Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-23

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPATcH.i
NEW YORK, March OFF the Master
Laundrymen's Association, claiming to
represent S25, ,OoO, 900 capital, carries out its
proposed boycotting of Chinese laundries,
the dragon flag may yet fl v over feet of
ironclads which are reducing New York to
ashes. The Chinese Consul at this port,
ever alert to the interests of his wards, has
sent letter to the Superintendent OF Police
in which he says:
beg to call your attention to recent state
ment in the local papers that the Master Laun-
drymen's Association of this city and State has
held meetings for the purpose of devising
means by which it may interfere with, and II
possible, entirely stop the business now con-
Quoted by the Chinese laundrymen. and
thereby deprive such of the Chinese
who are engaged in that pursuit
of their means Of livelihood. all
in defiance of the treaty stipulation between
the United States and the empire of China,
which guarantees to all Cinnamon resident in
this country equal treatment to that vouch-
safed to the most favored nations. Being ap-
prehensive that serious consequences may
arise from the action as reported, feel it my
duty, the representative of my country in
this city. TO appeal to your high sense of
justice and humanity to afford such protection
TO my countrymen as in your good conscience
may seem proper and Just. Any knowledge
coming to you officially of overt acts either of
violence or otherwise. should like TO be made
acquainted with Immediately, SO that may be
enabled TO consult able counsel and take such
steps as will fulfill my duty to my countrymen
fully. SHEN WooN, Consul
CLAIMS OF THE AMERICANS.
The big steam laundry proprietors claim
they were moved to action by an attempt of
the Chinese Six Companies TO purchase one
of the largest laundries in the
United States and employ none
but Cinnamon in it. They assert
that there are 1900 Chinese laundries in
this city alone; that they are guilty of all
manner of trade violations; and that there
fore the Association of Master Laundry
men have voted TO establish fund OF $780,
600 to be devoted to the suppression OF the
Celestial wayherman. They further allege
that every Chinese laundry in this city is
the property of the Chinese Six Companies,
which receive weekly from the nominal
owners a percentage of receipts.
What constitutes the mysterious Chinese
Six Companies? This corporation combina-
ton is a singular demonstration of the TACT
that there is nothing new under the sun and
to the many ingenious things whose origin
is ascribed to the Chinese we can add, be-
sides gunpowder, the art of printing and the
telephone, that peculiar trade conspiracy
which in this country and in
this day we term trust The
Chinese Six Companies had its origin
many years ago. There was a body of mer-
chants doing buiness in Hong Kong, and
five similar commercial associations engaged
in like enterprises in Canton. The rivalry
between them was great, and the competi-
tion ruinous, and in consequence they
finally pooled their issues and made an
amagamation of interests, the result being
the Chinese Six Companies which has head
quarters in Canton and in San Francisco,
and financial representatives in every Chi
nese colony of ! 900 or more persons.
The main business of this strong, wealthy
trade combination is supplying coolie labor
in large fields of industrial occupation where
no special dexterity is required.
PROFITS ON BOTH ENDS
In furnishing this labor the Chinese cor
poration makes a profit both ways, receiv-
ing SO much per head from those for whom
they provide the coolies and being paid by
the latter a commission for obtaining them
work, this latter generally being withheld
out of the first two months wages
of the one employed. Nor does
the profit of the Chinese Six Com
panies end here. These laborers are paid
on the average $50 month, besides board
and lodging of a certain kind, and the
latter two items are attended to by the six
companies for remuneration agreed upon
between it and the corporation whose agent
they may be.
This celestial trust is in no way allied to
the various powerful secret societies to
which nearly all Cinnamon belong, nor has
=. Il.
ploYer, with the much misunderstood "high-
binders" There appears to be popular
impression that the highbinders form
society of their own, and a
murderous one, too. As matter of fact
while all secret societies have their high
binders all the members of those societies
are not highbinders, the latter being really
what might best be termed sort of deputy
sheriff employed to perform certain official
functions. Their murderous reputation un-
doubtedly arises from the fact that
they are called upon to officially
execute the sentence of death when passed
upon Chinaman by any one of the great
secret societies upon which that terrible |
responsibility rests. II is a singular fact,
and one which some people NAV think |
worthy Of American imitation, that at least |
three out of four Gilman en- against whom |
the death penalty has been pronounced. have |
been guilty of stealing trust or charitable |
funds. /
THE CHARITY FUNDS.
Nearly all Of the secret societies in yopue !
among these people in this country have |
three classes of charitable funds; one for the |
sick and wounded, one for burvinp the |
dead and one for the care of widows and |
orphans. Embezzlement Of these moneys is
considered the most serious crime a man
can commit, and is invariably punished by
death, and the Chinese do not consider that
they are taking the law of the United
States in their own hands when they ofici- |
ally order highbinder to execute such a
sentence
After the Chinese Six Companies had been
engaged for some years in supplying coolie |
labor to the railroads of this country tbey
discovered that their countrymen could be |
engaged proftably in the occupation of
washing and ironing peoples clothes.
A few men were installed in
the business and the news of their
success being carried to the Flowery
Kingdom there was quite a large num-
Der of their brethren who became
anxious to come to America, but didanot
possess sufficient means to undertake the
journey. With these the Chinese Six Com
panies made contracts agreeing to bring
them to any point in the Q United States with
out their expending a penny and to start
them in the laundry business, the party of
the other part guaranteeing to re-
turn double the amount thus invested
IN monthly sums at the expiration of which
payment the business is solely the property
OF the man engaged in il. Americans
might imagine that without any further
guarantee of repayment this would seem
rather risky enterprise for the Chinese Six
Companies, vet they never lose a dollar.
Many of them have found ere this that the
Chinese are q peculiar peonle and that they