The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-03-02

ask leave Of China 10 keep
out her people because this handful
Of Acknowledged ASiatics threaten to
destroy our boosted civilization.
Advocates of this legislation. he
said, invoked the old race prejudice,
which had so often played its hate
full and bloody part in history, and
asserted that as the Chinaman
worked and lived cheap he injured
the American laborer with whom
he competed. He answered this by
an argument to show that the out
cry against the Chinese was the
same which had been made in past
against the Irishman, the negro, the
Indian, and the Jew, and showed
that each of these races, in turn. had
indicated its capacity for freedom
and had subdued over large part
Of the world, the prejudice5 which
it had founded. He admitted that
there were great abuses and dangers
growing out of the coming of these
people; but much of this he thought
might be remedied by state or
municipal legislation. Consular
officers in Asiatic ports could
prevent the coming of any
man whose labor was not his
own. Filthy habits Of living
may be controlled by municipal or
dinances, prescribing the dimen-
siOns of dwelling and limiting the
number Of occupants Of the same
tenement. Taking every race in
determining its ftLess for freedom
at its best and not its worst, we
find the Chinese, in many psrticu-
lars, superior to our own ancestors,
as they first appear in the light of
history. AS described by GIacauley
they furnished able merchants, will
full diplomats, profound philosophers,
faithful servants and dOcile labor
ers. Among the authorities cited
on this point were many CalifOr-
mans, who had personal contact
with the Cinnamon The real mo-
tive Of the attack up ~ the Chinese
was fear, not of interiority, but of
the superiority Of the Chinese in
most of the occupations Of life. 1t
is said they will not assimilate with
US; but our treatment Of them has
made this impossible. They have
learned our industries rapidly and
intelligently, but they are excluded
by statue from public schools,
although taxed to support them.
The California judges certify that
Chinese can have no honest trial by
Jury. Dennis Kearney's coRstitu-
ton was held invalid by Judge
Field. The crimes and eXtortiOns
committed upon the Chinese may
well explain their uuWillingne5S to
acquire Christianity represented
to them by such examples. San
Francisco taxes the Chinese who
carry their washing home in a
basket S15, where she taxes the per
sun who sends it home with horse
and cart 81.
The most serious argument HOar
made was the claim that the intro
IuctiOn of Chinese labor reduced the
wages of the American labOrer, and
lDin his he said: CT ana not III
lvUr of lowering anywhere the
wages of the American laborer.
On the contrary, 1 believe the
NAN enance and increase of
the purchasing power of wages
of the American workingm IN
should be the one principal
object Of our legislation. The share
in agricultural and manufacturing
products which goes to labor ought,
and believe will, steadily increase.
For that only our protective system
exists. The acquisition Of wealth,
national or individual, is to be de-
sired only for that, and l believe
that Chinese labor will learn very
soon to insist on his full share Of the
product of his work; that whether
| he does or not, the wealth he
creates will make better, not worse
the condition of every higher class
OF labor. The claim Of an injury
to our labor from Chinese rests on
the same fallacy which opposed
labor saving machinery, and the
coming of the Ifishman, the Ger
man and the Swede. HOar next
cited statistics to show that in many
occupations Chinese labor Is much
higher than is paid for the same
kind of labor in the east,
and that labor prices in Cali
fornia generally range much
higher than similar prices IN the
east. The Chinaman had created
large wealth for the state, which
never would have been created
without him. in the building of
railroads ard the drainage Of swamp
lands of California, which has bnt
100000 inhabitants, but can support
17.0Oe, 900. The dream Of the pour
ing out of the vast population OF
Asia on our shores is shown to be
fallacious by the small numbers
who have come within the last
thirty years, and is in conflict with
the other argument that they
do not come to stay but
TO make. There are abundant
illustrations of the treatment of the
Chinese in California to show that
the cheapness of Chinese wages and
of living had been greatly exagger-
ated. Mr.. Hoar concluded by as
serting that the right Of every hu-
man being to go wherever, on the
face of the earth, he may get an
honest living, without interference
by government, came from
! the same authority as the golden
ruIe and the sermon On the