Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-03-15
THE BOYCOTT.
The Local Organization Discusses as to
the Date of its commencement.

| called to make arrangements lOr tHe Gull
| ing ratification meeting to be held next
Saturday evening, and to recommend to the
merchants, orchardists and manufacturers
employing Chinese labor that they call
meeting and give expression to their views,
and take such steps to protect their inter
ests as will enable them to fall into line
when the blast from the boycott horn shall
blight every industry contaminated by the
/ yellow fungus OF Chinese seryile labor on
| the Pacific coast" Also, to make arrange
ments for beginning the crusade against
| Chinese labor as embodied in the resolu-
tons adopted by the State Convention.
The following resolutions, which had
! been prepared by members OF the Execu-
| tive Committee, were submitted, TO give all
! present an opportunity TO express them
selves upon the subject:
WHEREAS, The Chinese in our midst have
been constantly increasing in number for thirty
six years, until their existence among us has
( become un0earable, and threatens in the near
future 10 give them possession of nearly all
places of labor and manufactures; and whereas,
the use of the same, in great many ways and
shapes, has in the mistaken opinion of some
persons almost become necessity; and whereas,
! the State Anti-Chinese NOn-Partisan Conven-
ton has authorized a boycott against the Chi
nese and their employers by the local Clubs,
Leagues or Associations in each county, at their
! option and hot otherwise; therefore be 1t
Resolved, That on and after the LIST day of
May, 1886, each member OF this Association
will, strictly as he possibly can, exercise his
! personal right TO not patroniZe those persons
| that he is satisfied could dispense with Chinese
| help, and that no general boycott shall be at
tempted until after the 10th day of November,
1856, for the purpose OF giving all persons rea-
sonable time to prepare for it.
| f. r. Dray, speaking TO the resolutions,
reminded the committee that the fear OF
! the boycotting principle will accomplish
much more for the cause than its sudden
! application, and defended the resolutions.
The local leagues only are authorized to do
the work, and then, after the time fixed in
the resolutions has elapsed, let the State
Executive Committee recommend a day
for general boycott, and ask every county
| to adopt it. If this crusade dies out before
that time, it is not worth the handling
now.
l.. Elkus gave as his opinion that in his
branch Of business he hardly thought it
could be done before the LIST of next Janu-
airy, as the manufacture of overalls and
! jumpers was heavy machine work. and
done almost exclusively by Cinnamon.
while the lighter grades of heavy apparel
could be done by women and girls at
much earlier date.
S. Nathan stated that he was engaged in
the manufacture of a grade of goods which
]
| Francisco, and that he would have TO
abandon the business or suffer severe
loss, If compelled to stop before those in
San Francisco did, bat that he had dis
charged a portion of his Chinese help and
the remainder would follow very soon. as
he was determined to give the change
fair trial.
a. S. Hopkins in speaking of the broom
manufacturers, said that if a general, indis-
criminate boycott was established, without
| giving them a chance to become converted
| TO the new way, the new boycott broom
( would sweep the State broomless The
same results would follow, he said, if ap-
/ piled to the match trade, which was al
1 most exclusively run by Chinese. He
! strongly advised the committee not to be
/ TOO radical in that direction, as he did not
! wish to have the State left matchless.
! P. E. Platt called the attention of the
/ committee to the fact that many orchardists
had rented and leased their orchards to
/ Chinese for term of years, while others
/ had entered into contracts with Eastern
! shippers for the entire fruit of their
orchards, with the agreement that they
would furnish skilled Cinnamon TO pick
and pack the fruit for them and that unless
some regard was had for pre-eXisting agree
ments II would fall very heavily on them.
/ As member of firm doing large East
! ern business, he was in a position to know
! that an immediate boycott would result in
a disastrous loss to everyone engaged in
] the business.
! \. A. Van VOORHEES, explained that all
/ his business, as a collar manufacturer, by
| the lower grades of collars were made in
| Chinese, and if he was compelled to hire
white labor while his competitors in San
Francisco and other places were allowed to
have their work done by Mongolians, he
would be compelled to retire from that
branch of business. He also said that if an
Indlscriminate boycott was placed on those
of any one town, while other cities were
granted further time it would be unjust in
its operation.
/ S. Tryon, of the Capital Wooden Mills,
was the next to address the committee on
| the all-absorbing boycott" He stated
/ that he was the first wooden manufacturer
| in the State to dispense with the Chinese
| that his last one had gone on the LIST of
/ January while there was not another
wooden mill in the State that had taken the
/ first step in the movement. What adyan-
tage he should have gained by his action
was being reaped by those in the same
! business who were still working China
men, while he was paying higher rate of
wages to white men who had come here to
stay. All were American citizens and supe-
IlOI WI
Mr.. Lyon gave it as his opinion that if
boycotting was to be resorted to, all lines of
business throughout the State employing
Chinese should be boycotted from the same
date, and the boycott kept up until the de-
sired end is obtained.
c. II. KrebS said he saw no reason wbv
the boycott could not be immediately
placed upon all cigar stores handling Chi
nese-made goods He admitted that it
would work an injury to the gentlemen
who had just expressed themselves, if ap-
piled unfortunately to all branches of
business, but in that of cigars there was no
discrimination. The Cigar makers Union,
he said, had brought men from the East to
take the places of the Monaghan. The
Union was ready to bring out more, as soon
as the people OF California should by their
action sustain them by using only such
goods as were made by white men. There
was no cause for delay, no argument could
be presented against such a boycott. and
why, he asked, should not the white cigar
makers be encouraged TO come to our State
with their families. They were with and
OF us, and every Chinese cigar dealer ought
to be boycotted.
VIM. Boyne said there were no China
men in his business, that of stone-cutting
He did not fear the boycott himself but
| dreaded the consequences to those in other
business who had them, and who were still
foolish enough to persist in keeping them
after the decree had gone forth for them
! TO 90.
Mr.. Weinstock called the attention of the
| committee to one fact, which well ex-
planned. he said, what could be done when
men were in earnest about it. About two
months ago, when citizens in this city be-
gan to act and showed the people of the
State that they were in earnest and meant
to accomplish what they had taken in
hand, he wrote to several of the largest
shoe manufacturers in San Francisco. ask
ing their opinion about the time when thew
thought it possible that white men could
be had to take the place of Chinese. A
few of them, he said, thought it could be
| done in less than one year, while others
were in doubt if it could be done at all.
| What is the result? In the Anti Chinese
State Convention Mr.. Berry read tele-
gram stating that the last shoe factory in
San Francisco had let the Cinnamon go,
and all their places were filled with white
wage-earners. This was a clear case, he
said. where it was thought they could not
get along without Chinese labor.
After some further debate the resolutions
were adopted.
The following resolution was also pre-
sented:
A.,