The Labor enquirer., 1883-05-05
THE CHINESE CURSE.

The Hawaiin cabinet have considered
the question of Chinese emigration
being confined to males, and have in
structed their minister of foreign. affairs
to protest to the authorities at Hong
Kong against the system,
This little circumstance puts Us to
thinking on the question of Chinese en-
igration as it effects this country and
particularly this city. There are, a great
many people who are sensible and rea-
sonabIe on most Of the problems of life
and questions which effect the welfare
of the country, that do not stand right
on the Chinese question:. The simple
reason for their being,On the wrong side
of this question is ignorance, lack of in
formation on that particular point. a
great many have said to US, they could
not see how we could make our oppCsi
ton to Chinese emigration conform to
the general declaration We have made
in favor of the universal man. There
comes in the evidence that the subject
is not at all understood. In a short ar
gument favoring Bee trade, a short time
ago, we held that it was inhuman to ad
vocate any system that would debar the
poor of any nation of finding a refuge
from suffering and wrong, in this or any
other country. We still hold to that
view; and at the same time positively
say that unless Chinese emigration is
for all time prohibited it will prove the
greatest curse ever visited upon this
country.
Ifa man comes to the United States
with the intention of making this his
home, if he becomes citizen and a res
ident, identified with the prosperity Of
the country, and buckles on the armOr
of loyalty, let hilo come from where he
will or from what cause litby his own
free wiIl-not under cheap labor con-
tract We say to him welcome. But do
the Chinese DO this?
Let us bring this thing right down to
our own doors: There are about one
thousand Cinnamon in Denver. They
are not citizens Ot Denver, nor of the
United States. They are not the mas
ters Of their own actions, and do not
come Or 90 at will They are sent out
from China under the directions of yari-
GUS companies that exist there, and
which have off5hoots and agents in San
Francisco and sprouts Of lesser degree
and authority in this city. While it is
true they are amenabie to our laws for
the preservation of order, and give the
police authorities very little trouble,
thev are not interested in the prosperity
Of the community and pay nothing
towards the maintenance of the govern
ment. Everything that they eat, drink
or wear, which it is possible to trans
port from there, is the product of China.
Three-fourths of what they earn here
goes to China, They do not invest in
OuI ldllOo VI LlCl p W Uullu up OuE Inter
ests with the money they obtain from
US They get all they can, and give back
as little as they possibly can to exist.
They are like so many leeches, sucking
our blood.
There are a few Chinese women in
Denver but are they wives, mothers
house-keepers? Is there one of them
that is not curse tn the rising genera
ton, blot upon morality and decency &?
The thousand copper-colored leeches in
this city do the work that thousand
white families, averaging five members,
could exist upon. Who does not know
that one of those creatures exists upon
one-third bf one-ffth of what one of
these families use? What becomes of
the balapd ? There are poor widows in
this city who are deprived of an honest
opportunity to earn their living because