The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-08-08
THE Chinese Question.

&C.
!, I piannsy,yania. But If the Tribune were
e',rro,,nded by the circumstances which
onntrol the conduct of the California Re-
nmblicans, that paper. too, would yield to
The pressure of them. and, as PROT flske
would say, accommodate itself to its envt-
comment. The California people know the
evils that follow Chinese immigration. IL
is surely no crime In a Caucasian to prefer
his own race to any other. The Cninese
degrade the dignity Of labor by MAKING
prices so lon that a echtte man cannot acorE
for them. Or, II he does. ne becomes a., as
wretched as the most wretched OF DIS
kind"
Such Is the view of a Virginia ex-renei,
who deemed the perpetuation OF slavery
good cause for destroying our Union. he
seems to us unequal in breadth OF view 70
the negro barber who, when some one I'M
dertook to frighteu him with the bugaboo
Of Chinese cheap labor, quietly replied:
" Well, If they will work so cheap as that.
7 think III hire one to do the bigger part
OF nv work" There are members oil con.
gress and Governors whom that negro
might teach.-N. Y. Tribune. s
We hardly know how to reply to such
arguments as GREELEY has brought to bear
upon us. We might follow his example,
and say, "You lie, you villain, you lie J"
or that "GREELEy is q bigger fool than
TuoMPsoN's colt; )" but these arguments
would carry conviction to the minds OF the
readers only when GREELEY's "negro-bar-
Der" logic shall produce like effect.
First, we must correct GREELEY's mis-
statement. We never were willing TO de-
stroy the Union to perpetuate slavery. NOR
were the southern people. And GREELEY
falsifes the history Of the country and llbels
whole people when he says they were.
We fought for the rights of the States. Let
this suffice for the first point.
We beg the philosopher Of the Tn
hume not to turn US over to "negro
barber" for instruction. We would
rather learn from the man with
a white face and a black heart" What do
you mean, HORACE; Do you mean to in
innate that the men whose labor would he
brought into competition with that of Chi
nese would do well to employ the Chinese
as substitutes; that your negro barber
could employ substitute and himself draw
double the substitutes wages! If not,
your language is meaningless. Now, every
body who is sane enough to be outside Of q
lunatic asylum knows that common labor
crs, farm hands, street workers, pOrters,
stevedorcs, hod-carriers, and such like, cam
not employ substitutes. Their employers
would not allow it. They must work
themselves or starye. And if they work
along with Chinese they must work for
In
would be reduced to the lowest state of
non-pauper indulgence by the influx OF,
thousands of Chinese. But what Is true
Of these classes is also true OF the sreat
mass Of mechanics Of all sorts. III nity
Chinese comp0sitors were employed In the
7t7bune office GREELEY would pay them.
He would not allow them to be engaged as
substitutes by printers who might WISH 10
use them as such and draw more money |
from Mr. GREELEY than the pay of the
Chinese would amount TO. The American
printers would have to starve or find work |
elsewhere. So of bricklayers, carpenters,
>llncmukerS. and taiIorS. The few employ |
rrs might make money by bringing Chi |
ne>c, but the poor journeymen would
merely lose their only chance of making
bread.
Now, GREELEY processes to be the pecu-
liar friend Of the workingmcn. He would
protect their labor, he says, from competi-
ton with what he himself calls the "pau-
per labor of other countries; but he
would willingly allow these paupers to come
to this country, and not only to come
hisher, but to work for the same pauper
wages against which he wishes TO protect
our workingmenl What "philoso-
pher" he ~, to be sure!
Mr.. GREELEY will reply that wages will
regulate themselves; that when the
Chinese laborer or mechanic gets into this
country he will charge American prices.
But why can't he charge them ut home
Simply because population is too dense.
And whenever the same state of things
shall prevail in this country labor will be as
low here az in any other country. 1t is a
mere question Of time. GREELEY would
pauperize this country tomorrow if he
could-that is, he would, if he could, have
five hundred millions Of Chinese or any
otiCi Iiboi W IHiS COtIubiy 10
derclopc itsresources He is not willing
to let the country grow old, and become
poverty-strckcn and pauper-ridden,
thousand years hence. He would have it
reach that stage at Il bound.
Neither Alr. GREELEY nor any other man
can throw dust into the eyes of the work.
in@men on this question. They are unit
in their opposition to the introduction of
Chinese workmen into this country. North,
South. East, and West. the mechanics are
determined to keep them out Not one
mechanic In hundred is with Mr.. GREE
LEY ant his party dare not 90 into Press-
dental cdncaSS on Greeley's platform.
Would that they could be induced to do so.
The Democrats would bury them deeper
than plummet ever sounded.
We wish to he enlightened, however, if
we are in the dark. We want to know by
what process of reasoning Mr.. GREELEY has
arrived at the conclusion that the immigra-
ton OF Chinese would not injure the work
inemen of this country. Don't tell us that
but few will come for that would be TO
admit that if they came by hundreds of
thousands they would damage us. Don't
tell us that The BURLINGAME treaty gives
them the right. We put that where YOU
put the fugitive slave law. Let us see the
argument.