New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-12
KOOPMANSCHAP d. co.

| the limited States. This business, upon the
| face of It. appears to be not only innocent but
| even philanthropic; but we are satisfied, never
theess, that it will be well to watch it closely.
A letter from this Chinese emigration house IN
San Francisco to firm in New ork is travel
ing through the newspapers Of the country it
is, we presume, authentic, and it gives us some
information about the enterprise of KOOpman-
schap g. Co. which should be carefully con-
sidered. The San Francisco house begins by
declaring that it cannot send so few as
twenty laborersr-it can only send "by car
| loads" as it would any other merchandise,
and it only deals in laborers by the
Wholesale But it will be observed that
il speaks of these Chinese as If they were
not men but goods, subject to the fluctuations
of the market and the laws of supply and de-
mand-men not proceeding upon their own
voluntary motion, but literally "sen" by KOOp-
manschap & Co. 1t would hardly be agreeable;
we fancy, to inquire closely into the nature OF
the legal contracts which these fOrwarders
make with their Carloads" of human freight,
or how far there is rational, consenting mind
upon the side of the sent as well as of the
senders. John Chinaman is, by nature and edu-
cation, tolerably acute, but he Is Also in Cali
fornia q stranger in strange land, and frauds
practiced upon him to entice him from home
may be remorselessly supplemented in the land
to which he has been transported. There is no
doubt of the fact, if he once gets into the
hands of KoOpmanschap & Co., that he Is en-
trely at their mercy, and may be forwarded
to the North Pole, if that destination should
appear desirable to his cOnsgnOrs. His chance
of remedy in the courts of California must be
set down as no chance mt all. Hrs opportunity
of redress, after he has been fairly settled upon
Southern plantation, we leave the intelligent
reader to estimate, after he has learned from
this very letter of the San Francisco house,
what kind Of contract Koopmanschap a. Co.
make for their Carloads" of laborers.
Ostensby the contracts made in behalf of
tue Chinese are to cover three or five years; but
such engagements would he of little or no
value were it not pretty well understood that
ssch as they are they must perforce be re-
newed at the termination of the assigned pc
Rod. The whole scheme seems TO be arranged
with a single eye to keeping tho Chinese
laborer mere thrall during the pleasure of
his employer, to be cast upon the world when
ever through age or disease he has lost the
capacity of working In the first place, he is
found There is nothing said of how he rs to
lie found or Of the quantity and quality of
his ratons and, of course, it will be for the
interest of his employer to keep him upon as
little as possible. For able-bodied, indus
trious and trustworthy feld-laborer, engaged in
the cultivation either of tobacco, cotton, rice OF
sugar cane, the largest sum here named is
very inadequate compensation. The question
for honest men is, not upon how little the
Chinese can live. but how much can they earn
There Is no reason why they should not be
paid quite as much az native laborers, the fact
that they are thrifty and saving being all IN
their favor and aifording only stronger argu-
ment for putting their labor upon an equality
with native work. As it does not appear that
the Chinese will have any voice in fixing the
monthly rate of wages, it is safe, especially II
the labor market is glutted by "car- loads" OF
supply, to set down the lowest amount above
mentioned (S9 as that which will be generally
paid. Reckoning 3l3 working days in the year,
and the yearly wages at 500, We find that for
a days work the laborer will receive about "a
cents, which at ten hours work per diem
would be about cents per hour Here Is
fraud upon the face Of the whole transaction.
There is no haman being capable of intelligent
labor of any kind. and willing to work, who is
not entitled to much more than such insigRif-
cant wages as these; and it is evident,
| il such is TO be the rate Of COM
pensation, in the cotton fields, for instance.
that the profits of the employer will be enor-
nous. The South will fall once more into tho
slough of caste. and We shall be once more
tormented by that fruitful source OF social
trouble-labor inadequately remunerated. We
have problems enough of this nature, God
knows, distracting the public mind already,
| embarrassing the operations OF trade, making
supply irregular, and rendering the amount OF
! production uncertain. Shall we, who, by great
good fortune, have been able to sweep away
one system of under paid labor, diligently en-
ploy ourselves in building up another Like 1t,
| for the benefit of Messrs Koopmanschap g. Co.
| of San Francisco We may well pause before
We lend the public sanction to device OF
greed and incidence which may react with
terrible effect, by morally degrading tho whole
labor of the country.
| IL the Chinese laborer were to be q free
agent upon the Southern plantation, able to
make contracts and to seek his remedy for
their violation. O., if he could occupy pre-
cisely the position which tho White laborer OF
the North and West occupies-the whole aspect
of the question would be changed. But Koop-
manschap g. Co.'s contracts take good care
that, once in the tolls, these harmless ana
HELPLESS foreigners shall BIO kept thore, or shall
escape only by their usual resort OF suicide
| According TO their mild indentures, IL Chinese
laborer, after Zone or two years labor" Is 'iiS-
gusted with his work, and, weary OF starvation
| and tyranny ndeaires To throw ND his engage