The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-11-29
NUMBER L.
THE cooLIE TRAFFIC.


The Trades Assembly Of Louisville, Ky,
endorsed by the X. o. 8. g., has prepared
the following petition, for pr-c---tation &c
Congress. At has already received several
thousand signatures, and there is no doub.
but by the middle of December loo. .OOC
names win be attached to it.:
TO the Senate and Reprcsentatssesof tie Uni.
ted States, in Congress assembled:
Your memorialists, exercising the CON-
mon right Of petition, appeal TO you i'm the
name OF J6btice and humanity, to do some
thing to protect our class a. well m our
race against the evils resulting from what
Ia known as the "Coolie Trade"
This nefarious trafic, morn haIafuI nm Am
cQnaeoRenRw An nnR ainsam Ka.Man kMs
SHAVE trudes y ETwiually but surely gaining
upon MS, and must ultimately overwheIm
our class with ruin. Wherever Chinese Ia
Dor has appeared it has withered our hopes
and blasted what little Of prosperity life
seemed to have in store for us. We have
seen our friends and relatives reduced 10
beggary, because they could not compete
successfully with these wretched Mongc-
liam slaves
We claim that you are not alone our de
puted law makers, but you are. OF should
he our protectors. We are your Constitu-
ents, we have aided in elevating YOU to
power; do not forget that we belong to
the same race, that we are in fact brothers
Of the same blood among the races of man
kind this shonld eIt title us at least to A
more favorable consideration at your
hsaf IL 4
ceased to be one Of how much pay we shall
nave, and has become one Of bread, cf ex-
lstence. We beg Of you not to stand BIZ
and see the work Of degradation, beggary
and ruin inflicted upon u.s. We appeal 70
you to put stop to this infamous Coolie
Trade, and thereby save your own people
from attendant horrors. While you should
keap in view the welfare Of the whole hu-
man race, do not lose sight of those in
whom you are more directly interested.
Not only has Chinese Cheap Labor.
wherever introduced extensively, driven
white laborers out of the market. but this
Mong olian element has brought with it all
the bhghting curses of oriental life-Lep-
rosy, physical and moral, prevails among
these wretchedpeople. Areyou prepared to
deny your own race the protection of
wholesome laws against this avalanche Of
Aslatlc horrors. Some may say that it is
TOO insignificant matter to require Con-
gresslonalnotice. Do not be deceived; there
are already tve large houses in San Fran
cisco devoted to this Internal business.
With such facilities as these how long will
1t take to overrun the whole Pacific slope.
and then turn the tide with full sweep
eastward. 1t is but question Of time. and
we have seen Of late years how rapidly the
most momentous changes occur n the af-
fairs of nations.
We are an indispensable element in the
Of civilized society. Without
the aid Of intelligent labor what would
your capital or your manufactures be
worth You may drive us out and supplant
us with barbarian slaves, but how long will
your present social organization remain
TT need smust wither."
We claim, therefore, as children Of the
Caucasian race, Of which you are mem
bers, that we are entitled 10 your aid com
fort and protection. We claim this. not
only As right due to US, but as duty YOU
owe to yourselves, and the generations vet
to come
NeAAy AN-A hC~SSSAAy NAiSAth AOl all III |
crease of the laboring forces of the coun- |
Try then there would be some excuse for |
the importation Of Chinese labor, but there |
Is already superabundance Of workmen
IN every department. Even no~ thousands
Of hrst class mechanics are idle because
there is no work te do, and this misfortune
is increasing from year to year, as the pop
ulation thlckens. Therefore, any addition
to our numbers from abroad will only az
gravate our evils, while it cannot give |
more than temporary advantage to the !
and capitalist. whose inter !
ests only are directly promoted at the ex-
pense Of those whose welfare they should !
foster.
We do not however ask legislation to
give us undue advantages we only ask
that IN the grTat labor contest we have a
falr chance with our equals We ask for
nothing more and will be content with
nothing less.
That this humble appeal may receive fa-
vorable consideration and immediate a.
ton, your petitioners will ever pray.