Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-20
CHINESE LABOR.
An interesting Letter from GensraI John C.
Walker about the Cinnamon he has
at work in Texas.

- $50 49,
The disorganization Of the labor sys-
tenn of the South, growing out OF the
/ emancipation of the slaves, is already
telling the story of Southern decay in
! productive industry. AS the middle
aged negroes, whose working habits
were acquired under the discipline Of
the old system, die of or become SUI
peranuated, we are finding none to
take their places. The young ones
rate their political Importance too
highly to waste their energies in the
production of cotton and sugar. To
what extent the county has been the
gamer by the conversion Of this large
class of producers into voters and pol
iticians, is a matter of opinion, but
certain it is that the material interests
of the South have received a heavy
blow. and we have not yet even
felt its worst effects. Year by year
negro labOrers will grow more scarce
and eaprjcious, and pdTl PassU the
price of field work enhance. We may,
therefore, expect to see the branches
and weeds of our field every year
growing ranker, unless we can pro-
cure laborers of another race. Can
the Caucassians supply the want?
Theorists may answer afiirmatively
as long as they please, but LOuisian-
ians, at least, viii not be convinced
against their daily experience and OBJ
servatiOn. Whence, then, is help to
come? For one, | al see it nowhere
but on the shores of Asia. Fortu-
nately the gold excitement in CalifOr-
MIA has made us partially acquainted
with the industrial and ecOnomi-
cal value of the Monaghan race.
Large numbers of them, drawn to
our FL Dorado by the universal
attraction of gold, have for many
years been settled on the Pacific slope.
Our first observation of them was as
miners of the precious metals, but the
surface and individual mining becom-
ing improbable, these industrious
people soon turned their labor to a
profitable account in other avocatiOus,
and for years have supplied to Cali
fOrnia that desideratum of all new
cOuntries-cheap and abundant labor.
They have built her railways, dug her
irrigating and mining canals, drained
her lands, Teaped her golden haTvestS,
and in tens of thousands of house.
holds are at this moment contributing
to the daily comfort of her inhabi-
tants. These are the people who are
waiting to be called in te our relief.
Shall we accept their services?
1t we decide to do so, the sooner we
set on foot the measures necessary to
get them here, the better. Having
spent two or three years on the Pacific
! slope, previous to the war, l had many
opportunities of becoming acquainted
with John Chinaman as a labOrer,
cook, ETC., and since the war have
been a strong advocate for his intro
ductiOn into the South. Theory is
worth little without practical demon
STATION, and it occurred to me that
the best method of ~impressing our
people with the value of the AsiatiC,
was to bring him into our midst and
let him speak for himself, in a Ian
guage that requires no interpreter
that of shovel and wheelbarrOw.
The Houston and Texas Central
Railway Company, after many costly
and unsatisfactory experiments at the
importation from this city and New
York of white labOrers, at my earnest
suggestion, concluded to try the ex-
perImentOf Chinese labor. | was con-
sequently employed by them to pro-
ceed to California and bring to Texas
the two hundred and fifty Chinese
now at labor on the extension of their
road near Calvert. On this business 1
reached San Francisco early in OctO-
Der last, and from that time to the
middle of December l was engaged in
overcoming the difficulties l found in
the way Ofmy success. In thefirst place
Texas was a wholly unknown country
to even the Chinese who had spent
years in California. Ii was bourne
from whence no Celestial traveller had
ever returned; and, in the next place,
l had to overcome the U%nfriendiy in
fluences of interested parties Of our
own race, who desire-a monopoly in
the business OF Chinese immigration
at the South. At length, however,
by the diHt Of perseverance, l sue
ceeded in securing the services OF two
hundred and fifty experienced rail-
road laboUers tor a term Of three
years, and have Just returned from
Texas, after placing this advanced
guard Of the coming army OF Occupa-
ton on picket. aR1e1 with shOvels
and picks, coutenEi and happy; at
any rate fulfilling their contracts.
1t IS te premier pas qHj cO1t in BUSH
ness as in morals, and these two hum
drod and fifty M0Dg0lians being in
your midst and finding good treat
ment, good food, aud good pay, viii
eventually attract to our railroads and
other public works, and to our rich
but neglected fields, as many of their
cOuntrymen Is we may require. AT
first let them come for work on our
railroads, ieyees, etc, and very soOn
the locations where they are employed
will be known to the MoDgolians of
California and China, and become the
nucleus of Chinese immigration. Our
planters will then be able to employ,
at reasonable wages, as many of that
ace as they require. OF all the va
rieties Of mankind l believe these
people are the most %gregarious, and
now that a respectable number of them
have led the way into this heretofore,
to them, terra i~2cOggtijd, others, with
proper encouragement, will not hest
tate to follow.
Perhaps the time has not yet come
when our planters will be able to Sc
cure a sufficient supply of these labor
ers in California at the wages they can
afford to pay. But the rate of wages
there is coming down since the COM
pletiOn of the Pacific railroad, and 1
believe, before many months, a large
number Of valuable hands may be en-
plOyed, even in California, at wages
within the reach of prudent planters.
OF course, it is to the shores of Asia
directly that we must 90 for the mil
lions that the South will demand to
rebuild her fallen fortunes. To bring
them here in the numbers and on the
terms we can afford to pay requires
organized effort.
En- attendant, something may be
done by indivual effort, and it is my
purpose to establish an agency in this
city for the employment and importa-
ton from China and California Of vol
untary laborers, cooks, domestic ser
wants, etc. At present, as | have al
ready indicated, my efforts will be
mainly directed to the furnishing our
railroad companies and other corpora
tions and contractors on public works
with efficient, reliable and cheap la
bOrerS.
Afew words before closing as to the
habits of the Chinese in California.
They are abstemiOus in their diet,
and drink no alcoholic liquors; opium
smoking, however, is a vice quite as
prevalent as Incorporate drinking is
among Christians. They are inveter-
ate gamblers among themselves, but
never allow this passion to interfere
with their avOeatiOns. They are de-
voted to theatrical representations,
and their fhaqtprS in San E~rapQisqO