Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-26
An ILLUSTRATIVE CASE.

The anti-Chinese movement in Cali
fornia has presented many anomalous feat
ures from its beginning to the present
time, The platforms of the political par
ties for thirty-one years have declared
against Chinese immigration and hive
made opposition to the Cinnamon one Of
he canons of political faith. In the face
of this, however, the Burlingame treaty
was negotiated and ratified, and Mr.
Burlingame himself wined and dined bv
The Governor Of this State and other lead
ing citizens for the grand stroke Of diplo-
matte skill which had opened the ports of
China to our commerce. The Chinese
were the cheap labor element in our in
dustrial system, and as such were welcomed
by the capitalists Of the State 1t Is for
ever the vice OF the cheap labor element.
especially when that labor possesses the
characteristics of a caste based upon dis
tnctive race or nationality, that it affords
place in the industrial system for but two
well defined classes, to wit: the capitalist
and the servie laborer. This form of
organization leaves the non-capitalist class
OF citizens out altogether, and consigns
them to place analogous to that occupied
by the poor white under the institution 90
slavery. The poor white of California.
who was reduced to that status by the i'm
portation Of Chinese, very naturally pro-
tested In fact, his was the only sincere
protest. He was the member of society
most injured, and was therefore loudest in
his complaint. At first the labor of the
country felt the Chinese competition most
keenlv, and so far as injury was inflicted. it
was upon labor alone. Perfect candor
compels lis 10 say that the sympathies of
the merchant, trade and capitalist class
were either dormant or were arraved on
the side Of the Cinnamon. 4 later devel-
opment Of the Chinese question witnessed
an invasion Of the realm of the merchant
OF the business man, and measurably of
the capitalist class by the Chinese compe-
tition. Especially was the interest of the
manufacturers menaced. The Chinaman
became his own boss, established manufac-
tories, became the merchant of his own
wares and established stores. Whatever
he touched passed sooner or later under his
dominion or control. The manufacture of
shoes, cigars, and of other commodities for
the past ten years has been slowly passing
under the exclusive control of the Chinese
o. this State. Long after it was apparent
TO every political economist, to every
methodical thinker, that the importation
of Chinese was degrading American labor
was driving American men and women
into pauperism-was eliminating them
from well-defined place in the labor sys-
tenn, we heard nothing of the "Ieading
business men" taking active part in anti
Chinese organizations. That species OF
agitation was confined TO the much de-
spised "sandlot;' forum whose audiences
were made up of The men of the "little
tin bucket" and whose orators were re-
cruited from tkc ranks Of labor. The class
who felt most keenly the impoverishing in
fuences OF Chinese competition was natur-
ally deeply in earnest, and most deter
mined in opposition to the further importa-
ton of a labor, which has many parallels.
in its effects, with actual slavery. But
when the Chinaman became his own capt.
talist-the employer of the labor of his
own countrymen-the manufacturer of his
own wares, the merchant OF these wares,
he committed fatal mistake He was at
ticking his allies, the manufacturer and
the merchant He was destroying his last
stronghold of defense The scene
shifts, and the "leading business man
has now become a 'Sandlotter," with
this difference: The sandlotter has
no money with which to hire hall.
The leading business men" may employ
the temples dedicated TO the muses., or may
even secure the use of those devoted to the
worship OF God He can muster his crowd
nv musical serenade of brass instruments
at the door of the hall of assembly. He
can take the sentiments of the sandlot into
more gorgeous settings, and can intersperse
them with the glare Of the foctlights and
the blare of the orchestra. Bat the orig