The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-07

and cheap living, Mr.. Lee replies in effect
that they free Americans from being
hewers of wood and drawers of water
which gives them the opportunity of turn
ing to other and higher things, and argues
machines live on nothing at all; they
have displaced millions of laborers; why
not do away with machines?"
To the complaint that the Chinese do not
desire to become citizens of the country,
he asks: "Why should they! Where
is the inducements" And quotes the
laws, both state and municipal in
California which discriminate against
his countrymen. He cites the fact
that some years ago Chinese living in
California, thinking that the reason they
were prosecuted was because it was be-
lieved they cared nothing about American
citizenship, made application fornaturaliza-
ton papers, and then their prosecutors
took the alarm and secured an enactment
prohibiting any United States or state
court admitting Chinese to citizenship.
To the charges that the Chinese live in
filthy dwellings, on poor food, crowded to
ENLLlOl III AlcAL LON Alcl hAoA
heath and fire ordinances, he maintains
that all these things are unIer the jurisdic-
ton of the respective cities where his
countrymen.reside, and could be remedied
by the city authorities enforcing their
ordinances.
To the complaint that the Chinese come
and 90 as pagans, he quotes the character
istic words of HENRY WARD BEECHER
1--WE have dubbed them, stoned them,
burned their houses, and murdered some Of
them; yet they refuse to be converted. /
do not know anyway, except to blow them
up with nitro glycerine, if we are ever to
get them to heaven" In spite of these
doubtful inducements" says Mr.. LEE,
more than five hundred have been admit
ted to the church"
That the Chinese immigrants are mostly
that they have a criminal class in
China he holds that but few ever came over
here and that was through the neglect Of
officers of the customs house; and then pro
ceeds to quote criminal statistics which
show that while the Chinese population in
California is one in ten, their quota OF
criminals is but one in eighteen; land that
too, where judges and juries are more OF
less preiudiced against them
That the Chinese bring women Of bad
character to San Francisco, and that their
vices are corrupting the morals of the city
he is satisfied to treat in a fine vein OF
irony: "Just imagine" says he, San
Francisco, the most immaculate of cities,
lying helpless under the upas-tree
of Chinese immortality! Have you ever
been to San Francisco: Unless you can
endure paradise and Eden-like purity you
would better not go there. Be
sides churches, they have numerous tenn
pies dedicated to Venus, wherein pious per
sons work of their surplus devotion. Why
is it that these fair vestals wear so little
clothing. They are afraid to clog the
things of the spirit with the habiliments OF
sense Californians are pure, moral and
religious in all that they do. AS for having
disreputable houses or women with loose
morals about them. I tell you they are as
innocent as lambs!''
The present status Of the Chinese ques
ton in the United States is as follows: CHI
nese coolie laborers are prohibited from
coming to America for the next twenty
years, and the courts cOnstrue ''laborers,
/ -
! to mean both skilled and unskilled labOrerS
as we'll as Chinese employed in mining
and furthermore, the Chinaman cannot be
come citizen by any process permitted il
the courts. c That the United States have {
right to say what class of people should bl
admitted into the country we think canno
be reasonably questioned; that our govern
ment has acted impartially and honorably
towards Chinese in the severe discrimina
ton made against immigration from thai
land, is open to grave doubts.