The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-11-06
Coolies.

coolie is Chine-e slave. bound for a longer
or shorter time, and IN February, 1862, Congress
very properly forbade the importation of Coolies
from China. This was done because the coolie
trade was already large and increasing and one
hrm 10 California ~ understood TO have imported
more than 10000 during the last eight years
This fact alone would go far 90 prove their value
as laborers, which -, however, otherwise fully
attested, the mOst interesting article upon the
subject being one by Mr.. Pumpelly in the GGiaTy
Tor July The Chinese laborcr, it appears by
conclusive testimony, il industrious, dOcle faith
full, efficient, and works for small wages, is to
be expected Of those who can live at home upon
two dollars year. In the FlOwery Kingdom OF
more than 300 900 900 inhabitants, which il il
supposed might be conquered by army of 50,-
600 trained European soldiers skilliully led, there
is, Of course, an exhaustless supply of such Ia
bOrers {; and, rs MIR. Adams well says, when we
break down the Chinese wall 10 let ourselves in
we let them out.
y person named KOOpmanschap, a Hollander
by birth and coolie contractor, was recently the
lion of day in New York, having previously
been the hero Of the Memphis Convention which
assembled to devise means of supplying the
Southern States with labor. The sentiment of
the Convention seems TO have been expressed by
MIR. j. W. Clapp, who remarked that '' the
South - did not wish European labOrcrs as they
wanted to own land, while, in his opinion, " the
South " preferred labor that could be managed
&. as Of old" In other words, he thought that
90 the South - wanted an ignorant, british, serv-
lie population of laborers, instead Of intelligent,
Industrious, self-respecting workmen. Mr.. Koop-
manschap was evidently the right man To gratily
such desire. In reply to the question OF n re-
porter In New York, the coolic contractor said
that in the Southern States 80 nothing but coerced
labor will bring about prosperity" Mr.. Koop-
manschap had apparently overlooked the law OF
which we spoke, and which forbids any citizen or
foreign resident in this country to prepare any
kind of vessel for the purpose of bringing coolies
- To be disposed of, sold, or transferred, for
any term Of years or for any time whatever, as
apprentices, To be held to service or
labor" OF course the law does not forbid free
and voluntary emigration.
The inducements for honest emigration to this
country palpable and persuasive, the flood
is always sure to be 80 large, and the difficulties
incident to rapid increase of the resident foreign
population in the present circumstances of the
country are so evident, that nothing is more i'm
perative than the prevention of this illicit emf
grafton. America has endless welcome for
the Industrious labOrer who comes hither to Sc
larger opportunities for himself and his
children, but no country welcomes an inundation
of foreign barbaTism. Nothing, indeed, can be
more absurd more characteristic than the resO-
lutiOns Of the Democratic Convention in Califor-
mn virtually denOuneing the Chinese laborers who
have been brought here; for they are innocent,
and the resolutions merely stimulate a local hos
tility already enough infamed. Besides the
Chinese movement has begun, and will not be
stayed. The wise course Is % restrain it within
It's natural limits by rigidly preventing the open
ing of n new slave-trade under the name of en-
couraging emigration.
Meanwhile any artificial and immense increase
OF population in the Southern States which,
Mr.. kOOpmanschap remarks, must supplant the
colored laborers, with the probable annexation of
Cuba and n million and 4 half Of Spanish creoes
and slaves, opens prospect which need dismay
no one, but which is not necessarily delightful.
IL Is not the number OF the population but its
quality that makes great nation /; nor do abund-
ant labor and cheap wages announce an imminent
millennium. The power Of assimilation Of n ma
ton like ours is indeed immense; and all that
can be asked il that it be reasonably treated
HarpeT's Weekly.