New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-07-16
CHINESE IN CALIFORNIA
rayts cuAHhCrER AND HABITS.

This bOuk was puUilstIcu W Mfrei's "''~>
& Co, OF San Francisco shortly before the
r:cat fire which destroyed the stock cf u'a'
firm. and White, Stokes X Allen, OF this city,
arc perhaps the only booksellers VINO nave
any copies for ssle at present. The work con-
sists of two parts the first Is n comiemnouN
arrangement of statements concerning the ciT'i
acter habits and mode OF h!c OF the NhlheSe' !
at home and abroad, derived largely from siiha
ard works, the reports OF ppssiOlla ts anu
travellers in the Middle Kingdom, and the eN
perience OF police officers, merchants anu ON
who have had special oppoi tunitles o' s""! rh
the little brown men ia California ti..
second part of the Volume Is occupiea WIZ Wa'd
report of the Special Committee Oi ti'e Doaiu
Of Supervisors OF San Francisco on uc eo'''
tion of the Chinese quarter OF that clf. -,
Mr. farwell has gathered giei. Htdr 20
evidence which tells heavily against Inc .niii..
as desirable immigrants. His Iepfeseh'sattIn it
are the more iorciblc for the Absence o. WA,
extravaganza of statement when , ,n,, W.
much OF the staple anti Chinese prlV tant;,,onv
has NOT been flaid to give favorable lesu'nons
when It comes 60 hand. and with perhaps vi.
.xrcntiop the general conclusions to be inferred
are well supported. Ihe exception i q" on,n.
t. make il appear that drunkenness ~ "a .T ,t
Jr,nL enc hinamen may he found, 1t Is notorious
that as n rule those who come 10 TINS couhu!
have bcen found so temperate tliat thls cihii
acterstic has always constituted one OF 'lel
"h;ef recommendations to employers OF labor.
What NJ, Farwel shows very Strongly now
ever is that the Chinese have no assihhiiauNc
tendencies that their moral character II de
based; and that they are extremely Hi'n n9rm NJ
in the indictment ii may he sud III pstSsinhs
that some confusion has arisen OWING 10 .iS
fact that much evidence exists for the PERSONA
CLEANLINESS Of the Chinese. Inc tfuii H. ~
has often been asserted, that many II not most
of them do take more pains to keep Their oooicS
clean than the generality OF poor wnic men
aIc accustomed to do; but it Is equally t tr4
that the Chinese tolerate an amount oi u,'H
and insantary conditions in their domlciies
which no white men, even OF the dlltlcst per
sonal habits would endure
The statement, made IN TINS volume ieE"iu
inc the denominations amid which the san ran
disco land all the California; Chinese hVe my
he considered exaggerated, but they are really
simple representations of fact, as All Know
who have visited a Chincsc-Qmlter III an Amer
lean city, Indeed. so IeVoltlng are the sur
rumdines of these strange people, that where
thry live in comparative health thcpleSnmptlon
i That white people would be attacked by
could he persuaded to make the experiment.
Another culious fact referred To ny MI, rai-
well is that hundi eds OF thousands OF Chnfse,
employed as house servants, anu speholnS III,
days i'll clean and wholesome hoa1es nit,, a,
insist on passing their nights III the MIN an"
soualor of the Chinese quarter. Nhat hIIH'-
man can stand in the way of unSavoly ana com
fortress habtation has never been asce' 'niho''
contentedly under conditions which would dflN'
q self-re>pccting pig to suicide And tins con
situIcS one OF the strongest arguments against
unrestricted Chinese immigration, ior eAPeiicnc'
has proven that Chinese competition III the
labor market cannot be met by white men
iuasmuch as success in such competition co"id
only be attained by descending to the 'hlhcs'
mode OF living ana tiat woeiu inroiNr ". tho
datjon of the American citizen lar below 'hc
lowest pOnt toWhlch European M government
ard dcspotism has reduced amy race Ill theO Id
World ....,
The industry of the Chinese may be admitted.
and their frugaity, and their tustworthine'S
rs lboIers But none of these good qualities
In their case. lead to anything. When white
man is temperate, frugal; faithful ne saves
money. improves his social condition. lives III
n better house, educates his children more Gaze
fully. diifuses happiness and comfort IN many
WAYS. and so helps the community us Wen a.. ~
himself Not so with the Cinnamon. III u!c
first place he dcspiscs this country ana IT.
peoplc The strength and persistence OF ms
Inherited national concert are almost lncedIDlc'
The one ambition Of his life Is to z" PACK 10
China with enough to hive upon tle e; ne ~ -
bird of passage Here he Will endure thc
utmost s0ualOr to save money. lie pays no
attention to the civilization around nm. He
regards il with cOntemptuOns indifference. lie
Is in fact just as far from deSlilng TO oecoille :"
citizen of the United States as Americans III
China are from wishing to become subjects OF
The Emperor. The Chinese In California more,
over, maintain government OF tlcir own T Ih''
n
jrsperablc difficulties of their language assist
them in this. For many years ChlneSe pa
cards offering rewards fol murder OF persons
obnoxious TO one or another of the SIX cOnpan-
les or some of their OffshOots have been at IN
tervals boldly affixed to the walls Ill Chinatown
and what Is more the murders so arranged lol
have III most cases been committed Witl
busiuess-like ulnctuallty. 1t has long been I'M
nossible To administer Justice among these peo-
pie BY systematic perjury, by the equally syS
temaic intimidation of witnesses, the pro
cesscs of the local courts are evaded, and HnleNe
white testimony is available 1t is rarely uitt I
Chinese criminal can be convicted.
The evidence presented by Mr. Farwell tend
irresistibly to the conclusion that all temporizng
measures taken in the Chinese Question linus mus
mia will tie Chinese is only repetition Oh tla
Of tie Philippine Islanders 200 years ago
Then the evil attained such proportions thai
aft-r vainiy attempting to deal with 1t through
milo Measures, the people at last rose, and mas,
sacrc followed. And il. every land colonlzec
bv Chinese the sane evils, the same trouble
have occurred The people are evidently hone
them wherever they go: They plant the hnary
vices If tn, oldest lation on the earth. 1hey
learn no new things save such as will help then
to make money: They easily undcrselI all Other
labor, because they can underline all other labor
They are never to be despisod, but always t.
he feared To be feared as representing, witt
formidable virility and persistence not only
an alien but an arrested civilization. China is
to-day the incarnation of a realism so dense sc
materialistic so utterly void of all idealism, that
II stands for the most sOrdid plane OF human
life conceivable. 1t Is incontestable that this
swarming nation of indefatigable workers
offers TO the intellectual supremacy ofthe North
ern races very tempting opportunities. Wealth
beyond the dreams of avarice is attainable
through this willing auxiliary. But wealth at
what cost! To accept the ChInaman as
business. partner is to employ the
agency which so nearly ruined the
Southern States, but under far more
disadvantageous conditions. The negro
as a slave entailed upon his owners all the
natural evils inherent in slavery but enfran-
chiscment found him full of rudimentary civic