Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1876-06-20
THE CHINESE QUESTION.

The New York Herald says the Chi
nese question has assumed such a
shape as will compel Congress to take
it in hand unless Congress is willing
to bear the odium of Sinking a
plain duty; and speaking of the San
Francisco memorial. says: This me-
mortal may be thought to bear marks
of passion and exaggeration; but the
extravagance, il there be any, merely
proves how deeply our citizens in the
Pacific States are moved by this gigan-
sic and revolving evil. There is
abundant evidence, quite apparent
from the memorial, that the facts 1t re-
cites are true in substance. This is
mo- a party question. There is no diff
ference of opinion on it among the
white inhabitants of the Pacific States.
The speech made by Senator Sargent
on the first of May abounds with au-
thentic and incontestable evidence of
the truth of what has been SO often
related of the beastliness, the filth,
squalor, leprosy, v%enereal diseases;
the lawlessness, perjury and volence;
the corruption of youth and the in.
jury to the laboring classes that make
the Chinese quarter OF San Francisco a
huge fostering ulcer which Is eating
into the morals OF the community.
Referring our readers to the memori-
al for the loathsouie details, we will
merely add a few remarks on the
question of remedies and the duty OF
the Federal Government to lose no
time in applying them, cauterizing this
filthy pagan sore if it can not be dis
sected out.
The necessity for immediate action
can be made very apparent. Every
body recollects a decision of the Su-
preme Court, rendered two or three
months since, which was OF great To-
cal interest here in New York, be-
cause it annulled a law of the State
which gave authority to the Commits
sioners of Emigration to collect a
head tax and deprived hat important
commission of It's sources of
It then became the duty of Congress
to supply Federal legislation to lake
the place of the State legislation which
the Supreme Court lad declared
void. But that decision affected
California more seriously than it
did New York. 1t deprived Cali
fornia of the ability to make
any regulations for mitigating the evils
of a great influx of vile paganism,
and Congress will deserve the indig-
nant rebuke not only of New York
and California, but Of the whole
country, il it does not replace the dixie
erected by the States and swept away
by the Supreme Court. To this extent,
at least, the further neglect Of Con-
gress to deal with this question will be
utterly inexcusable.
But merely to restore the slight bar
riers which have broken down is but a
small part of the duty Of the Govern
ment. We have a treaty with China
which permits a boundless immigra-
ton. This treaty must be either mod
flied or abrogated. 1t might be better
to modify il with the consent of China,
because it is desirable to retain the ad-
vantages it gives to our W citizens in
that country. But it would be better
to cast aside Che whole treaty than to
leave things as they are. The best
remedy is perhaps that suggested by
ex Governor Seymour, of this State,
alluded to by Senator Sargent in his
speech. Mr.. Seymour thinks it would
be expedient for Congress to pass a
law forbidding the landing Of more
than ten Chinese passengers from any
one ship. Ten may or may not be too
small a number, but a law framed on
that basis would certainly be ~effectual.
1t would prevent the wholesale ship
ments Of coolies, which is forbidden
by our laws but is practised in spite of
them, nothing being easier to evade
the law when the contracts for service
and contracts for prostitution are
drawn up in the Chinese language,
which our officers a not read.
TIE Sacramento Bee, with the ther-