Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-10-05

]
- expressed to the authorities my
Willingness to become an emigrant to
I Peru
An emigrant he calls himself. These
Wretched slaves to be called emigrants q!
but in my heart | was not willing, and
| was afraid to say so, because Chea All
took (the kidnappe) told me if | did not
say | was ready to go | should be sent to
Canton and have my head cut off ~
Oh, most foul perversion of the true
purpose of all government! The Consti-
tuition which binds together this happy
Republic was framed to promote the
welfare of the people, and to insure them
the blessings OF liberty; but this Chinese
plan is evidently designed to promote the
misery OF the people and to insure to
them all the horrors of slavery. But |
Will examine this remarkable trial a
little more closely by and by.
| have now alluded to two modes-kid. g.
mapping and the edicts of the Govern
ment-by which traders are enabled to
secure their supplies of Chinese slaves,
and before present what conceive to be
conclusive evidence Of the wide extent
and general direction of the trade, desire
to state that | believe that by far the most
prolific source from which these supplies
emanate is the poverty, ignorance and
! degradation of the coolies themselves.
Suffering from want, stupefed by the
poisonous fumes of the opium pipe, with
no conception of the sublime idea of free
dom, and in very truth slave, not
knowing that there is II "deepcr damna-
tion" in the hold Of the slaVe-ship aud
under the lash of the task-master than he
has yet known, he falls an easy prey to
the wiles Of the slave-trader, and almost
before any conception of what he is doing
pierces his befogged brain, he has for a
few pieces of silver bartered away his
labor, either for lifetime or for term
of years, and he is held to his contract
by bond stronger than ten thousand
cables of steel
am aware, Mr.. Speaker, that there
are honorable gentlemen in this body
who do not believe that any such thing
as Chinese slavery exists, and who are
listening to me merely out of courtesy to
a brother member, but who say in their
hearts that these charges are but the out
groupings OF Californian prejudice
against Cinnamon. Now / ask these
gentlemen to listen a little longer, and if
they are not convinced of the truth of
what | say, then facts with them are of
]
AS early as 1862 Republican Congress
passed II law 70 prohibit the cody trade
with China, which in its remedial part is
very similar to the one now before the
House. In fact, the consular examina-
tion clause in this bill was suggested to
me by that law; the only difference being
that the clause in this bill is fuller, and
instead of one permit being given to a
whole ship-load Of passengers, under
which half of them may be slaves whom
the consul has never seen, we have a
clause which requires personal permit
for each passenger, and a heavy fine upon
any vessel which lands Chinese passen-
gers in the United States without this
consular permit. Thus we see that as
early as ten years ago the attention of
the American people was directed to this
infamous traffic, and that the Congress
of the United States attempted-in very
lame manner, it is true-but still attempt
ed to prohibit it by law.
On the 9th Of january, 1870, Mr.. II.
Nj. Brent, of the American legation in
Peru, sent to Mr.. Low, the American
minister to China, a petition signed by
the Chinese companies resident in Peru,
and known as the SWatoW Guild, the
Kwang Tung Guild, and the Tung Sheng
Club, setting forth the distress of the
Chinese coolies in Peru, and praying the
Government OF China to oappoint an envoy
to inquire into their condition. | present
here the translation made by Mr.. Drew,
for two purposes; first, TO show that the
Chinese cody before leaving China sells
or allows his Government to sell his labor
for term Of years, and is thus for time
Il slave in every sense Of the term; and
secondly, to show that the barbaities of
the Old slave system necessarily find their
counterparts in this Chinese system of
involuntary servitude. | read the docu-
ment:
"Cheng Chuan, Wen Teh-lin, Cheng
Chun-tr, Lin Hu-shih, representing the
Kwang Tung and Flu Keen Guilds, all
being Chinese subjects lost abroad, with
their foreheads to the ground, present a
petition to your excellency. They cast
! themselves upon your heaven-like intelli-
gence, that the insolent deception and
cruelty oppressive treatment suffered by
Chinese subjects at the hands of wicked
| barbarians may be inquired into. Pc
titioners would humbly set forth that the
reason why, though born and bred in
China, they took service abroad is be-
cause they were unable to gain a live
| lihood ut home, owing to the swarm like
beesl of rebels and robbers from the
fourth year Of IIeen Feng, CS54). Later
in the eighth year of Heen Feng, (1S5S,)
there appeared joint notification by his
eXcellency Hwang, Governor General of
the two Kwang provinces, and his excel
lency Pih, governor Of Kwang Tung, to
the effect that rules of agreement had
been entered into with England and
France, with reference to the engagement
of la borers to go to Peru, the period OF
service to be eight years"
Here you see that by order of the Gov
ernment these men have became slaves
for eight years.
"On the expiracy Of which term they
will be sent home, etc; and consequently
! the number of emigrants who have come
to Peru since that year is no less than
several myriads."
Poor laboring man of Peru No less
! than "several myriads" Of these slaves to
compete with your labor on your native
soil. Your wife and children may lack
the necessaries of life, but the rich slave
owner will grow richer nevertheless. But
| read again
" But, far from what was expected, the
barbarians have shown themselves treach-
erous in many ways. In China, when
they were seeking men, they spoke of
our taking service as laborers, and desig-
mated us guests, Il. e., visitors abroad
on landing in their country, however,
they told us that we had sold ourselves,
and called us slaves Furthermore they
beat and swear at us with great violence,
and clothe us insufficiently; they brand
two characters on the side of the face as
is done in China in cases of banishment;
they fasten shackles on the ankles just as
if we were captured prisoners. We have
to till the soil or dig canals, day and
night; with flogging and beating to death
one cannot reckon the number Of resent