Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-05-11
THE CHINESE SERVANT QUESTION.

ence OF the suDJeCt. as nAA'sOA 'A ''
however, the hoasekeepers OF California
who employ Chinese find in them few or
none of these virtues. There are OF |
course exceptions to the rule, but the
average Chinese domestic of the period is
lazy, dirty, shiftless, insolent and exact
ing They demand the highest current
wages, and it is rarely that their services
are worth more than those of the raw emi-
grant girl of Scandinavia, Germany or Ire.
land. 1t may be accepted as fact that
the California nousekeepers would gladly
part with their Chinese servants if they
could get their housework done by white
girls, and that they would much rather
spend time in teaching the latter than in
instructing Chinese. Here then is stu
alton in which on the one hand is large
class of employers heartily desirous OF en-
ploying white help in preference to Chi
nese, while on the other hand there is
large class of white girls at the East who
would certainly accept this employment II
they could get it. The problem to be
solved consequently is, how to bring the
employers and employed together, and it
ought not to be an insoluble one.
1t has been suggested that white girls
could be brought out here to take the place
of the Chinese by some contract system,
by which they should agree to work out
the expenses of their passage. But though
this method looks plausible at the first
glance, experience proves that it will not
answer. Ia fact it has several times been
tried, and it has always broken down, be-
cause the contracts cannot be enforced in
the Courts, and because the girls who are
SO brought out will not continue to work
for lower wages than they can get else.
where. The assumption, however, that
the class of white women we want are
without the means to come here, is, we
thousands of industrious, thrifty Irish and
German and Scandinavian girls in the
Eastern States who save respectable sums
even on an average wage of $40 per month.
These young women as rule manage to
dress well, to supply themselves with
whatever they want, and at the same time
to put by little capital. There are GER
tainly enough of these thrifty lasses to
supply all the wants of California, If they
could be induced to come, and nine out OF
ten of them possess the means to come at
their own expense.
1t is difficult at first to understand how
it happens that in all these years the wages
OF domestic service here and at the East
have not been equalized. The fact, how.
ever, probably is that the Chinese question
has had much to do with it. At first the
Chinese were willing to work for very low
wages. They took whatever they could
get until they found that white labor had
been discouraged, and thst the demand for
them was consequently increasing. Then
they demanded the highest current wages,
aud ever since that time they have main.
tanned the same standard. This we take
to be the reason why they have not ap-
peared to underbid their competitors, have
not altogether driven the latter away, and
have secured high wages for themselves in
the long run. They have, however, pro-
duced situation at last in which it be-
comes possible to push them to the wall, if
only we can obtain the kind of immigration
we require. OF course it is difficult mat.
ter to do this, but the first step which
naturally suggests itself is the adoption of
means of informing the class Of whose
services we stand in need, that there is
plenty Of room for them here: We do not
believe that if the fact that white girls can
get $50 month throughout California, and
from that to up $50, was well and thor
oughly advertised all through the Eastern
States, it would be long before we felt the
good effects of this advertising.
When the potato famine was raging in
Ireland in lS46, it was discovered that the
people of certain district were starving,
in easy reach of granary full of meal.
The reason was that no arrangements had
been made for bringing the meal and the
mouths together. That is our situation
to-day. All over the Eastern States there
are scores of thousands of deserving white
women who are struggling for places at $40
month and under; and though we are
willing to pay double that rate of wages in
California, and want white girls, we are
compelled to have recourse to Chinese
help. Evidently this is not a natural con.
dition of things. Evidently there must be
way of bringing the supply to the market
which is calling for it. 1t is not enough to
discharge all the Chinese now in domestic
service. That is not a practical scheme.
For inasmuch as the majority of house.
keepers must have some help. it follows
that if the Chinese are discharged before
there are enough white girls to take
their places, it will become i'm.
possible to prevent them from
being re-employed. The way to settle this
matter is to secure the necessary white
help, and then turn the Chinese adrift.
And because this is very important
branch of the question, seeing that prob.
ably not less than 10000 Cinnamon are
employed in housework in this State, we
think some organized effort should be made
to bring about the change referred to. The
first step, namely that of making the state
Of the case known at the East, could be
taken without much outlay. A few ar.
ticles, or a short pamphlet, putting the
case clearly and tersely, would do much
good. 1t might be all that was necessary,
but whether further efforts are required or
not, it is undeniable that the situation is
not one which can be trusted to remedy it.
self, and that therefore the friends of white
labor will have to take some positive action
if they expect to root the Chinaman out of
this his stronghold.
THE NEW IRISH SECRETARY.
Mr.. Otto Trevelyan, the new Chief
Secretary for Ireland, is an industrious
member of Parliament, a man of liberal