Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-05-15
THE HEATHEN cHINEE.
The Almond Eyed Celestial as Seen by
a McMinnville Boy Who has
Taken Horace Greeley's
Advice and Gone
West.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, May 3, 1876.
Editor Standard.
Mark Twain, in his preface to "The
Gilded Age" so effectually ridicules
those who write books ''to supply q
long felt want" to cheer and instruct
a diseased relative, or who throw off
the production, during intervals of
wearing labor, to amuse an idle hour,
that it is surprising any subsequent
writers should be bold enough to give
the same old story as their excuse for
imposing on the public patience.
Very often such prefaces are written
at the expense of candor, am afraid.
1t must be admitted that seldom
read such apologies without mental
ahem. Such frivolity does not of
course indicate constitutional insin-
certify, but it seems to be prevalent
idea with many who write for publ
cation that they must, in the begin
ming, gain the readers favor by cry
ing out 81 didn't goto doit." In the
use of language, we are all parrots, in
measure. Why, just now 1 was
about to say something about "never
having seen anything in your paper
from this part of the moral vineyard"
when my conscience did its duty, and
/ remembered the effusions of my
friends j. +. w. and E. G. Iremem-
bered, also, that this letter was written
because the writer wanted to write,
and with a perfect knowledge of the
awful perils that hover about our edi-
tors waste basket.
On recent visit to San Francisco,
saw and heard much of the Chinese,
race that has given much trouble
and anxiety to the people of the
"Golden State" and will give more
before the problem is satisfactorily
solved, We, in this country, have
had to contend, as no other people
have, with race questions. The ne
gro question, one phase of it at least,
was disposed of at the cost of thou
sands of lives and millions of dollars,
and is a matter of history. The same
might be said of the Indian question,
which has not yet been settled, and
perhaps never will be, except by the
final extinction of race that seems
to be in no wise capable of civiliza.
ton.
Whatever social issues the Irish
and other foreign elements may pre-.
cipitate in the future, certain it is,
that, at present, the Chinese problem
is one that demands immediate solu
ton or a setting about it. To those
who know nothing of the Chinese
and their habits, it may appear O
small consequence, and the Califor
Man receives little sympathy from
that quarter, but in San Francisco
where there are said to be $4,000 O
them, in other parts of the State, il
Oregon, and various other places il
the West, the people are brought fac
to face with the evil, and have deter
mined on doing what they can to riC
themselves of this insidious element
let outsiders think and do what the,
please. They have begun with peace
able measures, and it is the fashion
voluntary or involuntary, to Boycott
the Chinese. At hotels, shoe ant
shirt factories, restaurants, any plac
where observation-disclosures and "queue
rious" creatures havehad a monopol
heretofore, can be seen placards in
forming the public that they emplo
no Chinese, as if the refusing to en-
ploy them will send them packin
elsewhere. If the measure could b
universally resorted to, doubt not
would be effectual, but you know ho'
hard it is to get some people interes
ed in a measure when they cannot Sc
an immediate benefit to themselvt
individually. There is not one ma
in thousand, in California, who wi
not cry out against the Chinese, an
wish them in the bottom of the p
cific ocean; some enthusiasts will G
furtherand extend their trip to Hade
some would send them back to China
the "goody-goodies" want to reforl
them, and harp on constitutial right
national and individual obligation
And yet, Notwithstanding the un
nimity of opinion as to their being
nuisance, it is singular how reluctan
ly they give them up when emplo,
ed.
The Chinaman, as you know, is
cheap laborer He can live on IA
and thnI, u,orly for rot yUounS-at loo