The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-21
TO SHUT Out CHINOS
Union Cooks and Walters Will OPP
Y pose Celestial Restaurants.
FOUR PLACES To BE PIcKETED
Ye Sing Says He'll Stand on His
Rights as an American
Citizen.

Four Chinese restaurants OF lower town
will be .picketed'' by the cooks and
walters unions tomorrow morning. Mem
bers Of labor unions who patronize these
restaurants will be approached by the
pickets whenever they show up at the
eating places at noon time, and asked TO
join in the boycott. The union men who
are already Interested in the move claim
that the Chinese restaurants depend in
large measure upon organized labor for
their support, and that il the union men
can be persuaded to eat elsewhere, the
places will be compelled to close up.
Eve will proceed about this matter in
a perfectly legitimate way said Presl-
dent Clifford, of the cooks union. There
viii be no attempt at violence. There is
no disposition to resort to force. We be-
lieve that when the public understands
our position and the attitude OF these chi
nese Joints toward organized labor they
will be with us. Our men will simply be
stationed at the doors OF these restaur=
ants. and whenever they see union man
about to enter, they Will undertake to
talk him out of it.
Chinese now control restaurants on
First avenue, Nicollet and Washington,
and are about to secure the Flour City on
Hennepin Six hunks have just been put
in the kitchen for imported coolie cooks.
These fellows are paid 81 or 20 a week,
where white cook would get from $2O
to $780, 1t has been the experience in
other cities infested by ChiZse that they
gradually move up town and buy out the
better class of restaurants. That may
happen here and we are going to make
living fight. We know that Chinese have
| their eyes on other restaurants, and we
are going after them before they get too
strong foothold and demoraiize the
business. .....
Ye Sing Is Serene.
Ye Sing, proprietor of the Canton res
| taurant on First avenue 5, is not at al
disturbed over the menacing attitude OF
organized labor.
81 am a naturalized American citizen,
said he, ~"and as such will stand upon my
rights and demand just treatment. The
| class of people l cater to will not be
greatly influenced by the labor unions.
have lived in Minneapolis for twenty
years, have worked hard for my money,
and every cent of capital represented in
1 this restaurant l have earned myself. 1t
lis lie that San Francisco company is
| furnishing money for the establishment of
Ethese restaurants. 1t is also lie that
we pay starvation wages. l pay my en-
| ployes we'll, serve the very best food and
keep my place clean. 1t is the old Call
| fornia cry that is being made against US,
| but l don't believe it will affect us much.
L
a right to invest my money as see Mt.
| The cooks union has no fault to find
as yet with new chop sooey house which
has opened recently on First avenue.
They say that it is making specially OF
Chinese dishes, and that Its prices are SO
high as to be practically prohibitive to
the ordinary working man who Is looking
for white mans grub-not fancy oriental
dishes. . ..... >......
Labor Council Appealed To.
At Wednesday nights meeting Of the
Trades and Labor council representatives
of the cooks and walters unions ap-
peared and asked for assistance to deal
with the Chinese restaurants. They re-
ported that there were now no less than
six OF these establishments In M1nneap-
oils, and probably more coming. All nave
entered the local field within. the last
year or so. The protestant affirmed that
these restaurants were esta blished and
owned by San Francisco company with a
large capital behind it, and that 1t was
making practice of purchasing the To-
cations and good will Of cheap restaur-
ants in western cities and operating I'M
der the name of Chinese restaurants, with
a scale of prices for food and service that
must inevitable lead to serious democrat
ization in the trade. They were all non
union concerns, it was reported p
The council sent the protestants away
with the promise Of active support. II
necessary the council will go to the ex-
tent of declaring a boycott against the
Chinese establishments and their patrons.