The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-02


his views on this subject, the Judge managed to
get himself interviewed by reporter of his
organ, the Press, who reports his sayings at
great length in that paper of August "a, 1870"
After endeavoring to prove that the Chinese
who come to this country are not all day
laborers, he proceeded to urge the policy of in
Producing coolie labor, as follows:-"Even upon
the theory that they are coolies mere day
labOrers, and will compete with our laboring
people, the question would arise, will you not
have them competing with you here where you
may Amerlcanize them, where you may Undue
them with your notions, where you may show
them the folly of working for less than their
labor is worth, or shall they have your steam
engines, power-looms, spinning jenuies, and all
your other labor-saving apparatus with which
to work in China at the rate of two to ten cents
per day?'
No, / respond, most emphatically. / ask
Judge Kelley what our mechanics, manufactu-
rers, and laboring men are to subsist upon,
whilst they are Americanizing these barba
rians, and imbuing them with their notions, and
showing them the folly of working for less than
their labor is WORTH" During all this time they
are elbowed out of their situations to make
room for these sem-slaves who are expected to
labor at six dollars per month, and our me-
chanies are to live on The air whilst engaged in
the work of teaching these new corners
that they are labofing for too little wages. If
they want our steam engines power looms and
spinning jennies in China, let them order them
of oar mechanics, who will be glad to furnish
them, and we will protect ourselves against their
ten cent labor by properly adjusted tariff, the
efficiency of which the Judge seems to have en-
tirely overlooked in his anxiety to make his
argument in favor of the importation of coolies
ae strong as possible.
He also speaks through his principal organ
the Press, on July 10, 1869, as folows:-
"Able-bodied Cinnamon work in China for about
two dollars month, and are glad to get that 1t is
but fair to suppose that home labor is cheaper.
Under the contracts 10y which they are brought from
China they are to work out their passage money at
four dollars month Allowing the contractor fifty
per cent more than the employer, he can afford to
supply us with the best of rst-caSs labor at six dol
lars a month. This labor, it must be remembered,
is trained, cocile respectful and in abundant sup
the attention OF intelligence offices and labor agen-
cies Of this city, They have it in their power to
volutionze their own business and the social LIE Of
the place, and the first man who breaks the ground
Will reap the harvest"
And again, July 23:-
"By the terms of the Chicago platform-the politi-
cal creed on which Grant was elected and which he
stands bound under his own hand to eXecute-our
doors are open to the oppressed of all people Surely
Koopmanschoop has left for California but will be
back again In October to break ground ia New York
productive labor. We trust that he will not be
allowed to depart without giving US an experimental
quota at least, Of his first cargo Let us not be be-
hind New York in obtaining this new labor, which is
simply condensed wealth. Our mines, our public
works. our private grounds, our homes are suffering
burdened with the surplus population of centuries
cheap, trained docile, and honest labor"
Was there ever a more insulting and fendish
this country? This labor is trained" and
'.docile,' like the spaniel dog, and costs only
| six dollars per month, says the Judges organ,
| and our Philadelphia laborers and mechanics
! are to be brought into competition with it. If
| there is laboring man within the city of Phila-
! delphia who takes the Press and does not dis
! continse it at once on reading this insult to his
manhood he deserves to be driven from his
place and have it supplied by one of Koopman-
shoops cargo, as recommended by this aristo-
cratic sheet
TEE EVENING TELEGRAPH, the Judges other
| organ, although not exhaustive in its argu-
ment in favor of cooe labor, is equally explicit.
In its issue of July 9, 1870, it says:-"We have
not seen any reason why the gates of the Pacific
should not be opened as freely as those of the
| Atlantic" And again, in the same article, it
! says:-
'Even if they come here in large numbers, and
furnish cheap labor in large quantities. the workmen
who fear their competition will be benefited by the
reduction in the cost Of the necessaries OF life. II
they will give us cheap boots, cheap coal, cheap
| bread, cheap fruit cheap cotton, cheap silk, cheap
| railroads, and cheap domestic service, we can well
afford to surrender in whole or part, some forms of
| American industry to them, and transfer the labor
and talent now engaged therein to other pursuits.
From present appearancest the Pacific Railroad
is about to be made one of the greatest curses
that could befal the laboring man of the Allan
tic States, by being converted into high road
upon which an immense horde of barbarians
are to be rapidly introduced, demoralizing our
politics and our labor. One of the strongest
arguments ever advanced against American
tendency to deprecate free labor in the free
States, and yet it never succeeded in bringing
''first-class skilled labor" down to six dollars
per month, as proposed by Judge Kelley's
organs
The future of the laboripg men of Philadel-
phia is indeed dark and gloomy one. The
Judges principal organ earnestly calls upon
intelligence offices and labor agencies of this
city to supply our mines, public works, our pri-
vate grounds, and our homes, with this cheap
labor, the most sklful of which can be furnished
by these Chinese agencies for less than six dol
lars per month"
This alarming appeal by one of the leading
journals of Philadelphia should be needed by
our laboring population before it becomes for
ever too late. Allow Koopmanschoop to sue
ceed in delivering his October cargo of slaves, OF
any part of it, in this city, and the future may
be easily seen.
However indisposed such respectable en-
ployers as Matthew Baird, William Sellers,
Bement & Dougherty, and others, may. be to
employ such labor and however willing they
may be to pay their men such wages as free
men are entitled to receive they will be driven
in a very short time, by force of competition,
employers in other cities, and we shall soon see
these mills and shops filled with Chinese
laborers; our parks being graded and our streets
repaired by pig-tails; our mines worked by
Orientals, and our kitchens and sewing rooms
supplied by labor of the same character, to the
exclusion of our own industrious females.
The effect of all this must be to displace oul
native-born and adopted citizens from their pre-
sent places of employment, and crowd them
upon other departments of industry, and thus
bring down the wages of labor, as proposed by
the Press, to six dollars per month or less. L
does appear that Judge Kelley and his two or
J gans in thus desiring to reduce the wages o