The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-01-29
THOUGHTS ON THE CHINESE
QUESTION.

Social Science Association by NJ. M
scott.
published at request Of the Association.)
Whether or not it is founded on a
generalization wide and deep enough,
a belief exists, especially among the
European races that have come most
closely in contact with the Chinese,
that competition with the latter in
certain important occupations is dis
astrous.
1t is a question of comparatively
recent origin. Until less than a half
century ago, the Chinese, by their
own exclusiveness, were shut out
from competition with people of
Europe and America. And it is,
perhaps, fair to assume when Eng
land, with the other European gov
ernments and the United States,
Numbered at the gates Of the mid
die kingdom" for treaty Of friend
ship, amity, and commerce." guaran-
teeing one another the right of free
intercourse, trade and residence,
that any one Of these governments
thought it would be called upon to
forcibly, and by questionable means,
put an end to that free competition
which it voluntarily, yea almost
with cannon for argument, sought,
was out of the question. Yet such
is now the case. 1t will be the effort
of this paper, briefly, and certainly
inadequately, to try TO show, with
the facts we have, whether this fear
has a substantial basis and If SO,
what are some Of the causes that en-
able the Chinese to do cheaper work
than the European.
The fear of competition, so far as
[ know, was first formulated IN Cali
fOrnia and Australia. These are the
two countries in which the Chinese,
in large numbers, first came into
contact with men of European
origin.
In early mining days in Cali
fOrnia, the Chinese were burdened
with tax called the " foreign min
ers' tax" of four dollars a month.
This tax was supposed to be levied
upon all aliens-that is on those not
citizens Of the L. S. N; but as q
matter Of fact no one paid it except
Cinnamon. Notwithstanding tx II 5
hn 1IttSlo, lie Chinese mined success
fully. They worked cheap placers,
mines abandoned by men wanting
higher wages, and ''tailings'-dirt
which had been once washed-and
to them the results seemed like a
fortune. From mining they branch
ed out into other occupations, first
gardening, then cigar-making, into
the boot and shoe business, etc. 1t
was not, perhaps, until between go
and 10, about IS or 6 that the hue
and cry of Chinese Cheap Labor
was raised.
The Democratic party, then in the
minority and in bad OdOr, first made
the Chinese question political one.
1t was charged by their opponents,
the Republicans, that the cry was
pure demagoguery. [ am inclined
to the belief that if not entirely, it
had largely the virus of demagOgu
ism mixed with it at the beginning.
The opposition to Chinese labor
competition, thus early brought to
itself, as It's ally, the idle, the worth
less, the thriftless and the incOm-
petent.
The sentiment, however, gradu-
ally gained ground on the Pacific
Coast among all classes and condi-
tons of men that the competition of
the Chinese was an evil. The Pa
citic Mail Co. had steamers of enOr-
nous size constructed for the ex-
press purpose of carrying them from
! China to San Francisco. From 1000
! to 1900 coolies were carried every
trip. The business was very profit
| able to the company. Sentiment on
the coast quickly underwent com
/ plete change. Politicians of both
| parties denounced the traffic as mi
| quitous in itself and ruinOus to the
/ permanent prosperity of the State.
/ Merchants, tradesmen and manufac-
| turers; politicians and men of no
/ politics; clergymen and chambers of
| commerce all united in memorials to
| Congress to stop, or at least to res
trict, an influx that had the appear
ance Of prospective ruin.
At first, Congress took no notice of
these memorials. The influential
newspapers and magazines of the
! Eastern States denounced the Pacific
Coast delegation in Congress as
demagOgues and their constituents
as "hoodlums" Few members of
! Congress of either House east of the
Rocky Mountains could be induced
to give their sanction to any measure
favoring even a modified restriction.
Notably the New England represen-
| tatives and senators were averse to
such measures. They were invited
/ to visit San Francisco, and to see
/ for themselves the effect that Chi
nese competition had, and was likely
/ to have on the future development of
/ the great State of California, indus
/ trially and socially. Few of these
men returned to their homes with
/ out, at least, modifying their views
/ of the Chinamau and his methods.
They came to scott" but went back
| convinced.
Thus after years Of agitation, after
treaties modifying and restricting it,
we finally have the spectacle Of a
nations taking matters into its own