The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-05-02
A LAsRixG FROM ABROAD.

MES some time ago took steps to sup
press Chinese immigration. The
agitation started in San Francisco
blossomed out in Australia before
it did in this country. New Zealand,
however, does not seem to be in
sympathy with the narrow policy
The Napier Mercury says the anti
Chinese bills are the " product of
fear" the Chinaman's virtues-his
industry and thrift-alarming the
white man. The hristchurch
Press thinks the opposition to the
Chinese as developed in America, is
"the very highest compliment that
has ever been paid by one great Ia
ton to another" The Press cuts
keenly the American nation for
this diSgraceful anti-Chinese bust
ness, very fOrcibly reminding the
people Of this country that in build
ing a wall to keep out any
race they are going back
on the policy which is older than
the United States government, and
weakening as to boast of which all
true Americans have been proud,
that this was the land where the
doWn-trodden and oppressed Of all
nations would be made welcome
and free. The Press article is so
directly to the point that we re-
produce a portion of it:
The Americans have boosted for .
hundred yearsso their liability tO"whip all
creation" with ease in every department
| OF human Ingenuity, industry and enter
prise. They have above all things prided
| themselves on the world wide li5erality
of their national laws and inst itutions,
which made their land the rendeE-
vous of all races, the centre of ell
activity, the ''hub of the universe"
They welcomed immigration as the very
source and essence Of their national
greatness. The bird of Freedom, the
American eagle, had room under his
wings to shelter sll the people Of the old
world. Uncle Sam was only too glad
to receive any number of additions
| to his family. Difference OF race,
! Of language, and of ideas, were held to
| be matters of no moment, because it was
declared that three years residence In
the States suficed to make the new ar
rivals more American than the Ameri-
cans themselves. The very notion Of
danger from foreigners competing with
Americans on their own ground was
ridiculed, because it was an article of
faith that Americans could beat any de-
scription of work, and because, further,
the foreigners ceased to be foreigners
when they became Americans. The
name American, In short, was defined TO
mean a citizen of the world, residing or
"located" in the United States. The
volumes of bathos that have been written
and spoken by American poets, authors,
orators, preachers and politicians on this
subject would fill q library. Yet after
all, the American people, through the
Senate, have at length announced that
these grand pretensiors are q hollow
sham, and that there is at least ono nation
on earth whom they cannot whip and
| dare not co mpete with. The Senate
have resolved that the Chinese are hencs-
forth to be totally excluded from the
United States. Not even skilled work
men are to be admitted. The whole
race, they say, are to be forbidden to set
| foot on American shore for fear oftaking
the bread out of the mouth OF the al
mighty American people, by their
superior industry, energy and thrift.
A pretense has been made, Of course, of
making the vices of the Chinese ground
of objection TO them. They must be ex
cluded from the United Sta'es, it is said,
lest they should contsminate the morals
of the Americans. But this is Pr e.ence
which Americans themselves will rid
icule. There is no worse hell upon earth
for vice than New York, where there
are few Chinese. In San Francisco,
there sre great many Chinese, and the
lowest class among them are very
vicious; but their vices are mainly Am
erlcsn vices, contracted from the fright !
fully vicious atmosphere which perv, des |
the lower levels OF tina; wonderful, bat |
most wicked city. Travellers who krow |
every phase of life in the teeming CEN
tres of population in China tay that no.
such forms of vice exist there ss are |
found among the Chinese in San Fran. |
cisco; while candid OaiifJrnians admit |
kAaSI stCtous rs lue low OQluese are, t06Y
are virtuOus compared to the low
Americans. But this point is not
worth discu sing. The real crime of
the Chinese consists not in their
vices, but in their virtues. They work
harder than the Americans, and live on
less. There is the whole story in single
sentence. The AHG California says the
Chinese contrive to irrigate areas where
all the patent hydraulic contrivances
have failed, and after paying from ten to
fifty dollars an acre rent for their land,
still do very we'll out of it. They are
the best tenants in tie
United States. What is true of them in
agriculture is equally true Of them in the
arts. There Is not a trade CT
3 pursuit of any kind to which they are
st all adapted where they do not hold
heir own and make money for themselves
and their employers. They are about
$50, 600 Chinese in the country, and they
bring 3 larger increase to the national
wealth every year than any other people
If the same number. Yet they are ply
lically weak and puny An Average
American "rowdy" could do SIS much
work as three Chinese, if he choose. But
hen be does not choose.