, 1882-03-25
An Eastern View.


pie do no; comprehend the magnitude o'
the Chinese question; but as it Is alway:
our aim 10 give both si.ies Of question
We publish the following from the y. y,
Gyuphic, which mSy be taken as the opin,
ion of majority of the people Of the
East The Graphic says:
The question of excluding Chinese I'M
migrants from the country has nov be
come practical one II the bill now
pending in Congress becomes law this
Immigration must cease. The bill is very
stringent in its provisions. IL enacts that
it shall be Illegal hereafter for Chinese
laborers TO come into or reside in the
United States Those now here may re-
nam, but - more may come Chinese
gentlemen may eome-''as teachers, stu
dents or merchants and Chinese trave-
lers, coming through curiosity, shall be
permitted to come and 60, as are the
citizens OF any other State. And the
Chinese workmeu who are az present here
may remain. Ii they go away intending
to return, they must 90 through m Ella
borate form Of registration and identif-
cation. No Chinamah Of any class, after
the passage of this bill shall DE permltted
TO enter the country without obtaining
the formal consent of the Government,
which consent is to be attested by the GER
tificaie Of the United States Consul at
the port from which the Chinaman may
sail Masters Of vessels coming To- this
country are TO be prohibited from taking
Oh board any Ch,naman not having ,his
permission TO visit the United States, and
if they violate this rule they are TO be
fined 500 or imprisoned for a year.
Any Chinaman coming into the country
without the necessary permission Is 10 be
arrested and sent back to the port from
whence he came; and there are 4 number
of Other provisions for the practical exc
cutIon Of 4 measure which if carried out
would be a complete reversal of the ira
ditional policy of the country whose boast
used TO be that it offered home To the
people of every nation.
The advocates Of this curious measure
are very earnest. Thy say silat its pas
sage is an absolute necessity. They say
that the Chnaman works for too low
wages and earns a good living where
Americans would starve. Cinnamon com
pete with trades unions andbring down the
price Of labor. They are sober and in
dustrious, quick 10 learn and initiate ;
they do not care for holidays; they play
into the hands Of capitalists, and are Ike
so many machines that need only little
coal and water to do the work OF a dozen
or hundred men. They are objection
able to the wages-earning class for all
these reasons, and they must be kept out,
We do not at all underyaiue the
strength of these opinions, but we think
that Congress would do we'll to think not
only once, or twice, but thrice before IT
passes the bill China has itin her power
To retaliate. We haze large and CON
stantly growing trade with her, which her
government can cut off at any moment.
There are many important American
mercantile houses in China. Should this
bill become 4 Law, why should not the
Chinese government retaliate hy order
ing the Americans within It's domains Ia
depart, and even to seize their property
and contiscate 1t OF curse, this wo- d
bring on W.T.. Bat 4 war with Cb:...
would be very costly, and at Its end We
would gain nothing by IT.
Ga the whole, We should be glad 10 see
the anti Chinese bill land uside for the
present. 1t Is based uvon principle
which IS not III cUnsOnGnce with our his
tory as a nation nor with the spirit Of our
institutions.