Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-17
CHINESE EXCLUSION.

recently held In Philadelphia TOOK up
The Chinese exclusion act and pleaded
for Justice to the Mongollans
Some Of the points he made are in
,orostng as showing what can be said
ON the other side Of that much dis
oussed question He told, for instance
VI the way In which the Chinese were
brought here, They were entreated to
come 10 help build the Pacific road, ana
when they did come they were treated
with distinction and homer. In public
pageants IN San Francisco, they held
positions OF favor and prominence The
change came later, he says, when poll
tcians we're bidding for tho labor vote.
The speaker then stated the objec-
tons raised to Chinese immigration
"The Chinese cannot assimllate with
Americans; they earn money here and
send II back 70 China they underbld
American labor; their manner Of living
Is Inexpensive and they are small con-
mmers they huddlc together In great
numbers and their dwelling places are
unsanilary and dangerous crime and
unchaatlty abound with them IN short,
their Influence Is corruptlng and they
must co.
To all these objections he replied
soriatlm. the burden Of his argument
being In the first place, that the
anomalous conditions under which
The Chinese live here are due chiefly to
the race prejudice that makes them
the objects Of persecution; and In the
second place that similar arguments
could be advanced against many inn
migrants from other countries too,
The chief reason for the objection to
the Chinese immigration, however Is
thls that between the Caucasian and
Monaghan races a guf exists which
cannot easlly be bridged, Immigrants
from Europe asslmllate with the peo-
pie here In few years they are all
Americans, with American ideals, and
loyal supporters Of American institu-
tons The Chinese do not become
Americans, They form lmperium IN
imperIo. They maintain their language.
their habits their religion and their
prejudiced opinions OF western oivillza-
ton Il IL perfectly clear, that were
they 10 congrogate In large numbers,
their presence might create another
race problem, no less intricate than
that presented by the negro problem,
II Is perfectly useless to ignore such
facts
In the abstract II liz perfectly true
that this country should be an asylum
to the oppressed Of the nations Of the
earth, and that all nations should have
an equal chance But this principle
cannot be carried out TO the point Of
destruction of the refuge itself, and It
is clear thar unless some regard In
had for radical differences IN race
characteristics, this may be the ultl-
mate result The difficulties In many
! parts Of the country, where the Afrl-
cans and Caucaslans stand against one
another. point a lesson In this direc-
! ton,
Besides. the Chinese do not come here
to escape the tyranny OF their own
government They do not come here,
prompted by love for democratic prIn-
ciples, or by desire to find place
where they can worship free from per-
Secution They are no pilgrims set
ting out for a land of freedom, They
come TO earn more money than they
can do at home. Their hearts, their
sympathies are all beyond the seas.
Here they are eYles, hoping to return
rich to The land that TO them is the
celestial empire, over which one
rules who 10 them Is more than any
mortal. There is no reason why the
United States should be opened to them,
unless It can be shown that they are
needed for its material development,
and this, Of course, Il IL not. The
Chinese themselves are but too anxious
TO get rid Of the strangers within their
own gates, II ever the time comes that
they are willing TO admit and Join the
general march of progress, arguments
for their admlttance TO the benefits en-
joyed by civilized nations can be adj
vanced with more force than at the
nresent time.