The Labor enquirer., 1886-06-26
Can There be Nothing Done.

Can There be Nothing Done!
That the deep-rooted feeling sgains1
the Chinese is not one that sprung uI
With the Chinese agitation two year,
ago, may be inferred from the "Annals
of San Francisco" a work published in
854:
@April, 1S52.-The immigration o.
Chinese into California at this time
reached 10000 and the same number
were under way. Considerable public
discussion existed at this period on the
desir y leness of such vast immigration
of the race. The man.
.ners and the habits of the Chinese are
very repugn ant to the Americans in Cal
ifornia. OF different language, blood,
religion and characters, the Chinaman
is looked upon by some as only a little
superior to the negro slaves and bV
others as somewhat inferior. Those who
have mingled famlliarly with 'Celestials
have commonly felt before long an un-
comfortable sort of loathing against him.
Johns person does not smell very
sweetly, his color and the features Of his
face are unusual, his penuriousness is
extreme. his lying, knavery and natural
cowardice are proverbial, he dwells
apart from men. He is poor and mean,
somewhat slavish and crouching, and is
despised by the whites, who would
laugh if even a divine were to try to
place the two races on an equality. In
fact, there is a strong feeling-prejudlce
it may be-existing in California against
all Cinnamon
This was written long before Henry
Ward Beecher and others of bis class
concluded that Chinese ale very good
people 10 make Christians of.
Now, later, the San Francisco Call
SAYS: when the Chinese who found
their wav to California in the early days,
located in San Francisco, and established
what was commonly called in those days
Little China there was not then per-
son who dreamed to what extent the
Mongolian quarter here would grow.
Locating, as they did, in what was then
the center of the city, the Chinese occu
pied but very small space, and formed
hardly noticeable portion of the rap
idly increasing community; but their
number soon increased and they en-
croached upon the neighborhood occu-
pied bv whites. Year after year they
extended their limits. They drove com
mercial me n from their places of busl-
ness and secured the vacated stores.
Christians abandoned their churches to
the heather horde. Homes and dwell
ings thereabouts were left untenan ted,
the occupants having been unable to live
in the polluted atmosphere of China
town, and unwilling to endure their
close company. For a number of years
the Mongolians contented themselves
with quarters east of Stockton street,
but within the past two years they have
crossed this boundary line, taken pos
session of the buildings on the west side
Of that thoroughfare, fixed numerous
outposts even farther up on Sacramento,
Clay, Washington, Jackson and Pacific
streets. How far they will 60 can only
be coniectured, but If Chinatown con.
tinues to increase during the next two
years as it has in the past two, it is but
fair 10 suppose that by the middle of
1888 the western limit will be Powell
street."
Now look at Pendletom: Three yeas
ago there were but two or three Chinese
houses and they were in remote part
oftown now Chinatown is situated on
the best business streets of Pendltton,
namely: Main, Alta and Alder. The
question is: Can not these undesirable
beings be removed to some particular
place outside of the town limits before
they get such strong hold as they have
in Portland and San Francisco ?-Oregon
Laborer.