Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-04-13
rnR CooLIE CoRpROArIOSs.

The public corporations on the Pacific
coast employ very extensively alien
labor. Chinese and Japanese coolies
compose the section and grading
crsws on the Pacific railroads. On the
railroads Of Oregon they build and re-
pair the tracks, aud culyerts and trestle
WORK almost exclusively. Only las
month the Southern Pacific had trouble
In southern Oregon over discharging
an old section gang and putting on
Japanese in their places. Federal rnar-
shals were sent for to preserve corpora
tion property and keep the peace, owing
to the bad blood stirred up among tb.
white American laborers who SAW
themselves thrown out Of employment
BY the allen coolie laoor of Asia. They
went 70 their cabins fully convinced
that an outrage had been committed
upon them aud their families.
The Pacific coast Is rapidly settlinp
up with free white citizens who ar.
voters, and 1t Ii growing Issue wheth-
or this labor caD much longer be dis
placed on public corporations by th.
alien coolie class. II was stated In
recsnt public address that one of the
millionaIres who owns the Southern
Pacific made over $40O an hour or $l0,-
600 day out Of the profits Of this coolie
labor. No wonder Stanford and Hunt.
ington are multi-millionaires, when
they are reapipg the profits Of this DE-
graded Asiatic labor.
The coolie maintains no houses,
schools, churches or govern ment. He
pays no taxes. buys little or no Amer
lean products, and possesses no virtues
that constitute American citizenship.
His civilization IL contained In an
equipment consisting Of piece Of mat
ting and tin kettle to make tea. He
gets % cents day and large part OF
this goes TO maintain the six compan-
les In exercising n kind Of slavery over
him and import more coolies by way
Of the British possessions.
Why shall these public corporations
be allowed TO continue to enrich tho
miliionaires 1t the ex pense Of American
labor? There is no justice Ia IL. They
owe their existence to charters granted
Wy vOuk ,uss auu 40 business under
state laws enacted by representatives
Of American voters. They were given
grants Of public lands aud are given
government contracts to carry the
malls aud troops Of our country, and
are supported by the traffic Of our COM
merce and protected by our laws aud
courts. Why shall their pay rolls be
defiled with the names OF an alien and
degraded race who never can become
American citizens? A law should be
passed at once by state legislatures and
by congress forbidding any public cor
poration rendering public service
from employing any other than free
born or naturallxed American citizens
II h bad enough to allow the coolie la
bor 10 displsce free labor In private em-
ploymsnt In farming operations and
workshops. To fill the payrolls Of pub
lie corporations with hAsiatios who never
intend to assume the obligations Of cit
ixenship Ia an sfffont to patriotic Amer
icAns, and an Insult 10 our protection
policy. We shut out the prospects OF
pauper labor but pauperize American
families by shutting thousands of them
out Of employment right here In Ore
goD. Let public corporations employ
In their services only American citizens
or such M eau become citizens.