Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-07-02
What Shall we do with John ?

We have a growing Chinese popu
Iation on the Pacific coast, which i
already sufficiently unpopular. W,
| have scattered attempts at the intro
ductiOn of Chinese labor on Southern
plantations anu railroads. And nov
we have the Chinese shoemaker
brought in to conquer a strike Of thu
Crispins at North Adams, MaSsachu
sets. There is already the bitteres
oppOsitfOn to the Acknowledged, mild
hammered creatures; hostility to then
| has become a test Of political Ortho
dOxy in California, and the antag
| onism here makes an even bitterel
beginning than there. What is t.
come of it all3
!. We may be sure the immigra
ton is hardly begun. 1t is an enOr
nous fact that, by the change IRON
sail to steam transportation, Hong
Kong is to-day as near New York a
Liverpool was twenty years ago. The
Irish famine gave an impulse to al
emigration To this country already
fairly begun; and see to what, in
twenty years, it has grown. Yet fol-
every Irishman able and ready to en-
igrate, there is a score Of Cinnamon
great tamines sweep Ove China 10y
the side of which the Irish famine can
hardly be mentioned, and there art
not wanting other causes TO slim
ulate the growing movement to
ward the United States. Within
two years more than five thousand
Cinnamon have returned from san
Francisco, as our Canton correspond
ent lately informed us, every one tell
ing wonderful tales of wealth in this
golden land, and of the marvellous
liberty here enjoyed. The workman
in the rice mill listens to the tale OF a
hundred cents a day wages, and con-
tTasts it with his own beggarly five or
six. The five hundred dollars brought
back or another of these men returned
from fairy land, seems to his neghbors
an enormous fortune, and becomes the
talk of a whole province. Through
out the Empire they are thus looking
with longing eyes to the land of the
gold mountains. Any slight propell-
ing force may suddenly precipitate
upon US by thousands for every score
now coming.
2. We cannot escape the flood if we
would. We have too long extended a
hOspitable welcome to the immigrants
from every cline to reverse nov the
policy that has led to national great
ness. We can absolutely prohibit
their coming only by a resort to ma
tivism pure and simple; and we take
il the day is far distant when that
Will be a thing so near possibility as
to require serious consideration.
3. We can undoubtedly discourage
the immigration-are doing il al
ready, in fact, by a law which pre-
vents their being brought over under
contract to work out their passage
money after their arrival. Yet so
great is the desire to come that in
hundreds of cases whole families
mortgage themselves to be sold into
slavery if the head Of the house does
not return within a specified time to
repay the passage money loaned by
native dealers on this security. How
long will any discouragements keep
back an immigration thus de-
termined?
4. After all, can we afford to dis
courage them? These men are most
pdtitlli, ldliuAul anu Ndludblc ldBOI-
ers. We have an enormous demand
for labor throughout a continent not
yet half subdued 10 the uses of man.
Our recuperation from the depletion
of the late war, our success in peopling
and cultivating the vast tracts par
TALLY opened by the continental rail-
roads, the development of the coun-
try, the growth OF its agriculture aud
manufactUres-an depend on a nabun-
dant supply Of an intelligent labor.
This is all the South needs to double
its preseEt cotton crop. 1t is all the
West needs TO carry the frontier line
across boundless plains now I'M
touched. No nation, so situated, has
ever yet prospered by the rejection
OF such labor when it was offered.
Should we?
.. And yet we confess that we by
no means contemplate the present
aspect OF this immigration with IN