The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-13
WHEELING, ". VA, FEBRUARY 10, IS


the difficulties which surround the employ
ment Of convict labor in this country. The
topic Is ger1nane-in fact, near Of kin-to
the Chinese question now before Congress.
The American people are not responsible
for the effects Of convict labor on the hon
est labor OF this country. They have these
convicts among them as part Of the body
politiC-as an excresence oil their Own pop
d ition-and in self defense as well as 4 7
.iormatory and conservative purposes,
they must employ this labor in some OF the
various branches Of industry. This ne
cesstty is orr misfortune, not our fault.
But the Chinese difficulty presents very
different problem for our solution. We
are now on the threshold Of this question,
and 1t Is q question Of iar.reaching and
most serious nature. We are called on to
meet II now in the interest not only Of
American labor but Of all the allied inter.
ests Of American society. Mere sentiment
has no place, and should have none, in the
consideration Of question Of such ytsi
Importance. We owe first and above all
other things protection and solution
to ourselves. We are not responsible fol
the condition Of society or Of labor else
where. We arc responsible for its condi'
ton in our own country SO far as VIC d,
those things that we ought not 10 do, o
omit doing those things which We should
do. This we lay down as an automatic
truth.
There are difficulties enough in store FOL
this country connected with the quest, n
Of labor. The rights and the wrongs Of
labor is great problem which has yet to
be solved. Let US not complcate it. Let
us not invite outside complications and
endorsements. We owe it to ourselves
y conserve all the influences that mi y
OPEN peaceful and satisfactory methods 4
solution under the auspices Of wise legil'
ltion.
The ISrELLroENcRR har warmly opposed
any encouragement to Chinese immigra'
tim to this country. The reason for this
opposition can be very briefly summed up
To begin with, the Chinese are race ut
terly alien to our present composite Of pop
uation. They are in no sense part and
purcell of us. They are an unassimilatirg
people in their religion, in their social life
and in their capacity for taking on any Of
tho characteristics Of Anglo.Saxon civiliza,
ton. They simply come to this country &c
be Chinese, and with no intention Of be,
coming anything else. All other people
come among us to be part and parcel of uE
in their destiny. They expect to cast in
their lot with US TOR better or for worse
They sympathize with and identify them
selves with our institutions and our civil
ization. They have no reservations in this
respect. Therefore they bcgin to merge
into the great body polite from the day Of
their advent on our shores.
Not so with the Chinese. They come
among us for one purpose only. This pur'
pose is graphically described in what is
said by the historian in regard to the pur.
pose of the followers of John Smith, the
founder of the jamestown Colony: "They
came only to dig gold, wash gold and ship
gold" and not to fell the forest, pillow the
soil, or occupy the land. The Chinese
come among US only TO accumulate the
small sum that is necessary TO enable them
to return to China and live on The pittancc
that is necessary in that country to sup
port life. To do this they are willing to
underbid and undermine the civilized Ia.
Dor Of the land. Having no expenses ex.
cept Of the modest character, paying no
taxes to the Government, living like YER
min in the cities, or in their quarters along
the line OF public works, they can and DO
work for wages absolutely pauperizing to
the general labor of this country. The
troubles in California arising from con-
ilicts between their labor and that OF Amer
Jeans and Europeans arc notorious. The
editor Of this paper reported in 1878 his
conversation with General Garfield on this
subject. Our readers have not forgotten
General GUrfeld's portraiturc Of life in Il. g
Chinese quarter Of saa Francisco. 1t is
simplyvcrmin life. TWAS described as con-
stltuting a plaGue.spOt in'that city. 1t is
more revolving than the tenement life
OF the Five Points in New York city.
1t infected everything it touched. Civil.
EatiOn fed from it us from a pestilenee.
This is the problem that we arc COM
PEELED to confront to-day, and therefore
We heartily support the movement in Con-
gress to limit Chense immigration to this
country to ten or fifteen persons to each
ship arriving at our ports from that coun.
try. We desire 10 see the present number
Of Chinese on our soil diminished, not in
creased. We owe this duty not only to
American labor bit TO all the considera-
tons that appertain to the destiny Of our
country. We must leglslato SO rs to elc-
waite the masses in ourcountry, and not in
favor OF policy that simply degrades,
puperizes and brutalizes them.