The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-07-08
SPIRIT OF THa PRESS.
Editorial Opinions of the Leading Journals
upon Current Topics-Compiled Every.
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
THE CHINESE IN THE AMERICAN LAB OR
MARKET.

Ine excitement winch Is 6NulOiCoU IN )Uls
quarters in regard to the Chinese labor ques-
ton proceeds from misapprehension of its
character and contingencies. War is wage1
upon Cinnamon as race, on the ground that
if they come at all it must be as the enemies
of American labor and civilization. The cir
cumstances under which they arrive here are
not taken into consideration. 1t is enough
that the Chinese who are here work for much
less than the American standard of wages;
that their habits of life are not agreeable to
the American taste; and that their notions
touching the moral laws are Objectionable to
American society. Forth With, an attack Is
made upon all Chinese immigration. Work
ing men protest that their interests are CO.
psrdized, and that John Chinamau must be
kept out of the country. Politicians detect
In this demand grand opportunity for parti-
san effect republican institutions are impe-
riled, they insist, unless the poor Cninamau
is debarred the acquisition of the privileges
of citizenship.
Neither the workingmen nor the politicians
tells us how the immigrant who comes from
China is to be denied the opportunity of earn
ing living here. As Governor Hawley stated
the case at Woodstock-how are the gates of
the continent to be open to the world and
closed against Cinnamon? And, being here,
how are American families and employers to
be prevented from hiring Chinese help if
they prefer ii? Shall law be passed securing
to Biddy an exclusive right to the kitchen,
and denying to John q chance of service
there? Or shall planters at the South, manu-
facturers at the North, and contractors every
where, be prohibited from taking any labor
they choose, even though it be Chinese? 1t
is easy to say that Chinese labor must be put
down, but how is the thing to be done? We
can conceive of valid arguments against
the admission of Chinese to citizen
ship. That is another aspect OF
the question, and one which, however
important theoretically, possesses little prac-
tical significance. For as yet the Chinese
who are In the country have eyinced no desire
to become citizens They know how to work
hard, and evidently want to save money to
carry to China when they go home again. but
they are not sufficiently civilized to take
very lively interest in naturalization frauds,
primary meetings, or the mysteries of ballot
box stufing and repeating at elections. There
is, therefore, no possible danger to the re-
public from their political aspirations, and no
special need for the profound discussions re-
lating thereto, with which grave Senator's
have for some days amused themselves. Apart
from this point what barrier can we raise to
keep out the Chinaman, which shall not also
exclude the German, the Irishman, or the
Englishman ?
In this inquiry we have the true solution of
the problem. We claim the right of going to
China and trading there; and the right of the
Chinaman to come hither, and to labor and
trade here, is as good as the unchallenged
right of Europeans. But to be entitled to
this liberty the Chinaman must land upon
our shores as free to go where he pleases, and
to profit by his labor, as the German or the
Irish immigrant. That is to say, he must be
free man. Economic laws may be relied
upon to do the rest. Once here, with perfect
freedom of action, the market value of Chi
nese labor will soon rise to it's proper level.
The law which operates upon other immi-
grants will operate also upon the Chinaman.
The Irish laborer, who in his own country
works for half dollar day, finds himself on
two-dollar level from the moment of his
landing in New York 1t will be the same
with John. He will get the worth of his
labor, and thus will no more contribute to
the degradation of the laboring class than an
immigrant from any other country.
Left to himself, moreover, the Chinese i'm
migrant will not arrive with alarming fre-
quency. If he must appear as free man,
bound by no covenant to others, the length
and expensiveness of the voyage will preven
any wholesale importation. The lowest O
the Chinese-those whose presence might 70
some reasons be Objectionable e-will not be
able to reach our shores. Distance and cost
will effectually avert that multitudinous ir-
ruption which eloquent opponents of coolie
labor predict as consequence of Cinnamon
p6lnB 6uOWeQ TO come at all.
The only real danger, and that against
which Legislative action may be properly in
voked, arises from the application of the
principle of modified slavery which underlies
the coolie system What that system is in
the tropical and semi-tropical colonies of
Great Britain, the world knows too we'll The
horrors and outrages which have attended its
working have been told upon no doubtful
authority. And there is a prospect of its ex-
tension under the guise of Chinese immigra-
tion to the United States. California has
seen something of it already Ship loads of
Chinese have been brought over under con-
tract for years-their labor mortgaged for
heightened period, at wages on which a white
man could not live, in consideration of their
passage. These are not immigrants in the
only recognizable sense of the word. They
may be called apprentices or hired laborers-
in effect they are but few degrees removed
from slavery. They are not chattels, per-
haps, and the seryitude to which they are
bound lasts for years only, not for life; but
most assuredly they are not free laborers,
and therefore not an element that is Justly
admissible in the American labor market
Against this form of the coolie system it is
the duty of Congress to provide legislative
guards. The importation of coolies-the in
PRODUCTION of large masses of Chinese labor,
under contract for long terms-should be
absolutely prohibited. If this is DONE the
Chinese question will cease to be formidable.
Those whose business it is to organize Chi
nese labor, and import it, base their expec-
tations of profit upon protracted servitude.
Make this calculation impossible and the
coolie system will come to an end and with
it will terminate the contingencies incident
to Chinese labor which are made the pretexts
for nOOular aoitatiOn in this oountrU