Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-09-27

officials in most of our towns, as in Sacra-
mento, that the Chinese must be permitted
to herd together and live in such a state as
would not be granted to whites. But re-
Election will convince any one that the
Chinese have no such right, that no such
privilege is necessary, except it is to enable
them to live so cheaply that they can by
disastrous competition drive out citizen
laborers who must contribute something to
the material interests of the country,
set up domestic affairs and raise up sons
and daughters to defend and adorn the re-
public. By consenting then to the filth
inseparable from the herding system of the
Chinese and its accumulation in the
heart Of the city, we not only assail
the health of those who do observe the
health ordinances, but we give The China
laborcr.
There is, in short, no reason that can be
advanced for permitting to the Chinese the
privilege to live in a state of defiance to the
health ordinances, while we compel Ameri-
can citizens to obey the health regulations
vigorously. If the Chinese are privileged
class, then Chinatown is a understanding
savo., and should have its bounds enlarged
for the public good The Supreme Court
has said to us A landlord may not let
his premises for a smallpox hospital,
because it will be roxious use and con-
trary to the maxim that every person ought
to so use his property as not to injure his
neighbor.' And again: q Private interests
must be made subservicnt to the general
interests Of the community" 1t has On
more than one occasion declared the
charter valid and impregnable that gives
the city the power :" to determine what are
nuisances and prevent and remove the
same There is no clearly citizen not
directly or indirectly interested in China
town property, we take it, who does not
know and will not so testify that the
quarter referred to is detrimental to the
general interests OF the community" that
the property is so used as to be noxious and
offensive to the community; that il is i
quarter that invites disease of a contagious
character. and is therefore threat to the
whole city. Perhaps one of the very best
illustrations that can be drawn is to sup
pose fo, moment that the Chinese invade
J or X streets, and set up their trades and
shops and iIl-smeliing vocahors, and main
tain their dank cellars and offensive vapors
on those highways. How long would this
community hesitate in determining the
question Of nuisance?
We maintain, therefore, hat before the
coming of another summer the city of Sac
ramento should take steps TO make private
interests in Chinatown subseryient to the
general interests of the community We
are inviting to our city new. residents; we
expect to have more than usual attention
drawn to Sacramento in the next year; we
anticipate within the next three years. and
thereafter each year, the advent of more
strangers than i'll any previous history OF
the city since the pioneer era. We GER
tainly should put offensive Chinatown out
Of sight therefore. If cannot be done if we
cannot make | street as clearly and pleas
ant to the senses as J street or NJ street if
the Chinese or any other class have the
right to appropriate a street and so abide
upon it as to offend the whole community,
thsn it follows that the Chinese govern the
city and not the voters, and from the i'm
munity the former enjoy from the regula-
lations enforced in all other parts of the
city upon the latter, we would be quite
justified in concluding that indeed the Chi
nese are a political power as well as an
offensive unit in the community.