Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-04-03
THE CHINESE QUESTION.

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THE CHINESE QUESTION.
Some Considerations from an Old Californian
A Hint at the Distant Future-What tho
Mongolian Cloud May Grow Into.
EDITOR HERALD: I have always
thought that the time might come,
although I considered 1t so far in
the future as to be contemplated
without fear, that the Chinese
would monopolize business and the
industrial pursuits on this coast to
the injury of our race. Still enter.
tanning that idea, and after more
careful consideration Of the present
and prospective condition Of the
agricultural interests of the people
of California and Of this coast, and
of the rapid progress made by
Cinnamon in agricultural and other
pursuits, am forced to the conc.u.
sion that the welfare of our race
and of Republican government in
this State demands the the exclu.
sion of the Chinese.
A large portion of the land of
California, both the cultivated and
the uncultivated, is incumbered
with mortgages made at time
when money was more abundant
and prices largely in excess of the
present values. The prospect is
that a large percentage of these
mortgages, who are unable to sell
them at cost, will be forced to lease
these lands to those who, although
they cannot purchase, can cultivate
them.
The use of steam power has, with
in the present century, in great
measure supplanted manual labor.
The improvements which have
been made in the construction Of
boilers and steam engines, whereby
power has been increased and the
consumption of fuel diminished,
has been such, within the past few
| years, as to throw out of use those
engines that were efficient but a
short time since; and, ii a steam
engine should now be constructed
which would develop the same
power as the present ones, with one
half the fuel heretofore required IA |
the present engines would be aban.
donsd.
The physical system of China
man U speak of the laborers) is
such that 1t can furnish daily more
power than that of an American or
European upon the same amount
of food, which is the fuel to develop
manual labor.
The farmer who can produce a
crop at less cost than other farmers
can undersell them. If the cheap
producing farmer can supply the
demand, the others will become
i'm poverished.
Cinnamon can cultivate land,
can produce crop for less cost than
an American, they can pay high
er rent for land than an American;
and, consequently, the Chinese will
become the tenants of all our lands
which are held by non-occupants.
Such being the case, those who
cultivate their own lands will find
Chinese competitors in the market,
underselling to such an extent that
they will fnd themselves losers in.
stead Of gamers by their labor.
They ill,therefore, be compelled
to abandon the cultivation of their
land and must rent 1t to those who
can cultivate 1t at less cost. Thus,
in o few years, the present owners
of unincumbered farms, orchards
and vineyards, will find themselves
forced to abandon their cultivation
and to lease them to Chinese ten
ants.
know American farmers In this
county, who have for years past
cultivated their lands, who have
now leased their arabic lands to
Cinnamon, and who assure me that
the rent which they obtain is great.
or than any profit which they could
anticipate from their cultivation by
themselves.
With these facts before me, and
entertaining these views, 1 cannot
but fear that the time is near at
hand when the social and political
condition of California will be rad
ically changed unless the Chinese
are excluded from this country.
The rapid concentration of capital
in the hands of the few, and the
necessity and facility of its holders
to combine against the mass of the
people, who look with envious eyes
upon the riches which are beyond
their reach and enjoyment, presents
to my mind an alarming future for
our country generally. Railroads
and other corporations are gather
i.s, up the substance Of the people,
ana th~ strongest of these corpora
tons are assnrbing the incomes OF
the weaker ones.
Our governments, I,~,o tho mn.
nicipal ones upward through .hose
of counties and States, to that %
the nation, are in the hands OF, and
. controlled by, and for the interests
of, wealth, instead of the welfare
and interests of the people at large
I think the present condition o
, the people of the United States
. bears great resemblance to tina
> Of our ancestors about the middle
4 of the past century. AT that tim
their political rights and the fruit
of their labors were being seize'
and appropriated by the Crown an
the government of England. Pc
titions to the King. and remon
SUI anooe ~ tto rs..is-..s.t, .--.--