The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-09-24
N. Y. independent
Is This A Christian Country

HdGIon, uul1HS eACoC Poou AC" uoy o' ei0
we have been compelled to read the
story of barbarities committed here in
the United States against helpless, in
offensive Cinnamon? We should be
ashamed of ourselves if we could
speak without passion on the subject;
for the merciless cruelty of the Wyo-
ming massacre would disgrace the
cannibals of New Guinea.
Read the story. Six hundred Chi
namen had been engaged to labor as
miners at Rock Springs. Wy.oT., and
the contractors were satisfied with
their service, and even preferred it to
| that of the ordinary white miner. We
are told that there was no question of
wages between them; only that the
yellow man was preferred as labor
or. But the white men would not
submit to be displaced in fair compe-
tition IF they could not outwork
the Mongolian, they could kill him;
and this they proceeded to do. One
hundred of them armed themselves
with guns, revolvers and knives, and
came down to the Chinese village. and
warned them to leave in an hour. This
they agreed to do (for, unfortunately,
they are men of peace, and do not
fight for their rights and their lives),
and started to pack up; but, in about
half an hour, the white men became
impatient, and advanced upon the
Chinese quarters, shouting, and firing
their guns Without offering resist
ance, the Chinese fled with whatever
they could pick up, fastening to the
hills, and their assailants fired at them
as they ran. Then the miners set fire
to the houses, and numbers more of
the Chinamen ran out through the
smoke covering themselves with blan
kets and bed-quilts to protect them
selves from fire and rifle balls, and
hastened to follow their countrymen
to the hills. Then laundry was Wis
tied, and the inmates shot dead. Dur
ing the night every Chinese house in
the city was burned. The next day
the blackened, charred corpses of elev-
en- Cinnamon were found in the ashes
of their homes; which, added to those
who were shot, make, it is believed,
not less than fifty murdered by fire or
bullet
Had a massacre of as many white
men been perpetrated by our Ameri-
can Indians, such a cry would have
gone up for vengeance as would have
stirred the country from East to
West But in this case the murder
ers are Americans, and the victims
unresisting strangers, guilty only of
industry and economy The assassins
have disgraced the country before the
civilized world, making it appear that
our civilization is sham, and our
Christianity lie Who can expect
others to see that ours is not coun-
try, but continent. rising, in one
section to the worlds highest civiliza-
ton, and in another sinking to the
pioneer lawlessness in which every
man does that which is wrong in his
own eyes?
But the massacre has taken place;
and what can be done about it? Is it
possible that nothing may be done
about it, in which case every other
frontier mining community will be
encouraged to massacre its Cinnamon;
and it may be found that this is an
easier method of suppressing the for
eigner than to stand with bludgeon
at the ports, and drive him back. But
it should be understood that, if moth
ing is done, if it be permitted that the
labor question may be settled by
slaughter, it will be settled by slaugh-
ter One massacre will become ten
massacres; for the barbarians are not
all in Rock Springs.
Governor Warren, of Wyoming
Territory, has telegraphed for United
troops to preserve the peace. They
should be provided in abundance
wherever there is danger Of such an
outbreak. For the United States can
and should be held responsible for in
juries done in such cases as this to
subjects Of a friendly power, which
has its treaty rights. We have exact
ed indemnity and reparation in times
past of China and Japan, and
China has the right, under
existing treaties, to make
demand now on US. We, as a ma
tion, have promised to protect citizens
Of China in this country, and we
must do it or be disgraced. There
should be no weakness about this
This is matter of murder, and no po-
lltical considerations are in question.
Wyoming is territory, and there are
no disputed state rights to to be con-
sidered The United States deals di-
rectly with Wyoming and its citizens;
and if there be not the most thorough
investigation of this outrage, and
proper punishment Of the men who
have butchered fifty men in cold
blood, shooting them and burning
them to death, then we might as well
not claim to have Government Chi
ma must demand reparation and in
demnity under her treaty, and we
must yield it. Nay, we must haste,
if we are civilized people, to offer it; q.
and, when China makes her formal
demand for indemnity, there should
be no refusal and no hesitation. Any
thing that we can do to mitigate our
disgrace must be freely offered. 1t
can be only matter of the profound
est modification that our country's
honor can be sacrificed by the lawless
ruffians who are pushed along on the
fringe of advancing civilization.
We boast of our superior enlight-
enment. We send missionaries to
China But is this Christian coun-
try? Let us wait before we answer,
till we see what is done about this
massacre, which is certainly one Of |
the most horrible in the history Of
the world.