New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-03-26

seed must make up for its defici.
ency By thorough preparation Of the
ground and extra care IN sowing,
ST Paul Dispatch.
Treatment Of the Chinese.
Written for the Review BY o. P. cHAMpI1r.
In our article last week we cited
some things the Chinese had done
to develope the commercial interests
of California; and to that statement
we now desire to add few further
items.
About one-eight Of the population
of San Francisco is Chinese. In
1877 the Government collected at
that port Sc, 692, 900 in custom du-
ties; and of this amount the Chinese
merchants paid 81, 756,5O5, or more
than twenty-five per cent. of the
amount. The same year the Chinese
paid $223,00O for rent and water
privileges; $4,000 for insurance
from fire, and $50, 900 for marine in
surance. In addition to all this they
paid taxes to the city and the State
upon their taxable property, in CON-
mon with all others. For popu-
lation of 30, 900 this is a pretty good
showing; and we venture to say that
it cannot be matched by the same
number Of foreigners of any race in
all our history. One thing is GER
tain the Chinese are far from being
a financial nuisance however often
sive in other things they may be.
It has been said the Chinaman will
not contribute ''even dead body to
our national welfare; but we don't
care whether he does or not so long
as he makes such contribution as
the above mentioned showing indi.
Gates.
There is one further item that
should 60 into this account, and that
is the relation of Chinese labor to
wages. The Chinaman has cheap.
ened labor; but this is regarded by
many as a grave offense and we
know it is at the bottom Of much of
the spite lavished upon him. Cali.
fornia needed to have her labor rates
cheapened, for they are nearly twice
as high as in the Eastern States for
corresponding work. OF course
whoever or whatever cheapened la
Dor will be resisted by those imme.
diately affe It is we'll enough
to remember however that cheap Ia.
Dor pushes the more intelligent la.
borers up and not down. In Cali
fornia "men are now foremen who
were only fruit-pickers, and engi-
neers who were only miners before
Chinese labor came in''.
But what have the Chinese re-.
ceived for all their benefit to the
State? How has California rewarded
them! The Chinaman has had had the
privilege Of paying an import duty
Of five ae!!llt arss,on his head, a charge
due to the State of California for
permitting him to set foot on her
free soil. He has the luxury of a
shower of sticks and stones accom-
panied with the vilest and most a.
busive language Immediately on
marching from the ship to his lodg.
ings. He cant compete with 9th.
ers in the labor. market without pay.
ing tax. A license is demanded
upon all laundries and wash houses;
but the tax is one dollar month in
every laundry where the goods are
delivered by a two horse wagon, and
fifteen dollars a month where the
articles are carried in basket. John
Chinaman delivers his wash in a
basket as he cant afford to employ
horses.
The Chinese crowd together in
tenement-houses. They are gregari-
Gus in their habits. Based on this
fact the Legislature of California
passed an Act, which was approved
in April, 3 1876, making it a misde-
meanor subject to fDe Of not less
than ten dollars, or more than fifty,
or both such fine and imprisonment
for person to sleep in room, or
apartment containing less than five
hundred cubic feet in the clear for
each person. Of the same sort of
legislation was the bill, Congress.
man Shelly of Alabama, introduced
into the House providing that after
January 1879 all Cinnamon coming
to the United States, except official.
~, from any country should be taxed
$3.50, per capita, or serve five years
in the penitentiary. When thirteen
hundred Cinnamon asked the Cali.
fornia Legislature for school priv.
leges, for three thousand of their
children, their petition was at once
tabled as dangerous thing; and at
that very time they were paying a
tax of $4,000 in San Francisco
alone for the support of schools.
One wonders, bordering these facts,
whether this is history in the
United States for the last
quarter Of the nineteenth century,
or Spanish Moorish and Je wish leg.
islation of the Middle Ages. Once
there was heard throughout the land
the ringing cry, 'sNo taratiop ,rith-
out representation but the govern.
ment that will not permit the China.
man to become citizen is not a..
shamed to collect his taxes aud Gus
toms. Yea, more with one hand it
rakes in the gold & silver, while with
the other it slaps him in the face. Poor
John is called upon to support the