The Portland daily press., 1900-06-13
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD
CHINA.
Injustice of the Chinese immigration
Laws.

1.-The Chinese COnSul ueneral Ut Sdh
Francisco in the Forum.)
The policy of the administration at
Washington will do much to popularize
the United States in China, especially
amongst the trading classes at the Free
Ports. But there are yet some dark spots
on the disk of trade, and these need to be
FURNISHED off by vigorous rubbing. The
best cleansing powder is better knowledge
of the Chinese people and wider trade re
lations with them. The spots to which
refer are the laws of this nation toward
Chinese immigrants. The laws of the
United States prohibiting Chinese immi-
grafton are without parallel in the codes
of the world, and can only be compared
TO the regulations of the Chinese nation
itself in period of its history TO which
we would under no consideration revert.
Moreover, in addition to it's inherent
injustice, the statute is based on mis-
conception of conditions and mistake in
facts. 1t had its origin with the rabble.
Its promoters were speakers from the
tops of soap-boxes and the tail l-skids of
drays. 1t was caught up by politicians
when the clamor had gathered strength
with the mob, and when appearances in
dicated that the latter could poll votes
enough to elect its ringleaders to office.
Whenever calm and dispassionate in
uuiry into the conditions was held the
verdict was sure to be In favor Of the
Chinese and it was on this account that
the. friends of justice in Congress held out
SO long against the demands upon that
body for measures Of exclusion.
Nevertheless, the situation here as re-
CARDS the Chinese was remarkable, and
in the nature Of things could not occur
again. The Chinese were brought here
to grade and build the Central Pacific
railroad A thousand miles of railroad
hal to be laid across deserts and over
neutrality-suspicious. the most difficult
feat of railway construction which, up
to that time, had been attempted in the
United States. The road was to be built,
too, In a part of the continent that was
practically without Inhabitants, and,
therefore, in advance Of settlement.
White workmen could not be had. Three
thousand miles yawned between the res
ervoirs of population, and the journey
was tedious and slows SO the building of
the rdllfOdu udu 10 Do pusucO az Oucc.
Ten thou sand men were needed, and rake
and scrape as the builders would, only
$40 whites could be gathered to engage in
the work.
In this exigency the experiment with
Chinese laborers was tried. At first 1t
was thought that they would prove ineffi-
eient-that they were too light Of body to
stand the heavy work; that they could
not endure the fatigues of the occupation.
A few were put on the lightest parts of
the work and since these proved their
ability to perform well all they We're set
to do, the experiment was extended, and
before long Chinese were doing all the
skilled labor which the work required.
They received but $3l per month and
boarded themselves, while the whites
were paid $45 per month and found. Yet,
according to the testimony OF James
Htrobridge superintendent of construc-
tion, and Charles Crocker, one Of this
five proprietors Of the road who had
charge of the construction, the Chinese
were more reliable and more efficient
laborers than the whites. They could
excel the whites in any branch Of the
work, whether light shovelling or the
heaviest rock drilling; and body of
Chinese even excelled in results an equal
number of picked Cornish miners who
We're set to drill one end of tunnel
through mountain. The Chinese were
put upon the other end and the two
gangs started from q shaft at the centre
In order to supply the thousands OF
Chinese required for this great work the