Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-03-21


 through fear of assassination. It is when two Highbinder societies clash in. levying blackmail that trouble comes. The recent murder of Little Pete," the head of the Sam Yup society, is good illustration of the lawlessness of these Chinese braves. ''Littde Pete' had be- come too powerful to suit the See Yups, and they ordered his death. \ reward was offered for his head, and two men shot him down like dog as he was sit- ting in barber's chair.
 There is no question that Pete's friends, as well as his enemies, know who did the shooting, but they will not tell the police. They prefer to have blood for blood, for the vendetta is as we'll recognized in Chinatown as it is in Sicily. It is this establishment of an independent power, hostile to our laws, that makes the Chinese danger ous. Their contempt for our court methods is boundless; they think every judge can be bribed, and they refusel to recognize the sanctity of an oath or the right of the law to force them to give testimony. Nearly every High binder murder in Chinatown is wit messed by score of Chinese, but not one of them will give any information to the police. They cannot be punished for contempt, as imprisonment hus no terrors for them. They feel no shame when cast into jail and they suffer no money loss, as their society pays their regular wages. Thus they arg, as in- dependent of our laws as though they still lived in China.
 Though the Japanese ill California differ radically from the Chinese in many traits-though they conform readily on the surface to our civiliza- tion, yet the best observers declare that they are as great q menace to our institutions as the Chinese ever were. The first to come over from Japan were students, bright, clever, adventurous fellows, who entered many of the col- leges and showed great proficiency In. mathematics and the sciences. Then came poorer grade of students, young men who fancied that knowledge of English would help them to better posi- tions in their own country. These had little money, and to maintain them,- selves they engaged in light household work, always stipulating that they be given several hours day for their studies. As they were polite and fairly industrious, these students were em- ployed as walters or kitchen helpers i'm private families. Their success encour- aged others, and after these came the farmers and coolies who now do SO 1o,- of C,y IL ifornia.
 The Japanese who are now coming into California at the rate of several hundred every month are mainly com mon laborers who have saved little money. They go into the hop fields, the berry ranches, and the sugar-beet farms. They monopolize in many coun- ties the picking of fruit. They adopt the same system as the Chinese in fur nishing help to the fruit growers.
 In San Francisco and In all the largo towns of California are Japanese ern- ployment agencies. The manager will in a few hours fill an order for several hundred fruit pickers to work for a stipulated time at low wages. All these hands board themselves, or, if the ranchman agrees to board them, he is only required to furnish rice and live hogs. The Japs will see to the rest. They will bunk in any outbuilding, or if these are lacking they will camp in tents. They give no trouble to the ranchmans family, and hence they are in demand. They cannot do us much work as a white man; they are not even equal to Chinese; but in a state where it is so difficult to get sober and industrious farm laborers they are wel- comed.
 The Japanese are much more quiet and law-abiding then the Chinese, They maintain no associations for blackmail, nor is crime more common among them than among the whites. They are quick to adopt our customs, and they learn English with astonish- ing ease, though they seldom speak os write it grammatically. The educated class is not menace to free labor, bui the coming in of the coolie class, if mol restricted by legislation, will be sure te bring grave trouble.
 GEORGE IIAMLIN FITCH.
 ARTIFICIAL SitK