Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-06-29
THE CHINESE QUESTION.

Hon. Horace Davis ia entitled to the
credit Of having not only delivered very
able speech on well-worn subject, but
also of having thrown new light upon it.
He did not confne himself to state
ment of the evils which Chinese immi-
grafton is producing in this country, with
which almost everybody Of intelligence
is more or less converssnt, but gathered
together evidence as to how these people
were demeaning themselves in other
lands and what was thought Of them. -
The complaint against them seems to be
almost universal. In the places where
their competition in the industrial walks
of life is not seriously felt, they are exclu-
sive and hard TO manage. The tendency
of the Chinese TO form what they call
hoeys." or secret societies, is now wei
understood everywhere. Ii is by this
means that they retain their own gov
ernment in their own hands wherever
they are congregated in numbers. In
other words, wherever the Chinese are
domiciled in foreign lands, there an I'M
pertum in inpeIio, moro or less visible,
is established.
The reason is that they are in no sense
immigrants anywhere. They are simply
foragers, bent on collecting all the wealth
they can, with the intention of returning
to the Central Flowery Land. Their re-
ligion is of such character that by re-
naming permanently abroad they believe
they forfeit their hopes of futue happ;-
ness. They must return TO the graves Of
their fathers and to the ancestral tablets
if they would participate in the joys Of
the Chinese heaven. In one land they
monopoize foreign commercial transac-
tions, as in Japan ; IN another, as in the
United States, they compete in the la Dor
market, but evidently do not mean to
conine themselves to that Department.
They are comngup as small manu!actur-
ers and rs retail merchants. In all
climes they work themselves into the
position in which they can do the most
for themselves, for the Mongols are
shrewd observers. Mr.. Davis has GER
tainly done for this question something
long needed TO secure a speedy solution.
He has lifted it from the condition Of
local grievance not generally understood,
to the plane Of broad national ISSUE
The way in which he treated it, will in
sure hereafter the careful thought Of the
more cultivated minds Of the country.
The only phase the case which SEEM
ed to have been neglected was what may
be called the reciprocal feature. But we
are not without hopes that Mr.. Davis or
some other member Of the delegation will
apply himself to it before the discussion
is brought, to n close. The public seems
to have settled down on the fact that the
existing treaty with China sanctions mu-
tual emigration. To the average mind it
appears to be unjust to restrict the com
ing Of Chinese TO this country while we
have the right to go to their country in
as large numbers as We Ike. But on one
side that is to say, the Chinese-this
privilege is merely theoretical. At the
last consus-that OF 1872 there was OK
actly 1861 foreigners domicied in China
i, III British, Sal Americans, 3Sl Ger
mans and 239 French. For the 54l
Americans in China we have perhaps
100 900 in this State, and the remainder
in Nevada and the Eastern States. In
this city Of San Francisco there are more
Cinnamon than voters. There are ut the
lowest estimate i22 Cinnamon in the
United States to one American in China.
This is n sort of reciprocity that is all on
ole side, like the handle Of n jug. The
54l Americans are causing but little dis
placement in population OF 405, 600, 600.
They can create but little or no disturb
ance. But in one American State, Cali
fornia, the Chinese are ut least one eighth
of the population. In one American city,
San Francisco, there are $4,000 in total
population of 500 O0O. Ercba00e.