American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-10-02
Gen. Niles Speech on the Chinese
Cuestign,

From tho v;eEsNprs Herald
After abiding TO his arrival 1T
San Francisco. and whom he met
there, Gen Miles proceeded to tell
what h DIN as follows:
Ia the first place, | gave my at
tention to "a close, searching aud /
critical examination Embellishments /
capacity for labor. He is eng god il /
California in many Gifltrcl5 ,.rrnpl
tom. | saw him IN the w2~l-u0use,
in the kitchen, in the dr1i' ,,-j0oln,
on the fGrm, on the railroad, Ia the
Shot-tower, at tue rolling -lnIll, at the
smelling furnace and in the WOODEN
factories. Everywhere his work Is
done well. Noiselessly, quietly, 81
lently, he performs the duty assign
ed t. him with Il wonderful Il gree
OF adroitneSs and skill. He i, al.
most the exclusive builder Of :ii!.
roads on the Pacific coast. He dis
tances all competition as a washer
and lrOner. He is an excellent cook.
lie is the best dining-room servant
in the world. The most delicate
I 4
makes in the two WOODEN factories at
San Francisco. He is a persistent
and efficient lahprer on the farm.
He performs, with eXactueSS and
skill, the most delicate duties of the
shot tower; and in the rough, heavy
work of the rolling .miIl aad smelt-
ing furnace. he seemed fully equal to
any task assigned him. Moreover,
his quickpeSS OF comprehension ena-
bleS aim to understand almost intu-
itively the most delicate and c0Hpli-
Gated machinery, and he manages il
almost from the first like one who
had served a regular apprenticeship.
Alter watching him closely, l came
to the conclusion that whatever a
white man or IL black man can do,
he can do also.
But most especially do / consider
/ him fit lahorer for this region. In
/ the first place, he wears 1.-the shad-
owed livery of the FURNISHED sum to
whom he is a neigh Dor and near
bred" He comes from a country
where sugar cane. rice and cotton
are largely produced. Neither our
climate Dor our productions would be
new to him. Like the European i'm
migrants who are so rapidly p o9ling
the Northwest, the Chinamau in
coming here would be following iSo-
thermal lines. And then, too, his
patient, never-tIrIng industry fits him
eminently for that peculiar species
OF agricultural labor, where from
twelve to fourteen months are re-
quired to make and gather a crop.
But while the Chinaman is patient.
laborious, tractahle, submissive as "a
child under kind treatment, he is
proud and sensitive; and though he
does not resent blow or harsh Ian
guage, he grows morOSe, Su'liy, and
inefficient when either are applied to
him. lie must be dealt with fairly
and treated kindly. He is an edu.
Gated man. Quick, sharp and iutel-
ligent, he cannot Ice circumvented or
cOxened. He prides himself upon
the antiquity of his civilization,
thinks his coutry the finest IN the
world, does not believe in the right
of xpatriatiOn, and only consents to
hire tor term of years in order to
earn, in this country of high wages.
during that term, sum of money
that will keep him though life Ill
his country of cheap living.
This is the Chinaman in miniature,
as | saw and learned him. My de
lIberate conviction is that for the
present at least, and possibly for all
time, he is not only the best and
Cheapest, but perhaps the only laborer
we can gel to fill up and cultivate
our waste and unoccupicd land.
Can we get this labor? If the
United Stat, Government does not
interfere we can; in small quantity
for next year, ii! ward as many as
we want.
After satisfying myself that the
Labor would SUIT us, l directed my
attention to the question OF encour.
aging immigration.
Bear in mind that those who are
well off and have means, 40 not want
to migrate and that those who want
to come md work for Il term of years
are not able tOpay transportation and
subsistence from China here; but
they are willing and anxious to entel
into contract in China, fairly word
ed, STIMULATING for tair wages for q
period of five years, that Ou5 Of the
total sum to accrue for the five years
labor, enough shall be advanced hN
, the party who makes the conlract
f with them to pay all expenses grow
ing out of their transportation ant
subsistence, and that the balance o
the wages stipulated for shall bt
paid to the laborer monthly. quar-
terly or annually, as may be agreed
, upon.
Finding this disposition to exist
i made arrangements to send tC
+. China by the steamer to leave Sal
| Francisco on the 4th of September
= and to contract for as many as trans
= portation could be furnished for
2 Some eight or ten Thousand NIGH
! have been obtained in time for mex
crop. But just as this arrangement
h"i 'N'h WIN liVftNl, Httltld'.A DbNl
r wells letter to the collector at New
+ Orleans was published in the news
D papers. This letter seemingly for
bids tire coming to this country o
G any number of AsiaticS under con
| tract for labor or service for tern
; of years entered into in foreig,
e country, and, in consequence of thi.
apparent prohibition. the party WHIT
r was to go out TO China suggested
t that lie could not enconter the risk O
] the great outlay tor charteriug ant
f provisioning ships tor these Iaborrr
5 so long as it was probable or ever
Y possible the Government would in
r tcrieIe with his delivering them. il
= fullillment of the foreign contract
/ but stated to me that, if the laut
: owners and others here who Aantct
= this labor were willing to nun the
} risk Of governmental interference, l.,
, would 20 out in the October steamer
d. and would bring as many as trans
. poitatiUn could be found for. TO New