The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-04-03
self government, and should have galned the
~ -, The rId

self govtrrment, and should have gained the
of a slave population. The old
slsye.State conditions would ineyitanty ioi-
low upon this. Chinese cheap labor 10 great
masses means farming on gigantic sca'e
the rapid reduction Of the smsH Farmers 70
the state of the poor whites OF the SCUM;
the aggregation Of agriculture 10 the nands
Of plutocracy. corresponding to the o'u
planters; In fact, the entire revolution OF So
ciety as It at present exists. Since, more
over, the tendency would surely be TO estao-
Iish kind Of peouage among the Cnihese,
we should ipd ourselves face to 'aee WIN
all the evils which slavery brings in its
train within few years. II would no
,onger he possible to regard such society
"a q democracy, for the denaos-the peo'
ple-would have been elimiua,ed, and 1t
would rather resemble the Laennian system,
with it's Heiots for work and it's little oligarcby
Of citizens for counsel and government. But
it is hardly conceivable that this position
should be realized, for 1t is not possible 10
believe that changes 80 ruinous. Would oe
submitted 10 by those most thIehened oy
them without ultimate desperate resistance.
And here danger looms up which congress
will do we'll to ponder. 1t may argue grsVeiy
and learuedy about treaty rights snd iDter.
national obligations, and so fortn, OUT "pat
will it do if American citizens, VINO are
being even now crowded to the wall oy
these upassimilative foreigners, should some
day rise in their desperation and 40
deed that would sicken the CIV.
ilized world? Such things have occurred
in history. and like causes will produce hEe
results. Nothing is more certain. moreover,
than that eventually this country VIII nave
to decide whether it will eXpel the Chinese,
fight them, or succumb to them; for there Is
no question that the Chinese are, through
their sobriety, temperance, Industry, ana
frugaity, destined to conquer wherever
they set their feet, il allowed to compete Wild
races possessing wider wants and more gen.
erous habits. Broadly speaking, the human
| being that can live upon ten cents day VIII
aIways subdue the human being whose needs
require twenty five cents day to SATISFY
| them. It is possible that in time the China.
mans wants nay increase and bis frugality
| diminish but we perceive few indications
Of such o change at present, and, therefore.
the fact must be faced that he is labor
saving machine of the most approved
pattern. Nor will it do to talk about Tree
| trsde in labor, rs though the question OF
| race was not factor in the problem. Free
trade in labor operates we'll where men OF
| European ancestry are in question, but the
Saxon and Celt and the Moagolian DO not
assimila,e, have neither habits of thought,
past histories, governmental views, domestic
usages, religious beliefs, traditions, nor lam
guages in common, and it is hardly possible
| to doubt that the first effect Of Mongolitn.
| izing this continent would be to extipguish
the republic. These are some of the issues
| involved in the Chinese question. and, on the
whole, the Legislature may deem it OF suth
cient gravity to warrant the sending 10
Washington of such deputation as has been
proposed.