Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-03-13

Mistellantons &eaaiag.
THE CHINESE INFLUX.
HOW JOINS ATTENTION WAS TURNED TO THE
81. UNITED STATES.
SAN FRANCISCO, February 21.-The Mon.
golian octopus has fastened its tentacles upon
the Pacific Slope, and is fast destroying its
commercial and social life. The people Of
this region cry aloud that they may be sue
cored in their extremity. There appears to
be but one echo to the recent act of Congress,
and that is "Sign the bill and free us from
the demoralizing and degrading contact with
the present coolie system; limit the influx Of
Celestials, and protect the industries aud
health, and home-life of our people; lift the
burden that has borne us down, and give to
the progressive inhabitants of this section an
opportunity to develop its resources upon
prosperous and compensating basis"
You have already learned by wire how
earnest and emphatic have been the protests
against vetoing the Chinese bill. Our people
were never more in earnest in their lives. AS
this subject is being discussed, it may be in
teresting to consider, for q moment, how and
when the Chinese began Hocking to our shores.
All Haw, who is with the Sam Yeoup Com
pany, on Dupont street, says the first China
man who came to America was Chum Ming,
a native merchant of Maj Sang, province of
Canton. He was an intelligent and enter
prising man, and came over here from his
home in 1S47. Going from this point to the
mountains, he hegan prospecting, and was
successful in finding gold The discovery
caused him to convey the intelligence TO
friend, named Cheong Yum, in 184S, and this
latter individual at once prepared to join his
former companion in the new Eldorado. The
news was so good that Cheong Yum, before
setting sail from the aowery shores OF his ma
tive Empire, Ill. 49,.
BROKE THE INTELLIGENCE TO SEVERAL OF
HIS FRIENDS, #a.
and the mining fever at once broke out in all
the virulence of an actual epidemic disease.
The present excitement East over the reputed
Leadville discoveries was nothing, compared
with the fever that prevailed away back in
184S, amongst the teaming population Of Can.
ton, over the alleged "fnds" of gold in the
mountains of California. Means of transpor-
taton were not as perfect then as now; there
were no Pacific Mail steamers to bring them
over by thousands, and so they came out, like
Sir Joseph's SISTERS and aunts and cousins"
in "Pinafore," "by the DOZENS" on sailing YES
sells.
When, in 1S49, the Argonauts Of the East
began focking to this coast in quest of the
auriferous deposits of our streams, the Chinese
population had as yet amounted to but an In
significant feature Within four years follow
ing arrivals were more frequent and in larger
proportions, so that by the close Of 1862
there were perhaps 1000 Celestials on the
coast, and of this number about 1000 were
located in San Francisco.
THE FIRST cH1NAMAN WHO SETTLED IN SAN
FRANCISCO,
located on what is now Stockton street, near
Sacramento, and in that same region the Mon
golians have ever since lived, and finally COW
cred over what is now designated Chinatown.
When it became apparent that Chinese lmml-
grafton was settled fact, steps were at once
taken, through the native shrewdness OF the
Chinese themselves, to control it and take
care of their own interests. 1t was then that
the Yeong Wo and Kong Chow Companies
the first Of the present six companies-were
organized and began the business of aiding
Chinese immigration. The Sam Yeoup Com
pany was organized in 1857, and was Joined
to the aforementioned associations. Later,
when the influx of Mongolians had greatly
increased, came the formation of the Ming
Yeong, Hop Wo, and Van Wo Companies,
and the whole number were consolidated as
the famous Six Companies, Of which so much
of late has been said and written. The imml-
grafton of the better class Of Chinese, the mer-
chants, it may be said, is attributable to the
Sam Yeoup and the Yeong Wo Companies.
The servants and lower classes generally, who
have since formed the most disreputable ele-
ment of the Chinese population deslg-
mated as "high.binders" were brought out
by the Ming Yeong Company.
so NUMEROUS DID THE CHINESE ELEMENT
BECOME
that it drove out, before 1864, the white pop
ulation from Sacramento to Commercial street
on the east side of Stockton street, east on
Commercial street to Dupont, and north on
Dupont to Jackson, and south on the same
street to Sacramento. During 1864 they In
creased the territory from jackson and Du.
pont streets, east on Jackson to Kearney and
north on Dupont to Pacific, and thence east
on that street to Kearney. Since that time
they have gradually encroached upon the
white population, until they occupy an area
of eleven blocks, bounded by Pacific street on
the north. and KearneY and Stockton streets
on the east and west. The area within these
borders is about thirty-three acres, of which
deducting for streets and alleys-twenty acres
are covered with buildings of all descriptions,
rickety one.story wooden shanties and four
story bricks. This once formed the best part
of the city, where were located most OF the
high.toned hotels; but churches, hotels and
residences have been forced further out by the
on-marching Asiatics
STATISTICAL.
We find that the Chinese population Of San
Francisco is about 81, 900, and they follow the
subioined occupations in the numbers deslg-
mated, as nearly as can be ascertained:
Merchants and professional men,, ,oOo
Laundrymen,. 100
Cigarmakers,
Boot and Shoemakers, ..'...z'U00 'oV0
Servants, 'o'NOo
Sippernlakers, .....""o,oV
Gam piers,
Clothing-makers,. """..o,UWo
Peddlers, ...... ..'."." ....'"I,ooWo ,ooo
FISHERMEN,
LaborerS a,oW
Other occupations,
Women,
Tota,.,,..,,,..,.,.,.,,,,,..............s2,OOo Tota, $4,000