Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-03-14
Report Of the Congressional Commit.
tee ON Chinese Immigration.

.iou, nieei ielCiiu ny W tue IcSOlutlOn Gre
ating it, says:
In conducting the investigation required
by the resolutions, the Joint Committee VS.
tied the Pacific Coast and examined l3o wit.
nesses. In conducting this examination the
Committee divided their work so as to first
near persons opposed to the unlimited in
PRODUCTION of Chinese, and to this branch of
the subject limited time was given. They
then heard the testimony of persons favora-
BILE to such introduction, and concluded by
aHordlng time for witnesses in rebuttal In
the opinion Of the Committee, it may be
said that the resources of California
and the Pacific Coast have been more ra pid-
ly developed with the cheap and docile labor
OF Chinese than they would have been with
out this element. So far as material pros
perity is concerned, it cannot be doubted
that The Pacific Coast has been great gamer
This is true, at any rate, Of the capitalist
classes. If the inquiry should stop there, if
1t should be satisfied by the certainty that
money is made out of the present condition
of things, and not look to the present or
future moral or political welfare of our
Pacific States, 1t must be conceded, at least,
that many enterprising men find their profit
in Chinese Immigration, and the general re.
sources Of the Pacific are being rapidly de.
veloped by means of Chinese labor
The Committee found that laboring men
and artisans, without exception, were OPP
posed to the influx of Chinese, on the
ground that hard experience had shown that
they are thereby thrown out of employment,
and the means of decent livelihood are more
difficult of acquisition. But the opposition
to Chinese immigration was not confined to
laboring men and mt chancs. In the test.
mony will be found that of lawy ers, doctors,
merchants, divines, Judges, and Others
IN large numbers, speaking of their
own observation and belief, that the APP
parent prosperity derived from the presence
of Chinese is deceptive and unwhOlesome,
ruinous to our laboring classes, promotiye
OF caste, and dangerous to free Institutions.
In the progress Of their investigation the
Committee called before them the municipal
authorities of San Francisco, including The
Executive, Legislative, Health and Police
Departments, to ascertain the numbers,
habits and modes of life Of the Chinese in
San Francisco. The number of adult Chi
nese residents in that city average at present,
during year, about 5000 The testimony
shows that the Chinese live in filthy dwell.
ings, upon poor food crowded together in
narrow quarters, disregarding health and
fire ordinances, and that their vices are cor.
rupting 10 the morals of the city, especially
of the young.
Among the testimony will he found hat OF
some twenty opcr .tives, numbering nearly
as many trades, in which details are given in
relation to different industrial pursuits which
Il
fast becoming SO. This evidence shows that
the Chinese have reduced wages TO what
would be starvation prices for white men
and women, and engrossed so much of the
labor in the various caliings that there Is a
lack Of employment for whites; and young
men are growing up in idleness, while young
women willing to work are compelled to re-
sort to doubtful means of support. The
hartships resulting from these causes beai
with especial wei l. kt upon women.
AS the safety of republican institutions
requires that the exercise of the franchise
shall be only by those who have a love and
appreciation Of our institutions, and this
rule excludes the great mass Of the Cninese
iium thc uailOts jts Il ncu VssarN means to no.
lie safety, yet the application of the rule de-
priveS them OF the only adequate protection
which can exist in Republic for the secur-
ity of any distinctive large class of persons
An indigestible mass in the community, dis
tlnet In language, pagan in religion infe-
rior in mental and moral qualities and all
pccul ariiies, is an undesirable element
in Repu lie, but becomes especially
so If political power is placed in its
hands. The safety of the State demands that
such power shall not be so placed
The safety Of the class, however, seems
to depend in a measure upon that power
To anyone reading the testimony which we
lay before the two houses it will become
painfully evident that the Pacific Coast
must in time become either American or
Mongolian.
Upon the point of morals there is no Aryan
or European race which is not far superior
to the Chinese as a class. There is no inter.
marriages between the Asiatics and the eau
casian race. The presence of the Chinese
discourages and retards white immigration
to the Pacific States. 1t is very clearly in eyi
dence that the number of Chinese on the Pa
chic Coast Is rapidly increasing, not by
births, for there are few of thest,
but by importations, so that the
same uned1cated class is supplied per
petually. The Chinese do not come to
make their home in this country; their only
purpose is to acquire what would be a com
petence in China, and return there TO enjoy
it. 1t further appears from the evidence
that the Chinese do not desire to become citi
zens of this country, and have no knowledge
of or appreciation for our institutions
Very few of them learn to speak our Ian
guage. They do not desire the ballot, and
there is danger if they had it their head
men" would control the sale of it in uuanti- |
ties large enough to determine any election
That II would be destructive TO the Pacific
States 10 put the ballot in their hands was
very generally believed by the witnesses
Tho tide of Chinese immigI alton is grad
ually tending eastward and before quarter
of a century the difficult question that now
arises upon the Pacific Coast will probably |
have to be metupon the banks of the Misss. |
sippi, and perhaps on the Ohio and Hudson |
Many people cf the Pacific Coast believe
that this influx of Chinese Is a standing |
menace to republican institutions upon the |
Pacific and the existence there of Christian |
From all the facts that :hey |
have gathered bearing upon the matter, and |
fairly the ties imouy for and |
against the Chinese, the Committee believe |
that this opinion is well founded They be |
lieye that free Institutions, founded upon |
free schools and intelligence, can |
only be maintained where based on |