The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1870-12-02
THE CmrNEsE QUESTION.
SPEECH OF EX-GOVERNOR SEYMOUR.

At mass meeting of workingmen,
in Utica, N. Y, on Thursday even
ing, November 3, Ex-Governor Sey-
mour spoke rs follows:
At the last six annual elections in
this State the Republican leaders have
asked that they should be kept in
power because they claimed they had
saved the country, and we are left to
the conclusion that they saved it for
their own special benefit. We do not
see the grounds for this claim, SO far
as the war is concerned, as we sent
our full share of men to the field
The City of New York, the stronghold
of the Democracy, did more than its
share in filling the ranks of our arm
les. If we look at the action of the
party in power the question comes up,
what kind Of salvation have they given
usp Our whole people are previously
burdened by taxation. Military pow
or still tramples upon the judiciary in
many parts of the South. and even
threatens the sanctity of the ballot
box at the North. Great armies are
kept up upon the pretext that they are
needed to protect the negroes Mt the
South and to kill the Indians at the
West. The country is harassed with
the Indian and African problems. 1t
is now also preplexed with the Asiatic
question. 1t comes up like black
cloud upon our western borders, TAX
ing upon itself forms and proportions.
To all who have studied it it causes
great anxiety. Its shadows fail upon
us, and we cannot get rid of its dan
gels by shutting our eyes to its evil
forebodings. It enters into this cleo
ton, for we are about to choose our
Lawmakers who must deal with it
AS the subject is fairly up in this can
vass will speak Of it tonight. Here
tofore, except at the time when the
people of New York and New England
were bringing negroes from Africa to
sell to the people of the South, immi-
grafton has always brought us people
kindred to ourselves in manners, GUS
toms, and religion. Even their Ian
guages had much in common. The
literature of Europe, translated into
known TO them all. They had the
same habits of thought, and were used
to the same form of civilization
Their coming gave no shock to our in
stitutioDs, laws, or habits. They rap
idly become part of ourselves, and
added to the general wealth and pros
perity. Europe was not SO over
crowded with people that they we're
sent to us in greater numbers or more
rapidly than they could be assimilated.
We therefore welcomed them to our
shores. The Chinese immigration is
different thing. 1t comes from n
land crowded with people beyond
what our civilization could tolerate
They outnumber US ten to one. 1t
brings to US people who are in con-
fict with all our methods of thought,
with all our ideas of morals, and with
all our conceptions Of government
While we find much to commend in
their industry, there is more to con-
denim in their cunning, their cruelty,
and i'll that stolidity of character which
makes them unimpressible by any in
fuences we can bring to bear upon
them. They will always be an undi-
gested, hurtful thing in our political
system. The idea prevails that they
are docile, harmless race; and so
they are while they remain few in
dividuals scattered through the COM
munity. But study their characters
at home, and you will find thieying,
corruption and falsehood in the inte-
rior of the State, piracy upon its
coasts, and ROBBERY upon its inland
borders. They are hated by all other
Asiatics. While some urge that we
should welcome them here, they are
debating the question if they shall go
on with the massacre of Americans
and Europeans, which they began with
the awful slaughter of the men and
women who were engaged among them
as missionaries in works of charity and
religion. Unfortunately for our coun-
try, our difficulties in dealing with
this question are increased by the late
amendments to the national Constitu-
ton, which have stripped the States
of rights needed for their good gov-
ernment. Otherwise this question
could have been left to the Pacific
States, who would have dealt with it
in the light of their own experience.
But the fifteenth amendment binds
California and Oregon hand and foot,
and lays them PROSTATE before the
Chinaman, who strides over them, and
we are forced to comfort him here
It is urged by some that Chinese i'm
migration, will lower the wages of our
labor, cheaper production, AMI add
to the national wealth. This is not
true. Cheap labor does not add to
the nations wealth, neither does it
cheaper production, as will show
Look over the map of the world, and
you will find universal poverty where
labor is most poorly paid. There is a
growing belief in mans minds that
the mission of Mr.. Burlingame was
contriyed by q class of manufacturers to
effect this very object at the moment
they were appealing to Congress for
special legislation in their own behalf.
Shortsightedness is always incident to
selishness' and greed. Let these
men bear in mind that when they have
broken down the body of the laborers
of this country they will have destroy
ed their ability to be the consumers OF
manufactured products. The evils of
underpaid labor will not fall upon the
workingmen alone. All classes must
suffer when they are made poor. The
owners of real estate, the merchant.