Connecticut western news., 1873-02-28
John Chinal,,.an in oregon.

MR. EDITOR :-One of the most prom- nent and noticeable objects in this town is the Chinese. The total population here is said to be about thirteen thousand, and should think full one-tenth are Chinamen, nearly all males, and ever as we walk or ride about the town the inevitable John Chinaman is before our eyes and ever present, following every and all sorts of occupations Outing the winter rainy months, when the business and the i'm provements of various kinds in different parts of the state is in measure suspended, John always comes to the city, bringing his bed and board, cooking utensils, chop sticks &c,, with his pole on his shoulder to go into winter quarters. They usually go in squad of from three 10 six, with saws and horses, looking for wood to saw or to do any odd job that can be founl They are ever quiet, patient toiler, sab- ject oftentimes to jibes, snecrs and all manner of abuse from boys and idlers on the street, but anever complaining or re- senting any insult seldom aspiring to any lhirg higher than iu Work for small pay
 lie hns few wants, is industrious, and aims at nothing higher than srrvitude. They are employed here and iL San Francisco and in fact all over California and Ore- gon, ,almost to the exclusion of males and females of other nationalities. They are usually splendid cooks and very kind, Obliging servants. They have their peculi- arities and superstitious in regard to wor- ship, and strict regard to keeping their holidays. They spend over three days in November in what they call 'sFleecing the Devil" or Great Dragon, and they think il very necessary to pay strict regard to the observance of those days, and do certain things in order to prevent sickness for the year to cnme, and preserve them from all danger and death. The last days of Janua ry they call their New Year, and it is uni versally observed by them. They have 6 great feast, abstain from all work for from two to ten days, according to their wealth and ability. A few, comparatively very few are very wealthy, and with them New Year lasts something like ten days. They make and receive calls and treat each othel with great politeness and hospitality. Ma ny of them receive calls from some of the best and first families in the city. The amount of fire crackers burned is truly as. tonIshing. Whole boxes and sometime: barrels of them are discharged at a time and it is kept up day and night. The Chi nese are generally very temperate, save perhaps that filthy habit of opium smoking They are very prudent and economical il their habits in dressing and eating. Art miserly in many cases to terrific extent and their great desire is to save up enougl gold to take them to the Flowery Kingdom where they spend their days in luxury ant ease, on the fortunes they have secured here, which sum is about three hundred dollars; and when one returns to his ma tive land to show or make a display of hi. wealth, and tell his wonderful story of tl.i, marvellous country, of its great wealth hundreds and thousands are induced tt this new and strange tide is continually pouring in upon US, and China, like the rest of tho world, is in motion. That great beehive of three hundred aud fifty millions has begun to swarm. They are crowdinq in at the Golden Gate at San Francisco. en- tering the mouth of the Columbia, anC through all our valleys. They now threa: en to swarm over the Rocky Mountains and down the Atlantic slopes till they fine their way among all our cotton plantation. and eastern cities. It is said that already nearly or quite a quarter of million have reached our shores, and millions more art coming. They have met with terrible op position here frer zied m obs having triet to beat. back the impending wave witt clubs and brick-bats, but still they come John Chinaman seems to have providen tial mission here, and it seems as though i was manifest destiny" that he should come. And what are to be the influence. and results of this new element upon ou people and institutions, is a question that ii now engaging the attention of statesmen and earnest and honest enquirers.
 - t1ts oE.B.
 Portland, Oregon, Feb. 10, 1873.
 International Division of the Broth
 erhOOd of Locomotive Engineers