The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-03-27

but as against immigrants Of any nation.
atty who have no thought of becoming
Americans, and who intend To return
to their native country as soon as they
have acquired modest competence.
This is noticeably the case with Ital
ian immigrants, who work for mere
pittance, exist on little, and bear any
amount of filth and Crowding in the
foulest tenements of ON large labor
markets. 1t is with respect to tins class
OF immigrants now Centering 50 RAPIDLY
in this country, that the problem As to
what effect this will have upon our
native unskilled labor is becoming SO
perplexing.
The March number of the overland
MoNth/r contains noticeable article
explanatory of the views of the Knights
of Labor, and of their hostility to the
Chinese, which is at once instructive
and suggestive:
1t seems that the Knights Of abor
in California have made a searching
investivation into the industrial situa-
ton there as affected by Chinese labor,
and that the reports OF committees sent
out to gather statistics bearing on the
subject have been embodied in a state
ment both exhaustive and trustworthy.
1t was found that the cost of food for a
Chinese laborer is about three dollars 4
month when he is not looking after
luxuries," and that his rent, clothing
and food come to only seven dollars
month. "IIe works, when he can, in
gangs, sleeps his nights through in a
dismal den where he hunks, and eats
and wears the cheap products of his
own land" He has no wife and no
family to support, and is willing to en-
dure any hardships during his compar
atively brief sojourn here. The Amer
lean workman, "who looks up wife as
soon as possible" eXpends fifty dollars
a month to the Chinaman's seven, and
to keep himself decently he can get
along on no less. The Chinaman there
fore lowers the rate OF wages in every
employment into which he enters in
competition with the American.
In 1870 few OF the wholesale shoe
factories in San Francisco taught some
Cinnamon to make boots and shoes.
Up to that time wages averaged about
$40 a week for skillful and rapid work
ers. Now over 5000 Cinnamon are
employed in the trade, getting from
$50 to $50 month, and the wages Of
white men are from So to 81, week.
Meantime, too, Cinnamon have become
the owners Of forty eight. out of the
sixty boot and shoe factories in the city,
while of the fifty slipper factories, not
one is now owned by a white man.
In IS7, the Cinnamon began to learn
to make cigars. To day there are 5000
Cinnamon in the trade to 100 whites,
and wages are only about one-third of
what they were in 1870. In the man
ufacture of clothing 5000 Cinnamon TO
1000 whites are no. employed, and
the wages of the white worker have de
clined from SIS a week in 1872 to SIS
a week, the Asiatics receiving from S25
to SIS month. The Cinnamon took
hold of the manufacture of underwear
several years ago, and, by undertaking
white seamstresses. they have now OBJ
tanned almost exclusive control of the
industry. And Sc it is with many other
departments of labor, the total number
of Cinnamon engaged in all being ST.
900, who send $4,000, 900 annually out
of this countr;.
These Cinnamon are divided of into
guilds, each guild being controlled by
a central and despotic authority. and il
is a rare instance when members Of dlf-
ferent guilds are found working IN the
same shop. Therefore, they are organ
lied competitors of the white laborers,
with whom they can contend on une-
quail terms, because of their lower scale
of personal expenditure. The power
of the Chinese guild was shown last
year in the case of a cigar firm of San
Francisco, which undertook to get rid
o. its Chinese workmen and employ
only white labor. Instructed by their
leaders, the whole force of Cinnamon
stopped work and went out en- strike,
and it was this exhibition Of their or
SdllLtllOll Will S(ClllS W llINS IL
the attention of the Knights Of Labor
more especially to the dangers involved
in the competition. They felt that they
must meet organization with organiza-
ton, and accordingly called mass
meeting on the first of last October to
arouse the workingmen, and to gain
public sympathy and encouragement.
Between five and six thousand people
gathered inside the hall, and outside
the street was packed. As the result
of that meeting the whole Pacid coast
was electrified, and other places began
to talk Of the ACCESSIBILITY of expelling
the Chinese.
The ground the Knights OF Labor
take is that the Cinnamon here are sub
stantially serfs, and that 1t is impossible
for the free laborer to compete with
them "Ihelr success in driving out OF