Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-07-16
CHINESE LABOR CONVENTION
Third and Last Days Proceedings.

The Convention was called TO order
| at ten o'clock precisely. The attend
ance was quite slim at that hour, but
as the time Tor business was very
limited 1.-THE Democratic Convention
meeting in the hall at u O'Clock m
the Chair thought il best TO COM
mence operations at once.
The reading of the minutes was dis
pensed with, and the report OF COM
mittees called for.
Col. Martin, of KY, Of the commit
tee appointed to confer with Mr..
Koopmanschap and Tye Kim Orr,
reported as follows:
Your Committee to whom was assigned
the duty of an interview with Mr.. Koop-
manschap of San Francisco, and Mr.. Tye
Kim Orr of China, beg leave to report that
the interview was held, and the following
general information was Obtained:
The house of K-oopmanschap & Co, of
| San Francisco, have imported from China
about $1,000 laborers, which are pretty
/ well distributed Over the State of Califor-
/ MIA. and that 50 far as Mr.. Hoops infOr-
nation extends a large majority of them
have fully met public expectation as use
full laborers.
| THE SUPPLY AND NODE OF GETTING LABOR.
| InHre Is no uOuDl buk Il supply VI NA4-
/ nese labOfers can be had to meet all the
/ demands of the South. 1t Will be n ques-
! ton of time. Contracts must be made in
I China. and sometimes good guarantees
| can be had from the Mandsrins or Cover
nOrs of districts. for a faithful perform
ance Of the labOrers contract. h con-
| tracts extend from two to five years, and
in some instances to eight. 10 requires
/ care and caution in making selections
/ of men. II YOU want farm labor
er YOU must go to the rural
/ districts. Great trouble and waste Of
money will result by importing from the
coasts and seaboard cities of China, the
lower caste Of population TO be found
there; they are utterly worthless as farm
hands, and the investment IN such an I'M
pOrtation Is insecure.
THE OF TRANSPORTATION AND
THE COST OF LABOR, FOOD, ETC.
Your committee was particular in try
ing TO get at the cost of importing and
working Chinese labor in the South, but
found Mr.. KoOp unprepared TO give US
the exact figures. The transportation
from China to san Francisco VIII
cost from $50 TO $40 per man, owing
10 whether steam or sail vessels are used.
From San Francisco to Memphis, via the
Pacific Railroad the cost viii be about 500.
Contracts can be made with agents or
/ parties engaged in the business of fur
nishing labor at from eight to twelve dol
lars per month. and guarantees had hat
the laborer Will comply with his contract.
The Chinaman needs about = pounds Of
rice, ! pound of meat, 4 pound OF salt
fish, a small quantity of tea and veSeta-
bles per dav-nO bread needed.
With this general report of the informa-
ton elected from 8Ir. koop and Mr.. Orr,
your Committee feel they have performed
the duty assigned to them; but as the
object of the Convention is to try II de-
wise the best and cheapest mode Of
procuring a supply of reliable labor, your
committee take the privilege OF making a
few suggestions as to the mOdts 0PeraRdi
by which to obtain it, at a price that 1t
can be employed. Organizations must be
formed with capital that Will employ
competent and reliable men TO 20 to
China and select the labOrers, MAXI the
contracts and attend TO the t~ransporta-
ton: in this way the heavy commissions
which an intermediate agent viii
demand can be saved 10 the
planter. and the right sort Of
labor procured. NOur committee would
advise your bodytO at OLce dispatchSom
well known. competent, reliable business
man, who Is practically acquainted with
planting, TO China. II if bis services can
be procured. send with your ageut Mr..
I've Kim Orr, and make the experiment
BY the importation Of say 1000 labOrers; |
let them be distributed over the several
States Of the South, and thus in one year
the practicability Of the project can be
fully tested. Ii il is & SUCCESS 1t can be
continued until the South Is fully sup
piled.
With these suggestions your committee
be- leave to be discharged rom the iur-
Their consideration of the subject.
JOHN MARTIN.
Acting Chairman Of Committee. |
Mr.. Martin, in presenting therepOrt,
said that with the permission OF the
Convention, he would make a few
suggestions. For him to say that the |
Importation of labor is a necessity, |
would be to insult the intelligence Of
the Convention. Your presence to-
said he, ais a proof thak>you
feel this necessity" Since the close
of the late disastrous war, l have felt
that the South was in q precariOUs
With our system Of labor
broken up, unless and were secured by
this movement, ii would be hard to
say what the future would bring forth.
But just when we are in this quanda-
ry, God in His wisdom, has shown US
q solution Of the problem, and opened
up the way to an immense PopUla-
high and q " celestial" people, |
who are to take the place of our
slaves-nOt as slaves, however,
but as freemen. Look at it! Just
at the time we need it, the
great railway across the continent
Is finished and puts Us in direct com
municatiOn with San Francisco. lie
in direct communication with China
country teeming with the best labor
in the world; with a people Of a high
ciVilization-nOt saVageS-but with a
history older than the laws of Moses;
a people who possessed the arts and
centuries ago, and who, al
though they have not progressed very
have never retrOgraded-the
very people we want here. There has
been some talk about their religion,
and they have been called heGthen,
but if they are heather, a. M. TyeI
Kim Orr, the very intelligent ChiRa-
said, let Us ChristianIe them.
[ see no future for the South except
Dy thea. Like other speakers here, l
pouring forth TRADES against
he negro. We All E9derstand him.
We understood him as = alaVe. and
We know him as a freedman, In his J.
condition he can never be use
ul to Hs. He is and has been the suf- :
erer by this condition of affairs, and -,
although the war gave him freedom t
le got the worst of il, We need La 5
Can we get it? We can and We !
aust 20 to work to DO it on the sa24e :
,rinciple as we would to do aRything !
lse. We must appoint a man of t
qualifcatiOns-say a man like l
Oseph Williams Of Louisiana, or Gen. :
or WilIoughby Williams of
nashville, and send him to China, ac- {
lmpanied By Mr.. Tye Kim Orr, and P
ct ont laborers there. This will re- ;
uire a little time. We needn't ex- ?
ect to get the hands in time to pick !
ne present cotton crop, but we r,
an have them here by the b
rst Of December. In three years we p
an have the South restored to its I:
'rmer prosperity. 1t is a grand ideal u
Ve have the soil, the climate, the r.
rOducts, that will bring US the gold. d
has requires an immediate organiZa-
We must 90 to work at once" st
The speaker then impressed on the gi
onvention the necessity of combined B
immediate action, and the ap-
ointment of some gentleman well to
uallhed to 90 to China and there pro- m
ire the labor. During his remarks as
E spoke of a distinguished gentle :,
a refugee from Cuba, who had =,
passed through this CITY on AZ
IS way to the Hot Springs. This re