Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-06-16

X fn.'T eT:S'S should have been
DrtiAced II maintained IN favor Of
,.Aiue,e Enumeration. III" ans wer Is
,-..~,iv tuuld California, IL IN 4
great measure ruied by railroads
whose builders made fortunes
rhun,,n Chinese labor The Pacific
Mail Seumshlp Company has its
re~,eiS manned with hinese sallOr7,
and makes It's profit from the trans
pur- Of Chinese Coolies 10 such 4
!oLree that without this traffic 1t
could hardly exist. and, As We have
seen, It Is IL close utilization with
the Chinese companies through
whom the immense Hood Of ASlatIc
laburers has flowed into the cOun ~.
The American consular charges IN
China have been from one to two
dollars per heat Tor every Chinaman
shipped; and all the official weight
0f the American representatives at
Hong Kong has been thrown IN
favor of the trade And every large
manufacturer and great land owner
ranch Or the mandatory enhanced
through the reduction of wages to
the lowest point, has Joined IN laud-
ation of cheap labor. 70 50 great
IN extent has the fabrication of q
public opinion i'll favor of the Chm
ese been carried, that after the death
of Senator Morton, 1t was widely
reported, and almost as widely be-
lieved, that he had left III his own
handwriting u report IN laudatlon of
Chinese labor and advocating its
continuance; whereas the truth was
that Senator Morton joined with
the other members of the COM
mlttee in declaring that it has g be-
come painfully evident that the Pa
cItic coast must III time become
either American or Monaghan, -
and, with reference to the present
industrial condition of California
arising from Chinese labor, used the
following language: I" The Chinese
have advantages which will put them
far in advance in the race for pos.
session. They can subsist where the
American would starve. They can
work for wages which will not fur
nish the barest necessities of life to
an American" This committee, of
which the Senator was one, and in
whose report he joined, spoke of the
Chinese as making their way by
revolving characteristics and by dis
pensing with what would be mere
necessity in modern civilization. .
Yet IN spite of this emphatic lam
/ 9uage the pro Chinese advocates hive
succeeded III spreading the current
belief that the distinguished Senator
came to the same conclusion as
themselves.
1t has been supposed by many
/ that Chinese immigration has reached
its limit. But this ls at varience
with what is plainly indicated by
demonstrated facts. Although many
/ Chinese return each Autumn to their
own country, still larger number
make their advent in the Spring;
the annual surplus of Immigrants
I over emigrants being from eighteen
/ thousand to twenty thousand, which
insures constant increase of the
Chinese population. As already
stated, the Chinese constitute one
sixth of the people of the State;
their number being about one hun
bred and fifty thousand. This is an
average of various estimates, and Is
! probably rather below than above
/ the number, inasmuch as the CHI
nese are most ingenious III evading
any accurate count. We may here
pause for a curious calculation. There
are only between five and six thous-
and Chinese females IN the State; and
the Cinnamon are, therefore, almost
without exception, men without
4 families. Each one of them is in
spected before, leaving China, with
u care equal to the inspection of
volunteers for active service in time
of war. Without this they caunot
be- shipped. They are therefore
healthy, active and enduring, AS
much SO, probably, as the average
military force of any country. As
concerns the white community, the
( number of men tit to bear arms may
be estimated by the same rule that
obtains in European countries, which
Is one in five of the total population.
Therefore, of the six hundred thous-
aud whites, there may be counted
one hundred and twenty thousand
men capable of actual service. From
tins it follows that in the number of
men lit to bear arms in California
to-day, China is twenty per cent.
stronger than the United States.
We may readily infer whether this
proportion il likely to increase,
when we consider the low cost at
which Chinese immigrants can be
brought to the Pacific coast. The
charge per head for lringing coolies
on steamship is variously stated !;
sometimes as high as tifty-five dol
I lars by the advocates of Chinese
| Immigration. sometimes as low as
zen uoliarS oy us opponents. Inc
truth appears to be that the actual
rates of the steamship company is
about thirty dollars from Hong Kong
10 San Francisco, and about ten
dollars on the return. l find in q
sworn statement made by an expert
IN the business, that in sailing. YES
sells the Chinese can be brough to
California, for fifteen dollars each.
Under conditions hitherto ex-
lstiLg. it IS plain that the Chinese
will continue to increase on the
Pacific coast.
But there is another and novel
aspect Of the Chiuese question which
gives renewed and multiplied force
to every argument used against this
Asiatic invasion. As We have seen,
| China for MANY hundred wears dis