Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-07-17
CHINESE VS.. NEGRO LABOR.
Does the South Want the Exclusion
Act Repealed.

Does the south want Chinese labor?
That Is a question sprung all at once
by the demand of the Mobile Regis
ter, that southern congressman work
for the repeal Of the Chinese exclusion
| act, so that Cinnamon may come into
the southern states and compete with
the Negro as laborers. ~, -.
That paper thinks the competition
would have good effect on industry
in this section.
The New York Sun, in discussing the
Registers proposition, makes some i'm
portant observations on the subject,
which will be read with interest. The
Sun says:
1T is somewhat remarkable to find a
paper in Alabama, The Daily Regis
ter, Of Mobile, urging representatives
in congress from the southern states to
unite In demanding the repeal Of the
Chinese exclusion law. Why? Because
ave need in the south a million active
Chinese to wake the Negro population
into activity" "Get rid Of the exclu-
sion law, SO far as we are affected by
It."
1.-THE trouble with the south, accord
ing to this Mobile paper, Is that the
Negro has no competitor in certain
lines Of work. agricultural labor, more
especially. and the Chinese competition
Is needed to break up the trust II
these views were held generally by
southern employers Of labor, and the
national bar to Chinese immigration
was let down for their benefit, they
would probably soon get their million
Cinnamon; but what would be the con-
sequence? They would have on their
hands a new and far more troublesome
race question.
"The law excluding the Chinese, so
violent in its departure from our prin-
ciple Of hospitality to immigration, was
passed because of the urgent demand
Of the Pacific coast, to which the
Cinnamon were coming in numbers go
great that they threatened to swarm
over those states and throughout the
union. Violent objection was made to
them as alien not only in race, but also
in religion, morals, habits and tone.
They had proved themselves efficient
in the construction Of railroads and in
other enterprises necessary to the de-
velopment Of the Pacific coast states,
but on the ground that they brought
social decentralization and the degrada-
tion Of labor the outcry against them
came from every district into which
they penetrated and the animosity was
expressed in frequent riots. Their i'm
was argued. would swamp our civiliza-
ton.
Accordingly, after an attempt had
been made to restrict 1t by state legis-
lation, which was declared unconsti-
tutional, the national exclusion act re-
ferred to by the Mobile paper was
passed and approved. AS representa-
tive from Oregon declared In congress:
All political parties in all the states
west of the Rocky Mountains have de-
ciared themselves in favor Of measures
looking to the exclusion Of the Chinese
1t was a burning question throughout
the ranks of labor, and the flame would
burst out again not less furiously If an
attempt was made by the south to re-
peal the exclusion act. and 1t would
be hottest in the south itself; for the
argument against the Chinaman Is that
he is more disturbing socially, more
dangerous, than even the Negro, since
his habits are formed and fixed under
a civilization of his own which Is Of
fensive to ours he Is unassimiliable
and carries with him moral and social
degradation wherever he goes.
If, then. the bars were let down ard
Chinese immigration allowed to pour
into the south by the million, as the
Mobile paper advises, an agitation