The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-03-07
Another Phase of the Question.

protectionists, of men who think
it is right for New England
manufacturer to pay his working
men three dollars week and him.
self enjoy an income of one thou
sand dollars day, to new phase
of the protection theory that is
but fresh feature Of the Chinese
question. Wehave opposed pro-
lection right along, but are be-
coming converted and are now in
favor of ito a certain extent.
Not that kind of protection
that makes every man, woman
and child in the United
States pay tribute TO New
England, and Pennsylvania mo-
nopolists who are SO we'll ''pro-
tected" by our benevolent govern
ment that they can declare an an
nual dividend of forty per cent;
not thatsklnd of protection that
has protected" some Of our lead
ing industries into their graves,
but a true protection that is fast
becoming necessary on this coast,
and is, at this hour, a question of
vital Importance. 1t is to those
who so earnestly advocate protec-
ton that we must look. if they are
consistent and in earnest, and not
so entirely cngrossed with the ne
cessity of keeping heavy duties on
everything that people have to eat
and wear that they do not see the
gathering evil at their own doors.
Up to the present time the Chi
nese coming to our coast have
simply come in competition with
servile labor, and have been hired
as one would hire so many plows,
or scrapers or steam shoveIs, Just
for the work they did so cheaply.
Capitalists have thought it clever
stroke of business to hire them at
boys wages to do mems work. 1t
was and is infinitely clever TO get
around John Chinaman, but ROW
''the swing Of the pendulum" has
started the other way, and threat
ems to go too far TO the other side
of thea On this coast the Chi.
nese have started not only to sue.
cessfuily compete with labor; but
also, with capital. They have
captured the boot and shoe bust
ness, corraled the cigar business,
almost entirely controlled the sash
and window blind manufacture.
are engaged in canning fruit,-the
Lord only knows how soon they
may commence canning sal
mon-and they also mill and
manufacture lumber. The compe-
tition of Chinese. laborers with
white laborers was bad enough:
the competition Of Chinese capi.
talists ten times worse. 1t is
something that cannot be pooh.
poohed, or sneered at. Ii is q
present unwelcome fact. 1t was
long since demonstrated on thi,
coast that a Chinaman can live
cheaper and therefore can WORK
cheaper than an Americanizec
German, or Frenchman, or Irish
man, or Norwegian. European
races have family instincts; they
like air and food aud Gods sun
shine; they buy books and reaC
papers; they love music, anC
home influences. and the. voices o
children;' they believe in school.
and churches and support pastors
and teachers.
The yellow devils believe in self
In their horrible, ,rat-like thrift they
can live on garbage and swill, car
dress for So year, and sleep in ;
kennel. The same persistency o
single aim that the laborer exhibits
characterizes the capitalists. Will
the white laborer it is question
of self preservation; so also it nov
becomes question with the whit
capitalists. As tersely put, cit il
not the survival of the fittest, bu
the survival of the cheapest
True ''protectionn demands tina
we be protected against furthe
invasion from the Orient Time
was when .sthe fatherhood of Goc
and the brotherhood Of man" wa
first rate thing-in q Fourth o