The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-27
IMMIGRATION OF CHINESE.
/ Problem Which Is AEitatinE the
PcnnIt. of California.

SAN FRANCISCO. May 2I--The local
Chinese problem = gain beginning to as-
itate the people of California. especially
in San Francisco. The Geary law which
fer ten years prohibits the immigration
Of the Chinese. expires by limitation with
in less than one year and unless II IS re
enacted, or a similar measure passed the
bars viii be lowered, the ports opened,
and the people of the Celestial Empire
viii be enabled to enjoy equal privileges
of American liberty with all other races
California fears for the worst if that
should happen
The people believe that the State would
be overrun with Cinnamon. that vast
hordss of pig-taiIIed Mougolians would
swarm in San Francisco. and that there
would be a repetition of the struggle
which preceded for some years the pas
sage of the Chinese Exclusion act. or that
even worse conditions would result. So
an overwhelming majority of CalifoTni-
ans are in favor of the re-enaCtment OF
the Gcary lay, and not few would have
the new measure apply to all the Orieu-
tai races in order to exclude the japanese
as wei as the Chinese
Those who viii oppose any legislation
which viii discriminate against the Chi
nese further, are principally the big rail-
roads, the corporations employing large
numbers of workmen, and the missiona-
RES The latter, while comparatively few
can, nevertheless, make themselves heard
and their influence felt wherever they
can exert it. They still believe that 1t IS
possible to Christianize the Chinaman,
while those who. know his nature best de
clare that experience, has shown that 1t
Is impossible to either Christianize or
Emericarize the Celestial
He atteTds the Christian Sunday School
and makes .pretence of being convert
because it serves his purpose; he Is thus
enabled to learn the English language
and many other things which viii aid HIM
in making fortune here These acquired
h. returns TO his old beliefs, his old as
s0ciations and always cherishes- If ne
never realizes. the desire to return to the
land Of his fathers.
It is not because of love for the China
man that the corporate interests, or Ger
tain of them. espouse his cause against
exclusion. It is u matter Of business and
not one Of sentiment with them The
! Chinaman represents cheap labor; the
employer Of labor wants to acquire that
commodity in the lowest market The Chi
naman will save a fortune on wages
which would cause an American to staTVe-
/ 1t Is for this reason that the Iaboring peo-
! pie are 20 a man sOIid!y allied against
/ Chinese immigration
] Still for all this there is not the violent
/ opposition to the Chinaman that there
! was ten OF twelve years ago in California
I His presence here is tolerated while then
it was most strenuously denounced IN
the southern part Of the State there are
thousands of people who declare that
they would be almost unable 70 get along
without the Chinaman- He makes the
best servant in the world. He Is faithful
honest, quiet, diEigent. and untiring- He
+ learns readily and is capable Of doing
anything anyone else can do.
While liberation of the Chinanan seems
to be increasing. friendliness for the Jap
is fast decreasing in many respects Many
there are who prefer to see the Chinanan
remain rather than the Jap. The latter.
tbev-assert- is treacherous and arrogant,
which the Chinaman is not japanese i'm
migration Is fast increasing, and 1t VIII
not be long before there are more natives
of Jauan on the coast than natives of
China. The japanese assimilate with
Americans, wear our dress. and affect our
manners and methods, while the Chinese
are cIauish. wear their que1es and pecU-
. liar dress. send their money back to Chi
IA. and If they do not return while alive
their bones are always shipped to that
/ country for ultimate burial NOtwith-
standing this the Chinese do not compete
/ With American labor in the same manner
! as 90 the Japanese The latter enter IN
: competition with skilled workmen more
( than do the Chinese. The japanese aspire
also to the professions, and their industry
/ and skin make them dangerous rivals to
+ Americans. They are entering such lines
as photography draughting, and DENTS
Z try. and scoTning the manual labor which
/ the Chinese readily accept Consequently
autagouisn to the japanese is rapidly
/ growing. and an effort Will be made 70
exclude them as well as the Chinese. al
/ though few if any anticipate success in
this direction IN fact. it would not sur
! prise many CaIif0rniaHs. although they
( VIII not admit that such is the case. that
/ notwithstanding the efforts which they
! EziI make to have the Geary law re-en-
{ acted, 10 see the measure fail and no fur
+ iheT legislation mad against the Chinese
The reasons which they assign for thciI
/ fears are. uTSL- that the people Of the
( East whore there are so few Cinnamon
( do not understand the Chinese problem
/ as do people in California. and second
/ the belief that q discrimination against
] the Chinese would operate against the
{ United States in the trade relations with
( mgnL is that whatever treaties the Powers
: demand the Chinese Government VIII be
f obliged 10 grant. and that the United
/ States viii thus be accorded all the ad-
/ VaItageS which any other nation enjoys
I and that China viii be forced TO consider
/ trade relations entirely apart from any
I question Of Chinese exclusion There arr
7 some who believe that q certain amount
/ Of Chinese labor is necessary TO Cali
/ fCTnia. as negro labor is IN n larger de
/ gree necessary to the South. who would
I he willing 10 have Chinese immigration
/ limited but not entirely restricted. and
{ who maintain that this could be done by
| the passage Of an-eXclUSiOu act, and then
! negIecting to strictly enforce it, SO that 4
! few Chinese might be admitted
! The Chinese population OF California
/ has diminished considerably in the past
/ ten years. In some places the decrease
is as great as 80 per cent The reasons
are evident immigration has practically
/ ceased, some Cinnamon have gone farther
east, and a Few have returned TO China
then there has been the natural cause OF
decrease. and there being fewer women
( than men. and no naIgdmatiOG. the
/ death rate has exceeded the birth rate in
/ Chinatown The population of this sec
! tiou Of San Francisco varies from 1900
I to $500 at different times OF the year
I being least when large numbers Of Chi.
/ nose 20 into the country districts to work
There Is the Chinaman's side TO the
I question as well as the Americans Cal
I iforuia laws have been made to Operatg
/ against the Chinese in every possible way
/ vet they have thrived and Pr0spered- For
instance. they have been prohibited from
running their lauudTleS on sunday while
the EaUcaSiaHs are permitted to keeE
their barr0Dms open and in full blast al
/ the Sabbath through The Chinamau IS
! OF no crime against his American neigh
Dor, it is only against his own kinsmar