Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-08-20
CHINESE IMMIGRATION

Some Of the newspaper writer's on this inter-
estirg topic, start with two mistakes-drst In
treating IL sc an untried experiment-second
IN basipg heir articles on the erroneous view
that the Chinese who come to this country are
all semi barbarrans, fit only for Iaborers and
serVarts. Mr.. Choy Chew, the di.tingu isned
Chinese merchant, who lately visited New
fork, Is prosperous an enterprisIng business
man Of San Francisco, and is himself, there
fore, living contradiction of these faIlacies,
but adds TO the weight Of his presence
AZ our cities such words as these, in reply
70 question concerning the class of
people VINO emigrate here from China:
"Tnere are no classes in that country in the
sense you Americans use that term There
are different ranks, il is true; but, taken as a
whole, the Chinese are essentially democratic,
and the class Of people who come to San Fran.
cisco from there are of very varied occupa
tons. In one ship load of Chinese that comes
into the bay Of that city you will find more
variety OF manual skill than among any other
equal crowd Of emigrants- You will ind men
Oh ali trades and occupations; but owing to the
prejudice against them in California, many of
those who could excel IN different handIcrafts,
are forced to work as common laborers on the
railroads"
But we need not rely on his evidence alone
The capacity of the Chinese to achieve q high
degree Of success in business is not q theory to
be demonstrated. They have succeeded even
where they have not had a fair showing-suc.
ceeded in spite of adverse circumstances.
Some Of the most prosperous merchants in
San Francisco are Chinese, and, whilst a large
majority of persons in all vocations in Califor-
MA have failed, none OF the Chinese in that
State have ever failed. The Sandwich Isl.
ands, too. have derived great advantages
from Chinese immigration. The last gen.
Grafton Ct -Kanakas, under the combined
influences OF civilization and bad whisky,
reduced the country to q condition of
idleness, pauperism, and almost starvation.
About twelve years ago, however, some
Chinese merchants, who visited the islands
from San Francisco, concluded to make an
experiment In the development Of their re.
sources, and commenced the importation of
coolie labor as q substitute for that Of the
worthless kanakas. Their enterprise proved
so successful, that, At the end Of the first year.
there Were few coolies who were not able to
buy up their contracts, and il Is stated that
some Of the wealthIest Chinese merchants
now residing there belonged to the gang
originally imported. About thirty-fve
hundred Chinese Iaborers are at work
on the islands, and now the japanese
are beginning to arrive by the ship-load
os
a monopoly of manufactures is In the hands of
Cinnamon, and in the English colony of Snga-
pore they control the entire trade, which
amounts 10 nearly s35.OO1,OOO in imports, and
nearly s30,O00 in exports. In Java and
Singapore, as in the Sandwich Islands, they
began as Coolies, and in q few years have &C.
Cumulated enormous fortunes, in spite of cir.
cumstsnces under which people of almost any
other nationality would have sunk to, or re.
manned In. a state of utter degradation and
misery.
To return to Mr.. Choy Chew. He being a
practical business man. has closely watched
the efforts that have been MADE TO reproduce
on the Pacific coast the valuable agricultural
products OF China, and says if the experiments
row making prove successful, his wealthy
counrymen viii at once enter extensively into
this business. He is of opinion that a great
number Of his people will come to this country
within the next few years, and thinks that
those who are not wanted in the Golden State
will spread through the rich mineral regions
Of the Rocky Mountains, Nevada, Montana.
and Colorado, and significantly remarks that
the Americans will not object if Cinnamon
make these countries blossom as the rose.
OF the scheme to induce Chinese emigration to
the South, he thinks they would not be apt 10
better their condition much by such a chance,
fearing they would be treated as serfs and re.
ceive too little pay for their labor. One pecu-
liartty Of his people, he informs us, is, that il
the nrst reports which reach them of a new
settlement whittier some Of their eountrymen
have gone are not Of q fattering character,
they reject all subsequent invitations, and that
therefore, IT will depend altogether upon the
success Of the first experiment at the South
whether more Will GO there