Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-07-13
TIE CHINESEFQUEsTI0N.

The conflict between capital and la
Dor has existed from time immemorial,
and from the very nature of things
must continue while money has val
ne and labor can produce desired
results Plainly stated this sO-caHed.
confictssis simply question in regard
10 the division.of the profits resulting
from enterprises which capital has
protested and labor executed. Capt.
tai and labor are, aud of necessity
must be, partners in all works Of pro
gress or improvement, yet it is an al
ways unsettled question as to which
has contributed the most towards
bringing about accomplished results,
and this renders them antagonists
each naturally seeking to secure for
itself the largest possible proportion Of
profits. Hence capital rejoiees il
cheap labor, as thereby its mlFgins are
rendered relatively greater, and on the
other hand, for the very same reason,
labor seeks high wages. Ia any ia
stance where labor is inadequateiy paid
the evils resulting theretrom are injur-
.or. - 4J,o cx4,1.,,o - +Ia ,Ln,.ir,y
classes and extend in their effects to
the whole community. But, on the
other hand, capital also has its merits
and rights as we'll as la or, and if by
any means it is deprived Of its JUS
profits in investments which 1t has
been led to make, the natural result is
that such investments are discontinued,
and state of stagnation and depress-
ion, no less undesirable than that in
the other case, follows.
as is generally true. the safest and
most satisfactory course, here also, lies
in medium between the two extremes.
It is claimed by many that the intro
duction Of Chinese labor will have the
effect to bring about this condition of
affairs in this country, and so far as
this proves to be the case, the result
must be considered as being beneficial.
1t cannot be denied that heretofore
with us labor has rather had the advan-
tage over capital but the system Of
Grades Unions which has lately
spread so rapidly through the oountrE,
is species Of tyranny which, though
now detrimental TO the interests Of the
capitalist, is sure if continued to soon
become utterly destructive to those Of
the laboring man If the introduction
of Chinese labor will break up this sys-
TEN, we can welcome John Chinaman
as being even more Of a freud to the
laborer than the capitalist.
But the question has its serious
phases on the other side The Chi
hese have the least sympathy with US
as people, which one nation could
possibly have with another they care
nothing for our principles or. institu-
tions; they have no desire to become
Americans; they only want our mon
ely and an INSTRUCTED passage out Of
the country when their wants are sat
isfed; their morals are not good and
their religion is absolute paganism
China is the most populou8 country on
the globe and an emigration might
continue from there till labor should
become mere drug, reducing It's
price to minimum, and producing all
the evil effects of ilI-paid labor. These
are among the reasons which are lead
ing large proportion Of the people in
this county to regard the ',Chinese
question with serious approximations.
Bat we do not see Il at the case lacks
remedy, provided it should need one,
This country belongs to the American
people its present possessors.
Though We have opened our doors to
all nations, we are not Obliged to stand
idly by aud see cur generosity
work our ruin. IF atany time we fad
that certain line of public policy is
working injuriousIy to the nation, or
threatens to subvert the principles up
on which it has grown great, then pru-
denee and common sense require that
that policy should be changed, even
though it had become incorporated into
the constitution Of the country.
There is now no law or legal provi-
sion under which this immigration can
be checked, and, SO long as its evils are
only suppositioos or anticipated, The
case, as we consider, requires no inter
ference when those evils become Sc
rlous and positive it will be time to act.