Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-11-01
Tn. chinese Question.

rhe chinese Question.
Our genial friend ex-Gov. Tom
Young, of Ohio, whom we learned
20 like very much during his visit
to this State a short time ago, has
gone OF on the wrong foot on the
Chinese question. He is reported
- having said that the respectable
people Of this State are not opposed
to Chinese immigration, and that
really the Chinaman is an essen
tial to development on this Coast.
Gov. Young has evidently forgot
ten that, In q formal vote, the peo-
pie OF California, Irrespective of
party, voted against Chinese Inn
migration. We do not remember
the exact figures, but in o poll of
over one hundred and sixty-thous.
and votes there were only eight or
nine hundred pro-Chinese ballots.
In considering this vote it must be
borne in mind that the citizen
could vote as he pleased, without
detection. It was the ordinary
secret ballot, and il there had been
any considerable element Of our
population which thought that the
Chinese were o desirable element
Of our population they undoubted-
~ would have said so. In view of
this fact the Governor must admit
that he has not correctly diagnosed
the public senti ment of California,
but has been led astray by very
small coterie Of persons into whose
society he was thrown during his
residence amongst US. In truth,
Chinese immigration has been the
bans of California and Of the Pa
clio Coast. The matter has been
gone over SO often as to have be-
como hackneyed, but the preva.
lence Of such erroneous opinions as
Gov. Young has given utterapce to
through Cincinnati newspaper
shows that there is required a GER
tain amount Of Iteration and re-
iteration needed to place the posi-
ton of California fairly before the
Eastern people.
We will premise by saying that
1t wasa matter OF universal cogni.
zance that negro slavery in the
Southern States repealed free labor.
Where the Caucasian learned that
he was expected to do precisely
the same kind of work that the
slave did, with the probable conse-
quenoe of sinking socially to the
level Of the black helot, be gave
the go-by to the rich and inviting
lands of the South and concentrate.
cd all his attention upon the free
States Of the great northwest. AL
most entirely to this fact is owing
the rapid increase In population of
such States as Ohio, Illinois, lodi
ana, Iowa and Wisconsin, and the
comparative decadence of the
South, which left that section at
the beginning Of the war relatively
20 much weaker a. compared with
the North than when the thirteen
original States waged their fight
with Great Britain.
From an analogous point of
view the advent of the Asiatic
hordes in California was a great
calamity. With a Lazar-like hui
mility and esgerness they invaded
every avenue Of life which
ID generally regarded as ser.
vile, embracing avocations
which are only thought to
be degrading when they are
nlled BY an inferior race. The Ar
gonaut immigration to the Pacific
Coast was largely composed of the
ktnglisst Spirits that ever drew the
breath Of life on this continent.
Whatever they might have done
In the absence of the negro or the
even more slavish Chinaman, the
presence of the latter in many
walks of life at once tabooed those
Avocations forever to the proud
spirited Caucasian. He not only
permitted himself to be shut out
from many honorable and neces-
sary callings, but he above all
things shielded the women OF his
race from the alien contamination,
and his children In many cases
grew up with q linesl and ineradi-
cable bias against honest labor.
Just to this posture of affairs
may We refer the origin OF the
hoodlumism and lack of purpose of
the coming malegensration OF CAL
ifornia, and the worse develop
ments of = portion of our female
population. Not only that, but
here IL to be found the secret of o
hundred arrested industries which
would have fourlshed but for this
stigma Grst cast upon labor. We
suppose that there are not a hun
drsd young women born in this
State who work In kitchen for
wages, the Chinaman's noisome
presence and competition having