The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-08-13
TIE CooLIE QUESTION.

1858, 80 sea-going vessels. among tben Is
TEE C00LIE QUESTION.
LGrTER FRos noa. HoRAro sEvMoUR.
At mass meeting of the working
men, held at Rochester N. ", on the
4th inst, the following letter was read
from Ex-Governor Seymour on the
question of Chinese migration to the
United States
Urea, August s, ls70.-SIR IL
put on until this date my anewef 10
your letter asking me TO speak to q
meeting ut Rochester upon the subject
of Chinese immigration, as hoped it
would be in my power TO do SO. am
sorry that / cannot attend. All agree
that it is grave subject. IL is one that
must be met, and it mast be met now.
Ssrong influences are at work TO open
the food gates and pour in upon rs
the worst classes Of over crowded
China. They can get to our shores at
less cost and in greater numbers than
the people Of Europe. If they contin-
ne to crowd in, they will overthrow the
customs, civilization, and religion Of
the whole Pacific coast, and they will
also crush down the position Of the la
boring classes throughout our country.
l am against this. / am not willing
they should gain foothold here. No
nation in Europe would suffer such an
invasion. II Britain, Germany, or
France should allow any thing Of the
kind, their governments would be
overtl.rown. Why should we give up
our civilization in any part of our
country for that of Asia?
cit in said we want cheap labor.
We do not want cheap labor, but well
paid labor. Interest as well as justice
and humanity calls for this. If all who
labor in this country took the same
wages and spent as little money as the
Chinese laborer, our government would
be bankrupt, and business would
shrink up. Well-paid labor spends
freely with the business man, and fills
the national treasury by the imposts
and duties ID pays upon what it uses.
This 10 the whole source of our fnan-
cial strength as compared with other
people. If labor is brought down to
the Chinese standard there will at once
be q difference in the condition of
classes which will in the end overthrow
our government We pay higher
taxes and interest than any other peo-
pie, and if the price of labor is put
down to Asiatic rates, capital will swal-
low up the earnings Of toll more rapid
ly than was ever yet done IN the his
tory of nations. II this is to be our
future, we have loa in vain nearly a
million Of lives in the late civil war.
1t is not the object of government TO
urdersell others, to pinch ourselves
that we may pinch others. The great
end of craftsmanship is to give com
fort and plenty to each home, and to
take csre that labor is well paid. We
should seek to give happiness to each
fire-side circle, and not to fill the cof-
fers of capitalists.
"1t is said by some, if we shut out
Chinese immigration, we do 80 in the
face Of all our former professions
This is not so. We invite European
immigration, because it adds to our
power and happiness. Europeans do
not overthrow our customs, religion,
or civilization. They do not bring
here any strange blood. 1t has always
been our practice to shut out any i'm
migration that is hurtful. We send
back to Europe criminals or psupers,
by virtue Of national and state laws
Every city and town guards against
incomers who endsnger social order Or
safety. We are in no way bound to
take into our public system any mis-
chievous elements, or to destroy it by
personal influences. If we believe in
our religious creeds; in the form and
principles Of our government, then we
must believe that Asiatic creeds and
customs are baleful. To day we are
dividing the lands Of the native Indl-
ans into states, counties, and town
ships. We are driving off from their
property the game upon which they
live, by railroads. We tell them. plain
ly they must give up their homes and
property and live upon corners of their
own territories, because they are in
the way Of our civilization. If we can
do this. then We can keep away an-
other form Of barbarism which has no
right here.
81 have no doubt the Chinese have
useful qualities. They are said to be
good servants, ready to do the work
Of men or women, but they have not
the traits which will build up on this
continent q great and high-toned
power. We must not Judge Of those
who come here by those who stay at
home. We get only the dregs. There
is but one way Of dealing with this
matter. The policy Of exclusion must
be sharp and as vigorous as that OF
New York and Massachusetts against
the coming pauperism. 1t must be
borne in mind that, under the late
amendments to our national constitu-
ton, you put upon them no political
restraint, made necessary BY their De-
culiarities. They can grasp the priv
lege Of voting and law-making, des.
pite all state legislation. 1t is to be
hoped that this subject will be taken
up and discussed in fair and temper.
ate way by all classes We must moi
let it drift and settle itself Unles.
we are ready to give ur the conse
quences of this new danger to the
public peace and home happiness O.
our people, we must confront the PROB
lem at the onset "Truly yours.
HoRATIo SErMo-s
To ELIAS MAPEs, Recording ) cr,
tary of Workingmen's AssemL
Rochester"