National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-04-14

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FnRn's OrrRA.HOrsE-Thc Tourists.
WILLARD TtNL-Profcssor Carpenter
IISCOIS llAlG-COnccrt
All Souls CHUECu-L Lecture,
CoNGRFGArI CHURCH-Complim Tcs.
tlmonial.
The Danger to Peace in California.
In addition to the regular steamers of
the two China lines there will arrive at
San Francisco from Hong Kong within
the next ninety days eight other steam
ers and nine sailing vessels laden with
Chinese coolie laborers. This heavy
movement was doubtless intended to en-
able the landing of these laborers before
it should be prohibited by an act of Con-
gress, the passage and approval of which
then seemed probable. The arrival of
these Chinese at San Francisco will,
under existing circumstances, imperl
the peace of that State. 1t is no answer
TO say that this should not be so. The
people of the Pacific coast embrace as
goodly a proportion of intelligent, hui
name, and law-abiding people as do the
peuIl lie of New England or New York.
There is nevertheless the same proper
ton # rash, impulsive, and passionate
men there as is to be found in the older
States. Then there are the criminal
classes increased by the presence of
Chinese and the consequent exclu-
sion of many young boys from en-
poyment. The terms of the Burlingame
treaty were at first approved by the
wealthy and educated people in Califor-
mia, but never by the masses of the people
of either political party. 1t is terrible
mistake on the part of the people of the
East to suppose that the hostility to Chi
nese immigration is confined TO violent
mob or based merely on race hatred. 1t
is n fight for life with the orderly men,
both Of native and foreign birth--pen
ThO PIT dorm mOJS, and who have up to
this time saved the State from the dis
grace Of a general attack upon the Chi
nese. 1t is these people who must still
be looked to for the preservation of the
public peace. They plead through the
press and through conventionsa and public
meetings for law agreed to by treaty
with China for the suspension of Chinese
coolie importation. They are now under
intense excitement, being exasperated by
the contempt shown them by some
leaders Of public opinion in the East.
They are rendered unreasonable now
d by the refusal Of so many of their
fellow-Countrymen to listen TO the reason
ing of their representatives.. They APP
pear to think that their grievances are
unhceded, their arguments unheard, and
their petitions scorned. There is not dis
sent enough from them in California to
be heard in any town in the State, and
those who do dissent are the few who
want Chinese laborers for the same rea-
son that the cotton and sugar planters
wanted negro slaves-viz., because white
men cannot and will not work for what
il costs to feed q Chinese serf or an Airi-
can slave. The men who pay for manu-
featuring opinion in favor of Chinese las
Dor in this country are the same kind
of people, and moved by the same mo-
tives, as We're the advocates of revival
of the African slave-trade thirty years
ago. The Eastern people are fed with
false sentiment and false statements OF
fact upon this subject by men who are
paid TO write it. 1t cannot be denied
that the Chinese have large share of
the public sentiment of the East with
them as against the Americans of Cali
fornia, Oregon, and Nevada.
'TIs true, lis pity, pity It's It's true,
This is largely due to the brutality and
violence Of the criminal classes in Cali
fonia toward the Chinese, and the mis-
taken idea that the opposition to the
Chinese is merely surrender to that
class.
The consent given by China to the
suspension of immigration for q reason
able time, and the general opinion in the
East that ten years is a reasonable time
ought to make it certain that the bill
agreed on by the House Committee on
Education and Labor and reported by
Mr. Page, Of California, will become q
law. All objections in the former bill
are removed, and it cannot fail to re-
ceiyo the general support Of both parties
The Republicans can now find nothing
in it to criticise, if they are for any sus'
pension at all, and the Democrats cannot
stuldy themselves by denying ten years
Of respite from the influx of Chinese
merely because they cannot at this time
secure a longer one.