Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-03-15
Chinese Immigration Report Of the
Joint Congressional Committee.

ton, after referring to the resolution Gre
ating it, says
In conducting the investigation required
by the resolutions, the Joint Committee VS.
tied the Pacific Coast and examiyed 13J wit
nesses. In conducting this examination the
Committee divided their work q as to first
hear persons opposed to the Unlimited in
PRODUCTION of Chinese, and to tbs branch of
the subject limited time was Gyen. They
then heard the testimony of peRons favora-
bic to such introduction, and concluded by
afordlng 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 rapid
ly developed with the cheap and iocile 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 sb ould 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 cur
Pacific States, it 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-
yeloped by means of Chinese labor.
The Committee found that laboring men
and artisans, without exception, were op-
posed to the influx of Chinese, on the
ground that hard experience had shown that
they are thereby thrown out ofenploymen- E,
and the means of decent livelihood are more
difficult of acquisition. But theopposition
to Chinese immig igra tion was not confined to
laboring men and me- chanics. In the testi
mony will be found that of lawyers, doctors,
merchants, divines, Judges, and Others
IN large numbers, speaking of their
TN1Nc hnli inf tl.,+
parent prosperity derived from the presence
of Chinese is deceptive and uNholesome,
ruinOus to our laboring classes promotiye
of caste, and dangerous to free Institutions
In the progress of their investigation the
Committee called before them tie municipal
authorities of San Francisco, inluding the
Executive, Legislative, Health and Police
habits and modes of life of theChinese in
San Francisco. The number ofadult Chi
nese residents in that city ayerag, at present,
during year, about 1000 TIE testimony
shows that the Chinese live in fthy dwell
ings, upon poor food, crowdedtogether in
narrow quarters, disregarding health and
fire ordinances, and that their wees are cor
rupting 10 the morals of the city especially
of the young.
Among the testimony will be fund that of
some twenty operatives, numbeing nearly
ss many trades, in which details re given in
relation to different industrial pusuits which
are either monopolized by the Chinese, or are
fast becoming so. This evidence shows that
the Chinese have reduced wares to what
would be starvation prices tof white men
and women, and engrossed % much of the
labor in the various callings that there is a
lack of employment for whies; and young
men are growing upin idleness while young
women willing to work are compelled to re-
sort to doubtful means of Iupport. The
h1r h
with especial wei hit upon women.
As the safety of republican institutions
requires that the exercise of the franchise
shall be only by those who hive love and
appreciation of our institutions, and this
rule excludes the great mass # the Chinese
from The ballots as anecessarymeans to ub-
lie safety, yet the applicationof the rule de-
prives them OF the only adequte protection
which can exist in a Repubii for the secur-
ity of any distinctive large cass of persons.
An lnd1gestihle mass in the community, dis
tlnct in language, pagan in religion, infe-
rior in mental and moral qualities and all
peculiarities, is an undesirable element
in Repu lic but becom8 especially
so if political power is faced in its
hands. The safety of the Stat demands that
such power shall not be so placed
The safety of the class, however, seems
to depend in 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 thee is no AVIAN
or European race which is notfar superior
10 the Chinese as class. Thee is no inter-
between the Asiaticsaud the eau.
casian race. The presence of the Chinese
discourages and retards white immigration
to the Pacific States. 1t is very learly in evil
dence that the number of Chinse on the Pa
cific Coast is rapidly increadng, not by
births, for. ere are few of these,
but by importations, so that the
same uneducated class is applied per-
petually. The Chinese do MT come to
make their home in this countr,; their ONLY
purpose is to acquire what would be COM
petence in China, and return tlere to enjoy
1t. 1t further appears from he evidence
that the Chinese do not des re tobecome citi-
zens of this country, and have 10 knowledge
of or appreciation for our institutions.
Very few of them learn to soeak our lam
guage. They do not desire tt ballot, and
there is danger if they had it their "head
men" would control the sale f it in quanti-
ties large enough to determin any election.
That it would be destructive to the Pacific
States to put the ballot in their hands was
very generally believed by the witnesses.
Thu tide of Chinese immig ltion is grad
ually tending eastward, and bore a quarter
of century the difficult queton that now
arises upon the Pacific Coast will probably
have to be met upon the banks of the Missis-
slppi, and perhaps on the OhD and Hudson.
Many people CT the Pacific Coast believe
that this influx OF Chinese is standing
menace to republican institutions upon the
Pacific and the existence ther, Of Christian
From all the facti that they
have gathered bearing upon thematter, and
fairly the testinmy for and
against the Chinese, the Committee believe
that this opinion is well founded. They be-
lieve that free institutions, founded upon
free schools and intelligence, can
only be maintained wher based on
intelligent and adequately1aid labor
Chinese immigration invoges sordid
wages, no public schools, and tie absence of
the family. We speak of tn, Chinese as
they have exhibited themselves n the Pacific
Coast for twenty-five years past and as they
are there at the present time. They show
few of tie characteristics of a desirable
population, aud many to be 6precated by
any patriot.
The problem Is too importan to be treated
with indifference. Congress sfOuld solve it,
havil G due regard to any rights air ady ac-
crued under existingtreaties ant to humanity.
But 1t must be solved in the judgment of the
Committee, unless our Pacifh possessions
are to be ultimately given over to a race
alien in all its tendencies, which will make
of it practically provinces of China rather
than States of the Union.
The Committee recommend hat measures
be taken by the Executive looting toward
of the existing treaty with
China, oonfning it to strictly commercial
purposes, and that Congress lgislate to re-
strain the great influx of Afatics to this
country. 1t is not believed that either #
these measures would be Iookd upon with
disfavor by the Chinese Government.
this is so or not, du5y is owing to
the Pacific States and Territories, which srs
under terrible courge, but are
patiently waiting for relief f.on Congress.