The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-06-07
The Chinese Question


The Chinese Question.
rive Ne'rs az" the leading merchants
and capitalists assembled AZ a banquet %
welcome t' PR State 4 delegation u dis
InEulshrd citizens ~ ILLINOIS. The great
adv thtA-e that would result To the Amerl-
can I mon from the ratification of the
burluIame Treaty formed the staple srti-
Gle no lauIatlun Of the speeches made on
that occasion The text Of the treaty was
mentioned q. prove that the Oldest nation
ma the world paid homage To American
principles Hl departing from her system of
isolation. aud that the power " the oldest
government -Ntstlug among mankind would
NOD rAe future Nr yxerted tn promote the
unity VI civilization. At that date the
Democratic press opposed the ratification
ui the treaty. fureseeIng that the rncour-
ag,mrnt II offered to Chinese Immigration
would bring KY our state class II laborers
via" would keep from coming t. il, By the
dread NJ competition they could not with
stand more desirable element the
working classes Of Europe and 81 our older
States We have frequently since its rat
ucati"n advocated the abrogatIon, OF mod
ihcauon oi the lreaty The Idea Prevailing
when y was formed that We required Chi
nese cheap labor to develop our resources.
and that Caucasian energy ana endurance
we're not equal to the task. has been dis
proved by many ~ uur >.et.T ~.# u U
.- .. years have raide greater
..e.t. .r - than Calf u-
r-lls have e44. sH .--1 a Is now
L--o,'ereu tnat Chinese labor has monopo-
hzed several branches u industry BY drv-
ing "hite men and women out Of employ
meAt In consequence Of that result va
nous classes engaged m trade have found
their business diminished. The butcher
baker and grocer have discovered 10 their
sorrow, that the rgd parsimony our own
working classes have been compelled y
pursue, owing L" the reduction Of wages
OF me lever number OF days work they
could OBTAIN IN year lessened their profits
Chlhese laooreTs competed with our work
ing people ana occupations which formerly
gave employment q large numbers OF
Mhlte men, with families depending on
then Tor support, have been abandoned TO
the farmer hundreds OF Worklngmen
who have served long apprenuceshlps at
their calltngs and had paid high prices TO
come 10 California. had u emlgrate 10
other States. where population is vastly
denser than with us. but where they could
40 better because wages, although low,
were based on the prices required to give
the workingmen a subsistence, such as is
usual III Europe and America, and not the
standard adopted by the Asistic without
home OF family
movement against the Employment Of
Cinnamon Il progressing IA our city 1t
has MT been produced by any effort Of the
w"rAlns classes nor Is 1t undertaken for
the4I dement,. a lie" years ago when mon
sleI meetings. were held ID flatts hall
anu III tue heVHaillcs rsNlllon, the ie"
speaker VINO auuresseu those assem- lages
we're uehouAIeu oy portion u the press
As detua9"4ues, endeavorng 70 promote
personal Designs 10y exciting preIudlces
asall- u u'ciI, ana industrious race. The
present movement mas been commenced by
our capitalists, To protect themselves
against chinese capitalists who have
greater advantages Tor employing cheap
labor than the former. That such would
ne me case was frequently predicted IN the
columns n the Efdnither We said that
the time would come when whoever could
draw laborers from China at the cheapest
rates would command the branches Of man
uiacture IN which their labor could be
employed among us.
That condition % affairs has been slowly
developing. At last many Of our manu-
features have realized the necessity Of no
longer teaching Cinnamon for the benefit
Of Chinese employers. During many years
past an American boy could hardly find a
chance ~ obtain employment, while Asiat-
les we're eagerly sought in occupations that
white boys would have gladly followed.
The impohcy Of a course so long pursued
il establishments where Cinnamon we're
permanently employed, has at last become
apparent, and now an effort is being made
70 repair al injury to the best interests of
our state. After certain branches Of IN
dustry are monopolized by Mongolians the
experiment If competing with them with
youthful labor as an alternative is now
commenced m earnest. 1t remains to be
SEEN there be enough boys among us who
are willing Z" compete with Cinnamon, to
enable several branches Of industry to be
carried on with profit to the firms who in
augurated movement, the evil conse-
qnences p which have done much to retard
immigration TO our State, for families
would not come among us when it was well