The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-07-23
THE CHENEs e QUESTION:
COLUMBIA, s, G.. Tuesday, July
TO lHE EDITOR OFTHE NEWS.


TO lHE EDITOR OF TIE NEWS.
have read With great interes: your eilito-
rails on the subject .of Chinese Immigration.
Whilst You advocate the expediency Of intro.
ducing this kind OF labor into the sugar. rice
and cotton fields Of the South, T am pleased 10
find you not sunmindfol Of the undoubted
advantages Of white accessions to our popu-
lation. Let me suggest that this point should
be kept steadily in view. The Mongolian is
an experiment. The Caucasian is fact. The
Mongolian is an expedient.l The Caucasian is
aprinciple. You may accept the Mongohan
auxiliaries, but reject not Your Saxon allies.
AS an abstract proposition, presume few
persons would advoc tie the introduction OF
the Chinese element into our country. TO the
refecting mind here, such population must
possess few attractions. This Southern coun-
try has been the schoolhouse OF the African.
Must it Become, at additional expense, the
schoolhouse Of the Asiatic also If this be
the decree OF Providence. it. is we'll, and the
teachers must do their part But if possible.
for one Iwould have our people excnsed from
this missionary work, and, letting charity be-
gin at home, would restrict the subjects 81
reform alton to our own citizens. attl a
Ssince the abolition Of Africaf slavery and
the system connected with it,, have looked
with hope to the time when the negro element
having, by Code Providence. been eliminated
BY natural causes, this land Of ours, with it's
vast resources, should be occupied, possessed
and ruled BY q homogeneous and sympathetic
population, Illustrating the benefits and enjoy
ing the fruits of solid Christisn civilization.
know that this contamination could not be
attained in day; but the reflection suggested
itself that 1t Was perhaps incumbent upon us
patiently to await our redemption,
+ Iwin sdmit THAT the Chinese question, hav-
ing suddenly loomed up, changes the aspect
Of things. Owing to political interference and
persistent intermeddling and to other causes,
the labor Of the Soush becomes unsteady,
scarce and unreliable. The problem presents
itself for solution, how are lands Of the South
to be cultivated? Whilst looking to the inni-
grafton from Northern Europe, and Just when
our Southern propretors had begun TO despair
of success in that quarter, the Chinaman sud-
denly, perhaps provldentially, appears upon
the field, and is soon hailed. as il by popular
instinct, as the man for the times.
confess myself startled at the striking Co
incidence. Anew political vista opens before
the mind, anl the eye seeks to penetrate it's
shadowy length.
One thing is apparent. It seems obvious
thatit is useless TO discuss the Chinese question
in the abstract The indications are that the
matter In the concrete Will soon be with us. !
shall not GEEK to solve o problem which will
solve ITSELF Around it gather arguments pro
and con. The subject in it's bearings, imme-
date and remote, is vast one. It suggests
that we live in an era OF startling changes. In
the South especially things generally ara in a
strikinRly abnormal stete.I Hence many look
upon the advent of the Chinanan bis eminent.
ly in keeping with the tunes, and they are
ready to stir the political cauldron until ssthe
hurry .burly is DONE" Fss,. .w
About one proposition there will hbe no dis.
pute-upon the field Of labor in the South
there is room for Caucasian, iMongolan and
African. Our great want is labor with which
to develops our resources and to augment our
productions. This is the immediate matte,
with which we have to deal. The labor that
we have ia insufficient. The labor that We
world prefer is SOW to come. Under these
circumstances. no one devoted to Southern in
terests can consistently oppose this; new labor
which, in pressing emergency, forces Itself
upon our notice. But this caution m ly well
be thrown out. In accepting a new element,
let as not ignore either the eleme OF that we
have or the element that ia conceded 10 bt
most desirable. Good statesmanshi ip will use
to the country's best interests all tn element,
OF wealth that lie within it's reach
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