The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-03-30
nurLER on TIE CHINESE.
Ills Opposition to Them-DraInIng the
Resources OF California.

WAsMSoToS, March 29.--A press repre-
sentative to-day asked Gen. Butler hi
opinion Of the fate Of the Chinese bill, {
question in which he has taken great in
terest. The General said. "Ishouid not b.
surprised II the President was to veto the
bill because Of the twenty years clause. !
the term Of suspension had been fixed q
ten years, believe it would pass; moreover
l think it ought 10, 1t is singular fact tha
in all the protracted debate over this ques
ton that has Just taken place in Congress
not one speaker, so fNr as l have observed
has put the matter on the right ground. A!
long ago as 1870 l took the ground that
the Chinese ought to go, and think SC
still. But we ought to put our case on the
true ground. 1t is because the Chinese are
not industrious, thrifty, peaceable people
because they are. It is because they come
here and bring all these virtues with them
in very marked and degree and remain
with us, but do not become OF US. Il 4
their excess OF virtue that makes them OBJ.
jeCtionable. They work hard, they live
lEugally, they save large portion oil their
earnings, and what they spend they do not
spend with American people, but exclu-
sively with themselves, and what they
save they do not invest here, but send
back to China. That is why they are OH
noxious. There are in California say l0O,.
900 Chinese laborers, and at a dollar a
week it is easily computed that they draw
from that State about six millions
Of dollars q year. Now that amount
drawn from the resources OF the State
Of California, with a. total population Of
100000, is ruinous drain, fatal
to its prosperity. And that Is the actual
situation, and constitutes the only substan.
tial reason for excluding these people
They do not trade with us, they do not be.
come citizens, they send what they earn
out Of the country and they will not even
lay their bones with us vixen they die. In
Ireland for many generations the course OF
the country has been absentee landlords;
that is to say body of landed proprietors
WHO have lived out OF the country draw
the rents from the people and spend them
in foreign lands. Here in California we
have precisely the same ruinous condition,
only that there We have vast array OF Ia.
borers drawing on the capital Of the State
for wages, and sending them beyond the
seas. This is no new view OF mine. 1t is
one that ! stated in Congress twelve years
ago, and l remember then being confront.
ed by an alleged statesman who took the
floor and Sniveled about the conversion OF
the Chinese. | remember that he talked
about taking his Bible and going down
into the Chinese quarter OF San Francisco,
and civiliziug them. The trouble with this
experiment would be that the Chinese
wouldn't have understood hins and he
wouldn't have understood them. | have
yet to learn OF any successful efforts to
evangelize or civilize the Chinese OF San
Francisco. To my mind this Chinese issue
has been badly misstated and confused.
1t is not question OF whether We shall
permit one race Of men to come and for
bid another, nor whether we shall draw
new color line, or establish n religious
prescription. 1t is whether we shall permit
the settlement upon soil of horde Of peo-
pie who do not seek our citizenship, and
will not have it at any price.