American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-09-11
EXTRACT ERO3T THE REPORT Oh
GEN. MILES on THE CHINESE.

In accordance with my commission, J
repaired at once to California. When l
arrived in San Francisco, I found there
numbers of old Mississippians, who ex
tended to me every cordiality and to
whom, il common With the whole people,
I here desire to make my acknowledge
ments for their great ecpltosy.
With the facilities placsd at Ipy dispos-
al, had the opportunity Of seeing large
numbers CT Chinese laborers, as well as
Chinese mercl4s.nhts and american and
European merchants sll:o Gre engaged Ill
Eastern commerce, many of which latter
class have resided for 4 long time in Chi
na
In the figst place, I gave my attention
to close, searching and critical examina-
ton Of the capacity of the Chinaman to
perform labor He is engaged III Califor-
MIA in many different occupations. saw
him in the wash-house, il the kitchen, Ia
the dining room, on the farm, on the rail
road, IL the shot-taNer, 'st .he rolling mill,
at the smelling furnace and in The wcolen
factories. Everywhere his work is done
well. Noiselessly, qucitly, silently, he per
forms the duty assigned to him with a
!
He is now almost the exclusive builder OF
railroads on the Pacific sl0pe. Ite dis
tances all competition as a washer and
ironer. He IS an excellent COOK. He IS
the best dirin9-room servant in the world
The most delicate and beautiful fabric
ever saw, he makes in the two wooden fac
tories at San Francisco. He is persis
tent and efficient i,abarer ca the iur:n. IL
performs, with exactHe5s and skill, th'
most delicate duties Of the shot-tower; ant
} in the rough, heavy work Of the rolling
mil and smelling furnace, ,lc seemed full
; equal to any task assigned him. More
over, his quickness OF comprehension en-
ables him to understand almost intuitiyel
the most delicate and complicated ma
: chinery, and he manages it almost fror
the first, like one Bho had served regula
4 apprenticeship. After watching him close
G lT, I came to the conclusion that whateve
: Il white man or block man can do, he ca
y DO also.
But most especially DO i consider hi
- IA fit laborer for this region. In the fir
n place, he wears "the shadoTed livery
the buLished slzD to whom he is neigl
W Dor, and neal bred" He comes from
= country where sugar cane rice and cottc
" are largely produced. Neither our c
mate nor car productions would be he
O. to him. Like the European immigr4n
ID who are so rapidly pee, ling t..s Mort
&c vest, the hinaman III coming here wdu
" T.. be following isothermal lines. And the
IL too, his patient, Ecver-tiring industry Fl
IL him eminently for that pect.liar species
agricultural labor, where from twelve
a. fourteen months axe required to gather
crop.
Ell But while the Chinaman is patient
ID borious, tractable, submissive as a chi
ly under kind trsatl.a.t,' he is proud al
m sensitive; and though he does not resent
blow or harsh language, grows moro
ie stllky and inefficient when either are 4
piled to him. He must be dealt wi
&C. fairly and treated kindly. He is an ed
ch Gated man. Quick, sharp and intelligel
he can neither be circumvented or cozent
He pijdes himself upon the antiquity
Is his civilization, thinks his country the f
est in the wcld, does not believe in
Ks right Of expatrIa;ion; and only consel
ma to hire for term of years, in order
earn, in this country of high wages, {
., ring that term, a sum of money that v
keep linn through life in his own count
Re- Of cheap living.
This is the Chinaman IA miniature, a
nm saw him and learned him My deliber
conviction is that fcr the present, at lei
and possibly for all tnne, he is not o
'o" the best and cheapest, but perhaps
only labor we can get to fill mp and GU
in vate our waste and unoccuped land.
. PAINTISG HOUSES-RepcatCd
pc imcnts prove that piaint applied
l,,, tween November and March will
- twice as long as lhat applied in w
"'9 weather. The reason is that in c
weather the component parts of
,oss paint form a hard substance on the
face, as hard rlmost as glass, but
ooy warm weather the oil penctrates