The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-01-12
Tt CG.(NESE MUST 60.
AN APPTkL FROM THE PACIFIC
COAST.
Decisive Action to be Taken at once by
the WOrkingmen and Women Of
California.

Congress. Senator Miller, of CalifOr-
mia, has introduced bill TO enforce the
treaty stipulatiOns with China relative
to Chinese immigration. The treaty
made with China last year by the Com
missiOners, Angel, TrescOtt and Swift,
contains the following clause:
Whenever, in the opinion of the
Government of the United States. the
coming of Chinese labOTers to the
United States, or their residence there
IN, affects or threatens to affect the in
terests OF that country, or to endanger
the good order Of any locality within
the territory thereof, the Government
of China agrees that the Government of
the United States may regulate. limit or
suspend such coming or residence, but
may not absolutely prohibit it. The
limitation or suspension shall be Tea-
sOnable, and shall apply only to Chi
neSe who may go to the United States
as labOrers, other classes not being in
cluded in the limitation. Legislation
in regard to Chinese labOreTs will be of
such character only as is necessary to
enforce the regulation, limitation or
suspension of immigration, and immi-
grants shall not be subject to personal
maltreatment or abuse"
1t is not supposed the treaty will pre-
vent immigration from China. To do
this, legislation is necessary. In 1873,
the Democratic Congress passed an
anti-Chinese measure but Hayes ve-
tOed it. t
Congressman Mckinley at that time
lodged the question, not voting at all
on the final passage of the bill, nor on
the vote in the House on the Presiden-
tial veto. Nevertheless, our Congress
man pretends to be intense on protect
ing American labor! His interest, in
fact, is to serve and build up monopoly,
regardless of the rights of the Ameri-
can labOring man. The Chinese Ques-
ton is test, and Mr.. McKinley's dOdg-
ing course on this tells an unmistaka-
BILE tale.
The Assembly of Trades and Labor
Unions of the Pacific coast through a
committee of five are out in an address:
ITO the WOrkingmen and Women of the
United States" they say "the time has
come when decisive action must be
''taken to stop Chinese immigration"
They also say:
The experience of thirty years of Chi
nese cOOlie competition with free white
labor on the Pacific Coast entities us to
speak with every degree of authority as
to its perniciOus and degrading effects.
This competition is inevitably destruct-
i've, and will be certain to force the la
boring American down in habits and
expenses of life to the level of the half
= no % 10
and hOnOred, and not degraded by being
compelled to compete with a debased
and seryile race. In the struggle be-
tween cOOlie and free white labor the
latter is heavily handicapped; the cOOlie
brings neither wife nor family with
him, consequently he finds no diff
ficulty in undertaking the Caucasian
worker, who maintains his family in a
decent, civilized manner, and has been
taught to believe that honorable toll Is
worthy of more than bare subsistence.
The Collie comes here with the sole
purpose of accumulatlng all the money
he can. To do so he lives poorly
crowded together as close as possible
without regard to sanitary requirements
"a hundred of them being cOntented in
house not large enough for ten of our
own race-the type of their sleeping
chamber being a sardine box, and, as
consequence, they have developed all
the evils engendered by such over
crOwding aud close personal contact.
His 5000 years training to wretched
frugality in competition with five hun
dred millions of fellOwMOngOlians has
taught him how to live upon the least
possible amount of air and food. The
conflict of the two races in California
has, so far, only been question of the
Survival of the CHEAPEST" and not
survival of the fttest." Cheap labor,
as such, is curse to any cOuntry-even
from dOllaT-and-cent standpoint; the
policy of cheap labor is policy tending
to the degradation and deciviliZatiOn of
the many by the enrichment and ad-
vancement of the few, and as such we
must oppose it. The permanent pros
perity of country depends upon the
just distribution of the wealth of labor
amongst the producers of it.
We extract and cOndense from the re-
port as follows:
In 1877 congressional committee
was appointed to take evidence in Cali
fOrnia from all classes of the community,
in order to arrive at an intelligent esti-
mate of the influence and probable re-
suits of unrestricted Chinese immigra-
tiOn. After impartially investigating
of the Chinese as making their way by
revolving characteristics and by dispens:
ing with what would be mere necessaries
in modern civilization" The late
Senator Morton joined with the other
members of the committee in declaring
that cit has become painfully evident
that the Pacific Coast must, in time,
either become American or MOngOlian; >
also that 'the Chinese have advantages
which will put them far in advance in
the race for possession; they can subsist
where the American would starve; they
can work for wages which will not fur
nish the barest necessaries of life to an
American"
The evidence taken before the Cali
fOrnia State Senate committee on
Chinese immigration at Sacramento in
1878, when testimony was taken from
witnesses of all classes-cl -clergymen,
judges, lawyers, ship captains, State
and city officials, etc.-fully sustained
the general belief of the people of Cali
fOrnia as to the disastrous consequences
of Chinese presence in this country.
The census shows that the number of
Chinese in California is about 105, 600,
or nearly 20 per cent. greater than the
number of male whites capable of bear
ing arms. Although forming One-eighth
of the total population of california,
they pay less than 1400th part of the
revenue required for the State Govern
ment. In San Francisco alone they