, the wife-mdrders of Dcmcrara, the as
sassinations in Cuba, and the crying wretched-
ness of the Cinnamon in Peru, exhibit various
phases of the new experiment for cbeapening
human life in the absence Of African Slavery.
What assurance have we that trading avarce
will forego its temptations while Cinnamon
can be easily bought up and sold at round
profit into miseryl Are we certain that once
inyeterate slave dealers and owners would not
prefer to console themselves with rs near an
imitation of Slavery as possibel We sec that
Peru, Jamaica, Demerara, Cuba, Porto Rico,
arc still unscrupulous as to what kind Of labor
they may turn an honest penny upon-and ac-
| cordingly there is no knowing how welcome
submissive Coolie would DO where ill-paid
American negroes have been found intractablo.
| The real demand for the Coolies ia undoubt-
edly in the stupid avarice which fails to avail
| itself of much honest labor already provided !;
| Int the demand extraordinarily we believe,
| to keep the humane world forewarned.
More edifying. however. than Mr.. Mills
| purely economic opinion of the Chinese are his
suggestions on the score of magnanlmlty. Is
| i right to assume that tho Chinese cannot
| be- improvedi he asks. No more so than to
say any other class Of immigrants cannot, and
We have improved the worst Of them-at
b)lnc cApclAct 10 10 Iuct w 'hO NVihi""hi'Jt
| bit with some advantage likewise. "The in
"stitutions of tho United States" says MIR.
| Mill care the most potent means that have
| "yet existed of spreading the most important
| elements OF civilization down to the poorest
"and most ignorant of the laborhg classes"
! True enough, republican liberty is the great
est of labor-saying machines for sowing and
| reaping in the popular field. 1t demands the
labor of all hands, yet because the field Is
wide and free, and the toilers are willing, a
great deal is saved and earned. So when Mr.
Mill proposes that we shall put our Chinese
children TO free schools in order to raise them
to the level of the American population, he has
OWNED the spirit of our institutions nobly
Since not great number OF Cinnamon have
come to America TO stay, we have not yet
become responsible for their future but the
case may yet involve grave responsibility OIL
our part.
Such n responsibility could not DO discharged
either TO ourselves OF the Cinnamon, merely
by sending them back TO China. AS surely as
we need labor for mining, railroading, vine
culture, silk growing and manufacture Sc
surely will that immigration seek us which IL
most convenient. We shall have to pay some
what for the convenience, for providences ar'
not to be had for nothing. We may have u
give tolerance In exchange for utility, an'
teaching for labor and free mans chances
for the sake OF immigration. II sA great mls