The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-17
is JOHN A FAILURE2


From the NetO Orleans Republican.
1t is coming into fashion to abuse john
Cbinaman as not coming up TO the standard
of good contract labo-er. One fellow says
he is Letter for farming than railroad build
ing, and another fellow thinks that his farm
ing capacity is not so good as his ability as
road constructionist And so il is probable
the big farmers and the railroad contractors
will dismiss John in his aggregate capacity
from their employ This is all rigat. 1t
brings matters nearer level, because John il
really not bad as an independent man, which
his contract with Koopmanschap did not
allow bin to be. We can afford to absorb
millions of Cinnamon il they only come as
intelligent, separate, independent laborers,
prepared to work for the best man at the
best price. Their advent is only OBJ
jectionable when they come as ma
chimes for an individual purpose,
as it was originally proposed to
bring them. Men who had lost their negro
slaves turned to China for new supply of
Asiatic poems; and it was purposed that the
saffron-hued laborer from the antipodes
should run out and supplant the race that
has borne the brunt of labor in the South for
a hundred years and more. And what was
worse, after the negroes had been driven out
the same old arjstocratic system of farming
was to be introduced which impoverished the
South before the war. Selfish men desired
to perpetuate rule of servitude which pro-
tected one man in living absolutely off Of
the labor of twenty other ignorant men. Mr..
Koopmanschsp is the promoter of this specu-
latiop, and as such has probably made for
tune for himself by selling great number of
fools in the South.
The Chinese are probably like the Indians
in this matter of working for other people, 1t
was always the complaint in Mississippi that
the Choctaws never could be made to work
like slaves. They would contract to serve,
and they might fulfil their agreement; but if
they once grew obstinate or were allowed to
reach whisky work was at an end Force
was useless to move them to do faithful SER
vice. The Mexican is much the same crea-
ture. His personal independence cannot be
degraded to condition of slavery. And
it is this rebellious principle in the China
man which has given dissatisfaction to
the factor of John Cinnamon. These
people, who were expected to be slaves
have demonstrated that they are men.
They stand upon their contract. They are
not to be cheated in wages or swindled out OF
their earnings by shoddy merchandise. Set
Elements must be punctually made, treatment
must be conciliatory and agreeable. Else
there comes a row. The Chinamau is neither
to be imposed upoa in his pocket nor his
person. And as the original suggesters of
Asiatic poems based their calculations on
being able to defraud and beat their poems,
the speculation has lost its attraction since it
has been found that the poems can take care
of themselves. And this is why our farmers
and contractors are mutually finding out that
the ChDaman is not a faithful laborer.
No laborer is good in this country who
is not independent. There is something in
our society which makes men feel that their
personal liberty to go and come must be un-
restrained, in order that they may stand
| upon the common platform of American lib
| erty. In California John Chinaman is an in
dustrious, economical, peaceful, and taxpay-
| ing citizen. He works for himself, while
doing the labor of others. Both himself and
his employer are free to quit when they fail
to agree. He will be an acquisition of value
to the South when he comes here as free
man, because then he will work with u will.
To-day he is Respondent, discontented
| peon, living the life of a slave among a
moving world of free people. While all
around may move, he alone is tied to the
service. Is it strange that, in brooding over
this servitude, the Chiuaman fails to give
satisfaction? Put yourself in his place and
| answer.