Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-04
COLONIAL CHEAP LABOR.

For many years past EFFORT upon effor
OF the United States Government hal
been addressed 20 stopping the flow O.
Chinese immigration into this country
Statute after statute upon the subject
has been passed. The result has beer
that this country has been saved from
tho inundation OF Chinese that once
threatened us.
Public sentiment will continue TO held
our government to that policy; yet, IL the
Philippine Islands are TO be annexed TO
the United States, how will 1t be posi-
Bile 10 prevent the Filpinos from
coming here? We understands Of course.
that Cinnamon who are aliens in the
Philippines will continue aliens, should
our government annex those islands; but
not so the native Filipinos. They would
then become American citizens, of some
sort.
II is true that the population OF the
Philippines is not great enough to threat
en- us with such immense disaster as
would come to us from China, but Tor
the restrictive laws; yet, there are tens
Of thousands of F'ilipinos who will want
10 make their homes in this lana, ana
who are quite willing TO engage 10 WORK
here for about one-half the money thal
Is paid TO our own laborers.
II may be said, however, that they are
so very poor they will not be able tc
raise the money to pay their passage 10
our shores. True, but when our great
corporations find 1t 20 their interest to
bring those laborers here, can 1t De
doubted that they will hesitate to bring
them here by the ship-load? we thihK
not They have brought Hungariahs'
Italians. and other southern European
here by the thousand, and why
should they not bring Filippinos, If, by
so doing, they could increase their
profits?
Again, there are considerable NUMBERS
OF Chinese laborers in Cuba and Porto
Rico. How many of them have been
naturalzed there we do not know-pro-
badly a large number. What is to be
their status? viii they not be annex
ed" with the land upon which they i've!
Cou,d we hinder them from transferring
their place of residence in our West lndia
Colonies TO the States? Hardly.
Thus we see that the acquisition OF new
territory may bring with 1t a trouble
never dreamed of by us in the beginning.
We imagine that there is not so much
n fear from the West Indian population
IS from the Fflipinos. Prices Of labor
n the West Indies are higher than In the
pbilippine Islands, and the inducement
IN those people TO immigrate hither viii,
therefore, be much less. But In the Philip
pine Islands the laborer is paid little, IL
lry, more than his brother in China. His
abor will, therefore, be brought into
competition with that of our own laborer,
either by employment given him at his
nome, or by transporting him here. In
.jther event, If the Republican expansion
dea. is to prevail. American labor is like
Y 10 be subjected TO a competition of the
billing kind.
II is remarkable that the party that has
1oasted Of the protection" its tariff af-
lords American labor should now be
found supporting policy that is full Of
peril TO the workingmen of this land. We
hear a vast deal nowadays about the
great things that our capital, skill, and
are going to do in developing our
Colonial possessions, but 1t would be
more to the point to enquire how terri
.orfal expansion will affect our home
abor market.