The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-03-20


The MoDgOlian octopus has fasteGed 1
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 succored in their
extremity. There appears 10 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
tho influx Of Celestials, and protect the
our people; lift the burden that has
sire inhabitants Of this section an oppor.
prosperous and compensating basis"
You have already learned by wire how
earnest aud emphatic have been the pro-
tests against vetoing the Chinese bi!.
Our people were never more earnest in
their lives. AS this subject is being dis.
cusscd, it may be interesting to consider
for moment how and when the Chinese
began hocking to our shores.
All Haw, who is with the Sam Ycoup
Company, on Dupont street, says tho
was Chum Ming, native merchant Of
was an intelligent and entcrprising man,
and came over here from his home in
1847. Going from this point to the
mountains he began prospecting, and
was successful in finding gold The dis.
covery caused him to convey the intcll-
gcnce to 9 friend named Chcong Yum,
in 184S, and this latter individual at
once prepared to join his former com
panion in the new EIdorado. The news
was SO good that Cheong Yum, before
setting sail from the flowcry shores of his
native Empire, broke the intelligence TO
several of bis friends, and the mining
fever at once broke out in all the viru.
lence of an actual epidemic disease. The
present excitement East over the repu.
ted Leadville discoveries was nothing
compared with the fever that prevailed
away back in 1648 amongst the popula-
ton Of Canton over alleged "finds" of
gold in the mountains Of CALIFORNIA.
Means of transportation were not rs per.
feet then Us now there were no Pacific
Mail steamers to bring them over by
thousands, and so they came out, like
Sir Joseph's "sisters and cousins" in
"Pinafore," "by the dozcns," on sailing
vessels.
When in 1849 tho Argonauts of the
East began focking TO this coast in quest
of the aurifcrous deposits of our streams,
the Chinese population had as yet
amounted to but an insignificant feature.
Within four years following arrivals were
more frequent and in larger propor-
tions, so that by tho close of 1862 there
were perhaps 1000 Celestials on the
coast, and OF this number about 1000 were
located in San Francisco. The iirst Chi.
naman who settled in San Francisco To-
Gated on what ia now Stockton street,
near Sacramento, and in that same re.
gion the Mongolians have ever since
lived, and finally covered over what ia
now designated Chinatown. When it
became apparent that Chinese immigra-
ton was n settled fact, steps were at once
taken, through the native shrcwdncss Of
the Chinese themselves, to control it,
and take care of their own interest It
was then that the Yeoung Wo and Kong
Chow Companies-the first of the pre-.
sent Six Companies-wore organized
and began the business of aiding Chi.
lese immigration. The Sam Yeoup Conn
pnny was organized in 1857, and was
joined to the aforementioned associations.
Later, when the influx of Mongolinns
bad greatly increased, came the iorma.
of the Ming Yeong, Hop Wo, and Yan
Wo Companies, and the whole number
were consolidated as the famous Six
Companies, of which so much has of late
been said and written. The immigra-
tion of the better class of Chinese, the
merchants, 1t may be said, is attributable
10 che Sam Yeoup and the Yeoung Wo
Companies. The servants and lower
clasaes generally, who have since formed
t,le most disreputable element of the
Chinese population, now designated as
"highbinders, were brought out by
the Ming Yeoung Company.
So numerous did the Chinese clement
become that it drove out, before 1864
the white population from Sacramento to
Commercial street on the east side OF
Stockton street, enst on Commercial to
Dupont, aud north ON Dupont to jack
son, and south on the sarue street to Sac
ramento. During 1864 they increased
the territory from Jackoon and Dupont
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 encroach-
ed upon .he white population, until they
occupy m area of eleven blocks, boun-
ded by Pacific street on tho north, and
Kearney and Stockton streets on tho east
and west. The area within these borders
IL thirty-three acres, of whicf-deduct-
ing for streets and alleys--twenty acres
arc covered with buildings of all des.
criptions, rickety one-story wooden shan-
ties and four-story bricks. This once
formed the best part of the city, where
were located most of the high-toned ho-
tells /; but churches, residences and hotels,
have been forced further out by the on
marching Asiatics.
We find that the Chinese population
of San Francisco is about $4,000, and they
follow the subjoined occupations in the
numbers designated, as nearly as can be
ascerteined:
Merchants and professional men,. 1000
i Laundryman........ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1900
Cigarmnkers.... Observation-Disclosures. $500
Boot and acknowledgements. 1000
.......................... 1000
Slippermakers.. ........................... 5000
Gamblers. Observation-Disclosures. ,400
Clo.hing-makers.. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
Peddlers. $500
Fishermen. .................. .............. 1000
Laborers.. 1000
Other occupations. Observation-Disclosures. $500
Women,.... ................ 1000
Total. ......... $4,000
q Go where you will in San Francisco,