Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-03
THE CHINESE QUESTION.
MEMORIAL. ADOPTED BY THE
CALIFORNIA SENATE IN 1877.
Result of an Investigation OF the So
cial, Moral and Political Effect
OF Chinese immigration.

OF Chinese immigration.
In accordance with resolutions offered in
the Senate OF this State in April, 1876, by
Hon. Greed Raymond, then a member oil
that body, and which were unanimously
adopted, special committee of seven was
appointed to make a thorough and exhaust
i've investigation of the subject of Chinese
immigration and its social, moral and DO.
litical effect. The committee consisted OF
Senators Creed Haymond (Chairman)
Frank McCoprin, W. NJ. Pierson. NJ. J.
Donovan. George II. Rogers. Z. ]. Lewis
and George S. Evans. 1t was empowered
to sit at any time and place within the
State; to send for persons and papers: to
administer oaths to witnesses, etc., and
upon conclusion of its investigation was
required to prepare memorial to Congress
setting forth the facts obtained in the inyes-
tigation and the conclusions arrived al
by the committee as TO the best policy and
means for excluding Chinese from the
country. The committee made most
thorough and searching investigation, and
t)U s.
The memorial which was prepared by the
committee and was sent TO Congress at the
close of its work, after citing the resolu-
tions of instructions under which it acted,
read as follows:
The State of California has population
variously estimated at from zoe, 600 to S0O,-
0CO, of which 125,000 are Chinese. The
additions TO this class have been very rapid
since the organization of the State, but
have been caused almost entirely by immi-
grafton, and scarcely at all by natural in
crease. The evidence demonstrates beyond
cavil that nearly the entire immigration
consists of the lowest orders of the Chinese
people, and mainly of those having no
homes or occupations on the land, but liv-
ing in boats on the rivers, especially those
in the vicinity of Canton.
This class of the people, according to the
castles into which Chinese society is divided,
are virtually pariahs-the dregs of the pop
ulation. None of them are admitted into
any of the privileges of the orders ranking
above them. And while rudimentary
education is encouraged, and even enforced
among the masses of the people, the fisher
men and those living on the waters and
harbors Of China are excluded by the rigid
and hoary constitutions of caste from all
participation in such advantages.
1t would seem to be q necessary conse-
quence, flowing from this class of immi-
grafton that a large proportion of criminals
should be found among it and this de-
duction is abundantly sustained by the
fact before us, for of 545 of the foreign
criminals in our State Prison, 1913 are Chi
nese-nearly two-tifths of the whole-while
our jails and reformatories swarm with the
lower grade of malefactors.
The startling fact also appears that the
actual cost of keeping these 19S State
prisoners alone exceeds by $4,000 per an
mum the entire amount of revenue collected
by the State from all the property assessed
to Chinese.
But the criminal element in the Chinese
population is very much greater than the
figures above given would indicate, for con-
victiOn for crime among this class is ex-
tremely difficult. Our ignorance of the
Chinese language the utter want of com.
prehension by them of the crime of per-
jury, their systematic bribery, and intimi.
dation of witnesses. and other methods o
battling judicial action, all tend to weaken
the authority of our laws and to paralyzt
the power of our Courts.
A graver difficulty is still developed in
the existence among the Chinese popula
| ton OF secret tribunals unrecognized by oul
| periatm IN igperiO that undertake anC
| actually administer punishment. not in.
frequently of death. These tribunals ex
ercise the power of levying taxes, com
manding masses of men, intimidating in
terpreters and witnesses, enforcing per.
jury, Furnishing the refractory, removing
witnesses beyond the reach of process, con
trolling liberty of action, and preventing
the return of Chinese to their homes il
China. In fact, there exists amongst us
tribunals and laws alien TO our form OF
government, and which practically nullify
and supersede both National and State au-
thority.
The Chinese females who immigrate to
this State are, almost without exception, OF
the vilest and most degraded class OF
abandoned women. The effect of this ele-
nent in our midst upon the health and
morals of our youth is exhibited in the
testimony. Its disgusting details cannot
for obvious reason, be enlarged upon III
this memorial. These women exist here
in a state of servitude, beside which African
slavery was beneiicent captivity. The
contracts upon which their bodies are held
under this system are fully explained and
set out in the evidence and we submit
more than sustain what night otherwise
be regarded as an extravagant deduction
The male clement of this population
where not criminal, comes into painful
competition with the most needy and most
deserving of our people-those who are en-
gagged, or entitled to be engaged, in indus
trial pursuits in our midst The common
laborer, the farm hand, the shoemaker, the
cigarmaker, the domestic male and female
and workmen of all descriptions, find their
various occupations monopolized by Chi
nese labor, employed at a compensation
upon which white labor cannot possibly
exist. Amelioration of this hardship might
be possible 10 a limited extent if the pre-
ceeds OF this labor were invested in our
State distributed among our people, and
made 10 yield Il revenue to the Government
for the protection afforded by it to this
class of our population. But the reverse is
the fact, for of six hundred millions of tax
able property in the State, in the last fiscal
year, but one million and q half was as
sessed to Chinese. Thus one-sixth of the
entire population pays less than one-four-
hundredths part of the revenue required to
support the State Government
And, in addition to this alarming fact.
we find that of the one hundred and eighty
millions, if not more, earned by them dur
ing their continuance here, the whole is
abstracted from the State and exported to
China, thus absolutely impoverishing in
stead of enriching the country aff)rding
them an asylum. The sharp contrast be-
tween the results of that kind of labor and
of white labor with its investments in
homes, its accumulation of wealth, and ad-
dltons to our revenue, must be obvious
even to partial mind Fertile lands, that
scarcely require tillage to produce har-
vest, are lying idle, partially because the
laborer that would purchase and improve
them can earn nothing above bare sup
port wherewith to buy, while the Chinese.
who can by their habits of life practically
subsist on nothing and save money, export
their savings instead of here accumulating
property. What the one hundred and
eighty millions of solid gold shipped from
California to foreign country would pro-
duce, if retained here by white labor and
invested in the soil, in the homes and fire.
sides OF our race, requires no illustration
or argument. California, instead of being
State of cities, might be a State of pros
porous farms; instead of being in condi-
ton considering her extraordinary natural
advantages) of wonderful yet healthy pro-
gress, we find her so retarded in her growth
as to amount almost to retrogression.
1t is trite saying, however, that COM
petition in labor is healthful. True-but
not between free and slave labor; and the
Chinese in California are substantially in
condition of seryitude. Ninety-nine one
hundredths Oh them are imported here by