The union Democrat., 1869-05-15
Chinese Labor aud the Interests of Cnl
ifOrMia.


We commend the following from the Los
Angeles Ae'cs to the perusal of every voter:
Nothing shows the inconsistency of the
radical party in a worse light than the efforts
of its leaders to smother and degrade free
white labor IN this State by the introduction
o! hordes of Chinese coolies. The Chinese
who come to this country are ali owned and
managed by Company men'' or masters,
under system worse in all its features than
African slavery. and whether their services
are required in working tie mines, building
railroads, or f'r house servants. they are nro-
cured at the office of the company TO which
they belong and when they are permitted to
leave the cities and seek employment for
themselves. their time must be carefully ac-
counted for. and the principal part of their
earnings paid promptly tn the man or COM
pany that shipped them from China. 1t is
not, how ever of the Chinese iu their relation
to slavery, that we propose to discuss in this
article, but the question. whether or not Chi
nese labor under any circumstances is for the
estinterests OF the country. A study of the
habits OF the one hundred or more thousand
now in this State, show that they encourage
no branch of industry by their presence
Their food is of the most simple character, and
with the exception of pork and chickens, of
which they are very fond. is imported directly
from China by those engaged in the coolie
trade their clothing with the execution of a
few coarse cheap articles, is imported by the
coole masters they build few if anv houses.
and as tenants, a hundred will live like rats
in one tenement that would be insufficient for
the family of any American or European
lahorer they steadily adhere to their pagan
education ard habits hence they add nothing
hut vice and prostitution to society they visit
no schools or churches, except in few cases
| where religously inclined people, anxious to
save a pagan in preference to a christian, are
giving them instruction. while hundreds of
white children are growing up in ignorance
for want of teachers they paw little or no
taxes, hence contribute but a moiety to the
support of the Government; the greater part
OF their earnings goes into the hands of agents
and is shipped to China, where it remains.
Worked AMI controlled as slaves, without
even disposition to adopt any of the features
OF higher civilization than paganism, it is
clear that their labor is the only thing that
can be claimed in their favor, and as laborers
they are inferior TO the white man in every
position in which they may be placed. The
white laborer invests his saving in home
stead and becomes land owner, he pays
taxes for the support of schools, he gives his
influence to churches. religion and good NOR
ais. The SUPPORT of himself and family for
ces him to encourage other branches of in
dustry, and both his earnings and labor 60 to
enrich the country, develop its resources, and
encourage higher order of civilization. 1t
is therefore clear that it is for the best inter
ests of the country to foster and encourage
white labor, while it is equally true that the
encouraging of coolie slavery is ruinous to the
best interests of the white laborer. and the
contact is demoralizing to white labor because
the habits of the coolie enable him to work
for smaller wages, and degrading because Of
the association.