Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-10-05

u
fallen into the poisonous clutch Of barba-
rian slaves"
1.-The avarice and cruelty of the wealthy
merchants is wolf-ike, and the vexatious
treatment of the foreign (Peruvian) otii-
cials is like tiger. Our countrymen
cannot make a motion without its being
construed into fault"
What picture Of the old slave life in
worst aspects. Can any gentleman here
draw better or more vivid one? |
think not. But it is worth while to hear
the pathetic appeal which closes this pc
tltlOn
''I our petitioners in sore distress at the
crueltes inflicted, and with sense of
resentment for the living and the dead,
have prepared petition in common, sup
plicating your favort to save and lift them
up; they would beg your eXcellency to
have the emperor memoralized to eXer-
else his special grace, and commission an
envoy to proceed to Peru to make an
vestigation, when the wicked barbarians
must certainly put stop to their cruel
conduct; or failing this, to commission
the minister of the United States to act
for him. Then the restoration of your
humble petitioners from death to life will
be the gift of your excelency. On our
knees we present this petition, praying
that your eXcellcncy's posterity may be
ennobled for all generations.
The humble members of the Kwang
Tung Guild, and OF the Fukeen Guild
PROSTATE themselves" J."
Petitions presented on the Goth day of
January, (according to the accidental
date.) True translation:
EDWARD b. DREW.
"Then the restoration of your petition
ers from death to life will be the gift of
your eXcellency." How true the words,
for slavery is living death, and freedom
to man is life itself.
Here, then, we find by the evidence of
the coolies themselves that the Chinese
slave system exists in Peru, and that it
is recognized at least by the provincial
governors of the Chinese empire.
In the very able and exhaustive paper
on the Tien-Tsin massacre, dated at
on the 22d of August, 1871, and sent to
the State Department by its author, Mr..
&. f. Seward, the consul general at
Shanghai, we are told that Kidnapping
for slavetrade purposes has been practic-
ed extensively in China for many years,
both by foreigners and natives.
81 refer"-
Says Mr.. Seward
'to the cody trade, the last of which has
not yet been seen. | do not doubt that
in years gone by the number of Chinese
carried off against their will, to be sold
into servtude from which death might
be esteemed Il happy relief, has reached
annually ten times that of the foreign
men and women murdered at Tien -Tsin. !"
But | must hurry on. On the 25th of
March, 1871, Justice Smale, chief justice
OF the Supreme Court at Hong Kong,
rendered a decision in the case Of one
KWok-aSing, whose rendition was claim
ed by the Chinese Government on the
ground that he was guilty of the crime of
murder, committed on the Chinese seas,
by assisting in the killing OF the captain
and crew of cooly-ship called the
Nouvelle Penelope, in which the learned
judge refuses the rendition, and releases
the prisoner on the specific ground that
the captain and crew were engaged in
the slave trade, and that these coolies
were being taken to foreign countries to
be sold as slaves, and had natural right
to regain their liberty even at the expense
OF taking the lives OF those who held them
in custody.
u y II
And this is the language of the Amer
lean consul. Surely this House needs no
further proof as to the fact of the exist
ence of this damnable traffic.
Mr. Bailey closes this dispath with
SIT will be asserted that | ain putting
obstacles in the way of commerce. | will
endeavor to do my duty, let the conse-
n than al all
far as concerns that commerce which has
for its object the buying and selling Of
men, | propose to put obstacles in its
way. Legitimate emigration and legiti-
mate commerce shall have my active CO.
operation in ever possible lawful way
but if commerce demands at my hands
assistance in Il new mode of enslaving
men, differing from the African slave
trade in little else than the employment
of fraud instead of force to make its vic
Tins captive will not lend my aid to
build up its netarious traffic, nor bow to
the behests of the great houses that are
interested in forcing this great wrong"
Truly, worthy representative of free
and enlightened America. May we al
ways be represented both abroad and in
this building by gentlemen as solicitous
Mr.. Bailey shows himself to be in these
last sentences. In looking at his terrible
Indictment against this foul system OF
slavery, gentlemen will do we'll to re-
member that Mr.. Bailey is not imbued
with any California prejudice against
these people and that strong sense OF
justice alone impels him, at every risk to
himself, to inform his Government that
this infamous traffic is SO common that
among the thousands of Chinese who
reach our shores annually scarcely one is
free emigrant, but that they are all
owned by some rich "hong," who buys
and sells them at so much per head
Mr.. Speaker, / might pile document
upon document and proof on proof from
this time till tomorrow morning, but
desist, for if what | have already shown
does not convince every gentleman pres
ent of the existence, extent and enormity
of this hell born spawn Of African slav-
cry, then | may certainly be allowed to
say that there are other people besides
Calitornans who are governed by preju-
dice on this Chinese question. However,
from the mountain of evidence at hand, |
desire to read one more document bear
ing directly upon this trade rs it exists
between China and the United States.
In Mr.. Bailey's dispatch, No. 50, to
the State Department, under date Of Sep
tember II, 1871, he says:
"SIR: Referring to my dispatches
Nos. 33 and 35, have the honor TO nclose
an official communication from the col
onial secretary of this colony, with ac-
companying documents, concerning the
shipment of coolies hence to the United
States by Mr.. George 4. Payne. A large
portion of the coolies referred to in the
registrar generals letter had undoubtedly y
been inveigled, and some kidnapped, by
the cody broker Lai-on, who is, as /
learn, notorious Macao dealer in human
flesh. Fortunately, the coolies all es-
capped from the vessel, (the Pacific mail
steamer ChinnA and are now at liberty.