The morning call., 1890-04-17
FROM THEIR STANDPOINT.

! In reference to the action of the Method
! list Episcopal Church in the East in con-
! demning as rnchristian and impolitic the
! Chinese Exclusion Act New York con-
! temporary says that from their standpoint
! the Methodists are entirely right. II is
worth while now to Inquire if the Method
list point of view is right. That they sim
cerely regard it so will be admitted. The
question is if they have the full compreEen-
sion of the subject which enables them to
come to just conclusion. The Methodist
Missionary Society has in China seventy
five missionaries aud several hundred thou
sand dollars worth of property in the form
| OF churches, school houses, furniture,
books, etc. They say that if the Chinese
| Government should retaliate the missionar-
les would be driven ont and the property
confscated. The question may be relieved
at once Of It's property complication. II its
property were ten times what it is it would
not enter into a comprehensive cOnsidera-
ton Of the case. The Chinese in the
United States earn somewhere from
S25,0o0,0G0 to SS0.G000O0 a year. They do
no work that would not be as well done
by our people if the Chinese were not here.
They establish no new industries. but
simply take such places in the field of
labor as they can get on aee0sint OF their
~cneapnesS. l. Is not known exactly what
proportion of their earnings they send
home, but as they make no investments in
this country of a permanent character, it is
fair TO consider that their entire savings
are sent out of the country. This can
hardly be less than one-third of their earn
ings, and is probably more. They conse-
quently constitute drain on the country
of frop, 70 lON ppn
There are more than 100000 of these people
in the United States, but yeXr few become
Christians. Yet it will be admitted that if
we cannot convert a considerable pro-
portion of those subject to our in
duence the results of missionary la
bors in China are likely to be meager. We
give all possible consideration to the be-
lief on the part of the Eastern Methodsts
that the Exclusion Act stands in the way
OF their work In China. But in view of the
fact that the Chinese in the United States
are the disseminators of immortality
and crime, and that they are actually de-
bauchlng thousands, yes hundreds Of thou
| sands Of the rising generation, their pres
ence must be an injury to the country
| ii residents in California realize that
with the unrestricted entrance of Chinese
J into the United States, they would soon
establish sinks of iniquity in our cities
and towns which would eventuate IN the
ruin of vast numbers of the rising genera
ton. In a religious point of view it does not
seem advantageous TO permit such state
of degradation and crime as these people
have brought to obtain any stronger foot
| hold than it has already secured.
1t is probable also that our Eastern Meth
odist friends take an a!armist view of the
| possible results of Chinese exclusion.
| There are thousand Chinese in this eoun-
! try to one American in China The'Ameri-
can Government secures to these Chinese
residents all the rights of other residents
| except that of naturalization. The Chinese
are protected in life, property and the pur-
suit of wealth If there were a DISPOSE
ton on the part of any considerable num-
Der of our people to deny Chinese these
! privileges, the Government would protect
them. In the few cases where their prop
erty has been destroyed by lawless action
| it has been paid for three times over. a
| Government which is so scrupulous in its
protection of Chinese in this country will
require the Chinese Government to exer-
else a like protection over Americans in
! China