Evening star., 1919-07-27

was coming to be dis
Chinese cussed fifty years ago.
n.A: though it had not
reached the acute stage.
In The Star of July 10, 1853. is an edi-
torial consideration Of the matter. in
part as follows:
THE rapidly increasing immigration
from Asia to America by way Of the
Pacific ocean, and the facilities afford
ed by the completion OF the railroad
across the continent for the trans
portation Of these new constituents OF
the human mosaic which makes up
our varied nationality to an parts Of
the country, Is one Of the great ques-
| tions Of the day. and as such is being
discussed by the leading journals
! throughout the United States. As
might be expected, the discussion
takes a very wide range. embracing
the past, present and prospective ex-
tent of Chinese immigration. the char
acter and capacity Of the newcomers
and the consequences Of their intro
duction into this country in large
numbers on our labor interests, re-
ligion, social life. politics, etc. AL
| ready there are two parties formed
One of these would stop immigration
if it could on the ground that 1t
brings in competition without our
present laborers q much cheaper
! class. and thus reduces wages, while
it also tends to degrade the national
| character by mingling with it an in
ferior type Of humanity. The working
men of the country-we speak of
those particularly who are organized
into labor unions-seem disposed to
throw the weight of their influence in
this direction.
$50 far this anti-Asiatic party is
upon whom the matter forces itself in
a practical shape, since they have al
ready 100000 Chinese in their state
with more continually arriving, and
they seem to dislike this addition to
their population, both their laws and
their customs discouraging it. A.
Chinaman in California has no civil
testimony of his countryman is not
received in court, so that his suits for
money due usually fail for want Of
witnesses. He is taxed far beyond
what citizens are taxed, and person
ally he can be abused by any ruffian
with impunity. But while the demo-
cratic state convention OF California
two weeks ago resolved that the
democrats Of California believe that
the labor of white people should not
be brought in competition with the
labor of a class of inferior people,
whose living costs comparatively
nothing, and who added nothing to
the wealth of our state, and who care
or know nothing about churches.
schools, societies and social and politi-
cal institutions we find a convention
Of southern democrats in Memphis
last week who think cheap labor a
the introduction of an inferior race,
and who say they are prepared to alb
Sorb a million OF Chinese laborers in
the southern states within year, with
vast advantages to the whole country
'The arguments used in favor of
Chinese Immigration are manifold, but
here are few points condensed from
Ia long article in the New York Sun:
% That we have not the moral right
to exclude the Chinese from our coun-
try. (2) That inasmuch as we are
knocking at the gates of the Flowery
siding, travelling and trading there. it
is absurd to denounce the Chinese for
the il1iberality we practice ourselves.
co That little short of actual murder
is committed in keeping the Chinese
away, their country being so over
crowded, and that they are needed
here as Iaborers on railroads. as do
mestics and mechanics and that they
cannot g1ut the market or reduce the
price of labor. a. II our morality and
civilization cannot stand the contact
of a few thousand Chinese, and if our
religion is to have no effect in max
ing them, on the contrary, good men
and women, we are not the people our
Fourth of July orators are in the
habit Of telling US we are"
A peculiar phenomenon was observed
on the Potomac near Washington
fifty years ago and Is
White thus described in The
=, Star Of July 19, 1868:
oquau. 'The Potomac in the vi
cinity of Washington was visited on
Saturday evening last with what Is
known among mariners as a white
souan. At o'clock the spectators on
one of the Washington and A1exan-
dria ferry steamers discovered up the
river a. bank of dark gray fog, which
stood like a wall before the western
horizon and was often rent by flashes
of vivid lightning. This fog bank
moved toward Four-Mile run. extend
inc it's dark, clearly defined edges
with railroad swiftness. Within two
minutes from it's first appearance
there fen upon the river the fiercest
fury of the storm. A dense white fog
hid the shore; the rain dashed no
longer in drops, but in streams ana
lets. while the wind blew nearly non
zontal. A house on the Maryland beach
was overturned and crushed. To the
violence of the storm SUCCEEDED a
white fog. wrapping from sight an
except the SET. which came hot ana
bright through the dense mist. wnlIe
the rain continued to pour IN tor
rents. In less than fifteen mlnutes'
scudding over Oxon run. on the Mary
land side, and the sun shone brightly,
while a beautiful rainbow spanned the
Maryland shore"
Half a century ago the territory OF
Dakota was regarded as most remote
from the eastern part of
Iond of the country and was COM
sidered a frontier will
Promise. derness II :, mentioned
in the following, printed in The Star
of July %, 1869:
"This comparatively unknown Sec
tion of the United States is reported
bv a correspondent of the Chicago