The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-07-21
The Chinese And Treaty Powers.

Inc Cn1neSe ana treaty HOWerS.
Sooner than most of us expected the
question of the Chinese immigration and
labor has found its way into Congress
and begins to tax the most earnest minds
Of the Senate. In its present form the
Senate discussion will be confined to the
subject of coolies. Stewart bill is de-
signed to prohibit the importation Of this
class, to which the efforts of Koopman-
schap have recently given an impulse SO
alarming to the Eastern mechanics and
Trades Unions. But to this narrow linn
it discussion cannot long be held. The
efforts against coolleism will be success
full That is merely the Mongolian name
for slavery and their system of slavery,
wherever it has been practiced, has been
worse than the African system which
much tribulation. There need be no
TEN OF China will ever obtain footing
in the United States. We look with
confidence for such law, founded upon,
and for the practical enforcement Of our
treaty stipulations, as will speedily put
an end to the schemes Of koopmanschap
and his set in the importation OF servi.e
labor, and to every form Of Chinese sla-
very which may so far have been tolera5-
ed in any part of the United States.
| The sooner the better. But the end Of
cooliesm will not end the agitation. The
broader policy Of tolerating Aslatlc imml-
grafton is forcing itself upon the public
mind and must be met and decided one
way or another. The under current Of
popular opinion is against it from several
| causes One of these was revealed III
the ncautious remarks OF Senator Wilson
on Thursday, which left Chinese laborers
open to the charge Of being ''the most
degraded portion Of mankind" Senti-
ments like this are the declarations OF the
local demagogUes Of this State, which
have for years been urged against truth
and the records OF the Courts and prisons
and almshouses, only TO justify STATE
/ laws OF savage cruelty and TO flatter the
prejudices OF The most ignorant OF the
voting class If the Massachusetts Sea
ator will take the trouble 10 inform him
self, he can easily procure proofs from
California that our Chinese are frugal,
industrious. Intelligent people, not Who'll
| ly exempt from crime, but at the same
| time, In proportion to their numbers,
less given to felony than any other class
Of foreigners. The State Prison record
will show this conclusion. Whatever
] legislation Congress may enact on the
/ subject. justice and fair dealing demand
that we should not begin by assuming
them to be so much worse than they
really are. 1t is for just such a misap
! prehension Of the character OF the west
ern nations by the Chinese that these
people have been most severely condemn
ed by the reason Of mankind, and we
cannot afford to earn like condemna
ton. The truth is, that our civilization
appears as unique to the Chinese as
theirs to us, and probably more So We
have In reason no more right to condemn
them with off hand harshness than they
US. They have religion and philos-
ply older than ours, and some of Our
wisest men have pronounced in their ia
vor after careful comparison. They
have system of Government dating
back far beyond the historical era Of
Western nations. 1t is not such as
would suit US, but it probably suits them
better than anything the west could fur
nish for the government Of so vast and
dense population. It's not less liberal
than the Government of Russia, nor less
enlightened in it's administration. 1t
presents the good feature of basing the
actual rulership of the State upon merit
in scholarship and thorough knowledge
Of affairs. In this strange country these
people are modest, docile, tractable, in
dustrious and frugal Hardly an objec-
ton is made to their presence here
which is not. upon investigation, proof
Of their good qualities. The chief one is
that they don't spend their money as
prodigal whites do and that they send
| 10 II,
lations. We should grow indignant if
such objections were made to Europeans,
and why should they hold good as
against Asiatics?
The first thing which will force itself
into the question of the policy Of ezciu-
sion is our treaty with China. The en-,
tire spirit Of this treaty is in favor of the
freedom of emigration from one country
to another. This was not a Chinese
idea 1t was the thought Of England,
France and the United States. 1t was
| forced upon their adoption by these ma
tons, at the mouth Of the cannon and the
point Of the bayonet; under the pretense
by our moralists that Christianity mu t
be taught to all the world, by the men of
trade that the people of China must, III
spite of its deadly influence, be supplied
with opium, and by statesmen who main
tain that no nation has the right by nat
ural law to close her ports against other
nations. The West forced open the
ports of China. Can they reasonably do
| less now than square their conduct with
their own policy? Can the United
States decently insist upon it that china
shall be open to US while we are as sealed
book to her people. Nations are moved
TO al FL Iox
eft. China has tea, silk and labor to ex-
chinefy, skilled labor and land inviting
tillage, Can we afford to refuse exchang-
es offered?
Have We right to refuse them after
making our treaty, which provides for
the freedom of exchanges? We knew
when the treaty was making, before it
ed with aborers, and that the valleys of
the Mississippi and Columbia and ANA
zon need all the labor that Asia can spare
to reclaim them. Would it not be the
height OF absurdity now to interpose the
objection that this labor is TOO abundant
and TOO cheap 90 be encouraged? 1t is
a favorlte American boast that our coun-
try is large enough to support 800, 00O,-
900, and that sooner or latter the whole
continent must come under the stars and
stripes. Ii this is destiny, why war
against it with childish prejudice against
race and religion? Senator's who are
prone TO shape their opinions in accord
ance with their personal interest and to
cater to the impulses Of the rabtle, will
find it difhcult to answer these argu-
ments against the policy of exclusion.
1t is no longer the demagogues CT Gala
tornia who monopolize the question.
The whole has profound interest in its |