Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-03-25
HOP.GRowERs.
They Meet in Council and Denounce the
Boycott.


Daniel Flint stated the object of The
meeting to be the organization of hop
growers for the purpose of resisting the
threatened boycott II had come down, be
said, 10 a question of whether a man
should run his own farm and household OF
turn it over to the idle, disreputable and
hoodlum element. For one, he believed in
conducting his business affairs in the way
he had done, without asking the advice Of
the rabble, and did not propose at this time
to be intimidated and forced to comply
with the unjust, unreasonable and uncalled
for demands which it was reported were
about to be made by the dangerous, non
law-abiding element of this community.
So far as he was individually concerned, be
proposed to maintain his rights and iiber-
ties as an American citizen, and would de-
fend them with his life, il necessary. He
would not bend the knee nor bow in sub
mission to the unauthorized demands of a
| lawless mob. In accordance with these
views, he presented a series OF resolutions
that bristled all over with anti-boycott SEN
timents, and intimated that when the
rights of hop-growers could not be protected
| by the local authorities recourse would be
had to Henry rifles, which would make
good boycotters of all who went prowl-
ing around hop-houses with incendiary or
other apparently dangerous motives.
| This brought about general discussion
/ which was engaged in by nearly everyone
| of the forty hop-growers present, viz: d.
| Flint, ]. +. Camp, u. Cassleman, T. Cook.
DR.. J. Caples, H. Wittenbrock, K. Witten-
brock, A Menke, H. Meyer, J. McGregor,
J. Holland, NJ. Sprague, G. Gronduno, r.
! Coons G.. Brockway, B. Edwards, Thomas
| Mcconnell, ]. Kerr, DR.. d. P. burst, S. d.
ri =
| A. Mouton, c.. Colquhoun, A Hebron.
Russell Flint, John O'Neal, O. S. Flint.
! John McManon, Jacob Olsen, E. j. Croley.
George Stewart.
All the speakers were opposed to the
| boycott All agreed. that without Chinese
labor the hop crop this season at least
would go unpicked. The pruning of hop
vines necessitated so much stoopine tina.
white men could not and would not do it.
All efforts TO employ them for that purpose
had signally failed. Hop-picking lasted but
six weeks. They must be picked at that time
or lost. White men, women nor bows could
not be obtained who would do the work.
They have been asked every season. Ten
and fifteen cents a hundred more for pick
ing hops have been offered for white help.
but even this inducement would not secure
their services. The Chinese labor in the
hop-yards, they said, could be depended
upon, and, as one speaker expressed it, che
is reliable, does not spend his time at the
rum-mill, or in boycotting' his neighbor.
but returns good, honest labor for his
wages"
Dr.Caples said henever employed a China
man, never would, was opposed to them in
every way; still, he wished it distinctly I'M
derstood that he was unalterably opposed
to the boycott. 1t was a breach of national
faith 6IShnnnrahla
cowardly, and something that should only
be used as a last resort in a time of great
oppression. This was not time for talk
ing boycott. The impending grain crop
will employ every white man who is will
ing to work, and the hops and fruit will be
allowed 10 rot in our yards and orchards.
He said not one-half of the unemploved
who were crying boycott would work
II employment was rendered them The
boycoters are trying to make scape-
goat Of the hop and fruit men. We know
that 1t takes certain amount of technical
skill to pick hops and pack fruit. and to
deprive us of that without giving us any
thing in return. means a loss of this sea-
sons crop. What we want and what all
good, law abicing, patriotic citizens desire,
Is the abrogation Of the Burlingame treaty.
We want no more Chinese brought to our
shores. Those that are here will be treated
as human beings, and as they drop out
their places will be filled with white labor.
and this whole question solved in a few
short years honorably alike to ourselves
and nation. The State Anti-Chinese Con-
Yention did much harm. The Convention
reminded him of a serpent whose head was
crushed, but whose tail did lots of wig
Cling. That Convention had succeeded in
arraying the people Of this coast in two hos
tile camps. One is not so noisy as the
other. but it contains all of the virtue, in
telllgence and patriotism, and it will win
every time against bowling mob.
J. II. Kerr, of Elk Grove, spoke from
fruit-grower's standpoint He was glad
action was being taken to protect the law
abiding and respectable citizen from the
idle and dissolute persons who were sing
ing boycott. The farmers had been sub
lnissive long enough, and he was glad to
see them coming forward and proclaiming
their right to be allowed to conduct and
take care of their business as they saw fit
and deemed proper. Boycott, he said, was
fruit of the dark ages, and be had his
opinion OF any man who would propose
its use i'll California. Referring to the
State Anti-Chinese Convention, he eulo-
gized the names of Sidwell, Sargent and
Pixley, men whom he said dared
to declare for the right however I'M
popular it might be. He was particu-
larly down on the blatant office-seek-
ing demagogues who were riding
this boycott hobby. There are a lot Of
white men in this State who will not work,
and we are compelled to employ Chinese.
These same men come from a bovcotted
country to California, and now want to run
the State. They can run a political cam
paign, pose as ward strikers, be candidates
for offices, try 10 get on the police force
but nary one of those boycotting fellows
wants to pick hops or pick fruit They will
tramp from one town to another, or tackle
brake-beam on a freight car, before they
will tackle hop yard or a fruit orchard
What a depiorable state of affairs when
the oppressed of Ireland will come to
this land of plenty. and try to start
boycott They would like to see our people
reduced TO the squalor and poverty of Ire
land, and if the bOycotter succeeds we will
see it. If you discharge your Cinnamon
and employ white men, such as Won are
forced to employ at this time, you cannot
depend upon your help at ALL They NAV
stay with you twenty-four hours. possibly
week or ten days, and in extreme cases.
possibly two weeks. If that state of affairs
exists during the fruit and hop-picking
season, what is TO become of your crops :?
White men prefer harvesting They will
not work in the berry patch the hop ward
or the fruit orchard, SO long as they can
driver the header and follow the thrasher.
Women cannot do the fruit and berry pick
ing they have tried, and our sun is too hot
All the women, boys and girls can get work
in the factories and canneries. The speaker
said he expected to employ whatever help
he saw fit, and if the local officers did not
protect him in his rights as an American
citizen he would protect himself He adj
vised all TO do the same, stand by each
other, stick together ask no quarter do not
recognize their authority, nor surrender.
Our revolutionary fathers did not surren-
der, and they won. If We submit to the
demands of this rabble now we will always
regret it. They were all towards at the
Anti-Chinese Convention. They had not
the manliness to applaud the patriotic
remarks of Pixley, Bidwell and
Sargent, when, at the same time,
they knew way down in their hearts
that those noble men were speaking the
! truth that their advice was true; that
what they condemned should be sat down
upon; but those men had not the moral
courage, the manliness, to acknowledge it.
The blatant demagogues who cry boycott
! have no interest in common with you
They get all the money they can buy all
/ the whisky they can with it; sleep IN your
barn without blankets; beg meals at your
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