The herald., 1893-10-15
4 TRAMP AIRS HIS VIEWS,
He Had Tried Grape Picking
at Fresno.
His Idea of Life Across the Track
and in General.
pncific Coast People, Ho Says, Are Not
Sincere on tho Chinese Question.
HIs Experience as Ono of
the Unemployed.

Yuma Times: He eat on the river
bank watching the turbid Colorado roll
endlessly by. His clothes and face were
eoiled with travel; he was picture OF
misery and had missed his train.
1t Is not often that men in reduced
circumstances are willing to talk OF their
condition and this one proved no ex-
ception to the rule. But after pull or
two from the the Times mans beautiful
cut glass flask, single geezer from
which would loosen the tongue in a
craven image, he grew quite loquacious.
"Where did l come from?" he re-
peated in response to the reporters in
quiry. "Well, from Freeno direct, but
l went to that place from Dursngo,
Colo. You see, when the silver mines
begun closing down it affected labor
throughout the whole state and many
men lost their jobs who were not di-
rectly connected with silver mining. Of
course, il the suspended mines had any
hope OF starting up soon no exodus
would have occurred, but with little
hope of an immediate rise in silver the
most of us had to screw ont.
"Every body in our locality advised us
to 90 to Fresno, Cal, and pick grapes.
We had a rather indefinite idea of Fres-
no or what chances there would be of
getting jobs after we got there. How
ever there was little to choose from in
the matter and after tedious trip on
the freight trains, gang OF we Durango
boys turned up at Fresno ready for the
grape picking.
"You Pacific coast people are not sim
cere III your attitude on the Chinese
question. You people in Yuma may be,
ior you have Chinese here only in linn
tied number and they do not compete ir
the labor market; but you should see
Fresno's Chinatownl Across the track,
they call it up there. 1t is the part of
town set aside for the coolies, tin horn
you can hear the interminabie bsbble
OF the Chinese, noisy as a flock OF brant
geeae, mingled with quarrelings of the
demi monde and occasionally witness a
Het-to between French lady and her
maquereau, in which the FreHnoan at
mosphere is filed with GAELIC expletives
and hundred articles OF feminine toll
etry which You wouldn't probably know
the names OF. as you have an innocent
look abont you as though you weren't
married."
But how about the grape picking
job" said the Times reporter; what
had the Chinese and the French lady to
do with your employment in the vine-
yardsf"
The latter had nothing to do with it
at all,' responded the tourist, sadly
returning again the beautiful cut-glass
flsek, but the Chinese pick the Fresno
grapes. There is great deal OF buster
and talk on the coast in regard to en-
ploving white labor to the exclusion of
Chinese, but it all ends in talk the
vineyardists attend the labor meeting,
make speeches in favor OF white labor
and take wagon load OF Chinese out to
their ranches the same night. That ia
why cay the people OF the const are
not sincere on the Chinese question.
Some of the boys got work on the Paige
d Morton ranch west sof Tulare, but
that firm was the largest employer of
white grape pickers in the San Joaquin
valley. While Paige & Morton gave the
preference to white pickers, yet they
were an exception, and as rule the
vineyardists OF the San joaquin valley
prefer Chinese.
Eyes, Pm on the road now. Califor-
mia hes plethora OF laboring men and
Pm trying to 60 east. came into Yuma
along with about 40 other bobos, and
failed to make the train when the
boys went out. We dined at the Wo
Lee restaurant en- masee and got lost
in the foot race that occurred between
ourselves and the restaurant people i'm
medately after dinner. The crowd
which was travelling with was motley
one and included several coons. The
color line is not drawn very tightly when
one is on the road, for misfortune ere.
ates strange bsdfellows.
'But why the cause OF all this?" said
the Times man, who was itching for an
opportunity TO chow off his piety,
"When the good God gave you health
and the Colorano mine ownex gave you
work. why didn't you rave up your
dough instead of blowing yourself in ?"
Whisky is the cause of most OF this
Distress" said the tourist, who began
to show signs of excessive thirst by
spitting cottony. "Booze gets the most
oil us down.. As for myself, however,
never taeted a drop of the hellish stuff
until you accomplished my seduction a
few minutes ago. 1t was not right for
you to throw couple OF geezers OF S..
whsky into me to make me talk.
Thanks, you are too kind; never had a
!, chance to smoke two-bit cigar before.
will always remember the handsome
newspaper man with the beautiful cut
glase flask. take the blind tonight for
Tucson"