The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1878-10-16
WEDNESDAY. OCT. 16. 1873.
WHY should the Chinese Go?
A Pertinent Inquiry from n Mandarin High I'm
Authority.
IFrom the California Argonaut. |


The limits to which these letters restrict me
are a great source of embarrassment. | am
forced to outline the story of twenty centuries OF
intercourse three Of which have been active and
bear Immediately upon the present question, IN
the course of few columns l must compare
Christianity with Buddhism, an aodlal civliza-
ton with feudal one, and strike balance be-
tween two worlds with dash of pen. 1t is
not a cause that am to defend it is miracle
that ! must accomplish.
Let me begin this letter with the religious !
question. Is it the religion of the Chinese resi-
dents 10 America of which you complain? What |
right have you to do this with freedom OF re- |
gion guaranteed in your Federal and State con-
situations and hundred monstrous sects flourish |
ing in your midst and protected by your laws
There are more Shakers than Buddhists, more
Mormons than COnfucans, 10 your country and,
while the latter keep their religion to themselves,
the former faunt theirs, with all its repulsve
features, IN the face of your moral code, which,
it fatty insults. Do you complain OF Chinese
morality? In what respect is your code supe-
ror to ours What duty does it commend which
ours dsregards What virtue does it nculcate
which ours negects? Or do you complain OF
the practical behavior of Cinnamon, regardless
Of religion or moral code? Let their industry,
their peaceful manners, their resignation to In
suit and contumely, be your answer.
You say that your civilization is superior to
ours, and that it must not be'degraded by con-
tact with Us. When your twenty dscordant
writers, Volney Burke, Guizot, Macklnnon,
ColGuhon Buckle. Spencer, Draper, aud the rest
agree upon what civilization means, we shall be
better able to reply TO you With us, civlza-
ton indicates given condition OF society, CON-
bined with the direction and velocity OF its
movement from that condition to another The
. dina To phu
the movement and its velocity, to the struggle
between those resources and the population
which has to subsist upon them. At times,
population gets the upper hand of nature then
civilization advances. At Others, nature gets
the better Of population then civilization de-
Gays. We are an old nation aud have seen many
of these changes but we have neither forgotten
Justice nor charity to others when they favored,
nor begged indulgence from Others when they
went against US. When, in the days OF Genghls
Khan, our name was a terror to Western Europe,
we took no advantage of you and imposed upon
you no yoke. Now that we are engaged 10 SO de:-
perate a struggle against nature that, during the
past few years millions of human beings have
expired from starvation within our borders we
ask no favors from you. Whatever you may
think of our civilization, violence and force form
no portions of its basis Its foundation-how-
ever rudely capped-are laid in justice, and toll
GRAFTON, aud mercy.
But what is this Western civilization of which
you boast so loudly? Had it any history previ-
Gus to the opening of the sea route to China
Pause moment. Be just. Reflect. When
you shall have caught the clue to such history,
let US be apprised. But we believe you will
fail. You will remember that we happen to
know something of Europe in the thirteenth
century, and to-day Cur histories eau tell more
of this obscure period than yours. We have our
own theory concerning the sources of your pres
ent greatness. We ascribe it, IN part, to your
gains from the piratical conquest, enslavement
and murderous extinction OF the American races
but chiefly to the profitable trade with the Orient
From the opening of this trade to l640, when
the Portuguese we're driven from Japan, and the
British first acquired territory in Hindoostan
three of your nations alone took thousand mil
lions of specie from Asia two-thrds as muct
as they wrung from America during the SAINT
period. From Maacca, alone, they took twenty.
five millions from Japan, up to the date men
toned, four hundred millions; from India anC
China other vast sums. These: nations wer,
Spain, Portugal and Holland. You imported
calicoes from India, rice aud silk from China
copper from Japan, spices from the Islands ant
you sent in return, wooens, iron-wares, anC
other northern fabrics. Every western nation
had its East India or Oriental Company, whose
profits upon each voyage varied from forty Il
three hundred per cent. When you could no
trade, you robbed and your pirates, who's
atrocities your monarchs not only connived a
but rewarded despoiled our seas and ravaget
our coasts. These profits and spoils gave rise
to those industries which furnish the presen
support to your boosted civilization; they in
voked those industrial classes, which before then
had no existence IN Europe, and whose emer
gence from feudal yassalage forms the history O
your liberties. In word, your civilization i
indebted to ours for all there is Of it to whic
= you dare to refer; and it still depends so Iargel
upon the Oriental trade, which amounts in valu
to 81 ,000,00000 per annum, and employs tel
I million tons of western shipping-more tina
one-half of which is with China aone-that
this trade were destroyed, through your ber
ality to Cinnamon, there can be little Fisk il
predicting that your civilization would susta
the severest blow to which, practically, it is labl
to be subjected. During the palmy days of tn
Oriental trade your physical resources exceede
the wants OF your population you grew, took t
the consumption of luxuries and have now be
come proud, insolent, and unjust. At the pre-:
ent time although the Oriental trade is create
than ever, competition has reduced its profits t
minimum; your population, in Europe an
America, grown from forty millions to four hnr
dred millions, is fast outstripping your produc
i've resources, anu you can not a10rd 10 dlspen6
n with any of them that you possess-least Of al
y with SO important one as the Chinese trade
Abandon that, and your fate as progressiv
civilization is sealed and, as things which
\ not grow, decay, so will the day dawn when, nc
J the Zealander, but the Chinaman, will arise t
muse ever your ruined cities, and recall the il
gratitude and folly that precipitated your fall
Driven from your place in the ranks of a cir
n ilizatiou whose greatness you now perpetual
boast, you may meanly seek as Americans to Ell
cape the fate that threatens to overtake you
Europeans. You may cry let European ciyiliz
ton decay if it will !; our concern is with tn
United States; sauUe qui pe,a! In vain 20
must fall, as you have risen, with the rest /
meaner still, you entrench yourselves on ii
narrow strip of land between the Sierra and ii
ocean and resolve, as CaIifornians, to pursue
policy which you fear to avow as Americans, Il
me show you what will happen. And here
appeal not to philosophy, but to history, whic
seems better fitted to the scope of Wester
minds.
In 1865 the Spaniards in Mexico-the san
q men who discovered and colonized California
U sent feet to the Philippine Islands, whic
they captured and occupied. Under assurance
of protection from these marauders consde
able number of Cinnamon we're induced to resid
upon the Islands, which, under the effects
j. their industry aud enterprise, became as rich al