Year: 1877

sPOau, hOl ~ NSSp-scoteu, budI IL peTmllS
itself to bar the administration of Justice,
or uphold infractions Of the law Of the
land. This is as it should be. The law
should be all-powerful for the protection
of the humblest member of society-when
not it ceases to answer the purpose of its
enactment. The recent arson trials at
Oroville, resulting in the conviction Of
nearly all the parties engaged in burning
buildings at Chico, are gratifying to those
who believe in upholding the majesty of
the law, the more so that another ques-
ton, and one Of different character was
TO some extent involved in the trials.


This question was t1at Of Chinese la
Dor. 1t is one which has grown to great
prominence in late years, and there is lit
tie wonder that it has. The presence of
Mongolians here during the first few
years Of the settlement Of the State was
not dangerous as now to the interests Of
the la5oring class. They were always
looked upon with disfavor by working
men, but the reasons were different then
than now. They then worked principal
ly in the mines, working ground which
had been rejected by white miners, and
white men argued, justly, too, that the
| ground which was then left would be
sought after by those who followed them,
and that if worked by Chinese it would
be gone. But men in those days had few
or no family ties, and field of labor lay
| open for them on every hand. Now
there is no such condition Of affairs.
| Where it was at one time difficult mat
ter to obtain men to labor at high wages,
it is now a hard matter for men wlo
want labor to find employment. Tens Of
thousands of laboring men have formed
family ties which bind them more or less
to one locality-they cannot, as in former
years, pick up and go in search of work
at days notice. Much Of this state Of
affairs is charged to the presence here Of
large Chinese population, which stands
ready to enter upon any employment
which offers, and at rates Of wages which
promise nothing but starvation to the
| white laborer who mas a family depend
| ing on him. 1t is but natural that such
presence here should be viewed with
dislike by all who have to depend upon
the labor of their hands as means Of
subsistence. This feeling has, for many
! ~
violence toward Chinese, and under the
law OF testimony ms it stood few years
ago, these acts of violence could be com
mitted almost with impunity. But it is
only within short time that the press
has been called upon to chronicle such
details Of wholesale murder as was wit
messed at Trout Creek and Chico. In
dividual cases of real or apparent griev-
ance were revenged by the attack and
robbery or murder Of Cinnamon, but it
is only since the two secret societies-the
Caucasians and the Laborers' Union
have been instituted that we have seen
what appears to be organized rufiansm
which stops at nothing to further its OBJ.
jects. We are, of course, in the dark as
to the means which there secret oreaniza-
tions use or propose to use, to elevate la
Dor and destroy competition by Chinese,
but the apparent first fruits are murder
and arson. The danger of organization
of men who are swayed by race preiu-
dices and self interest is TINT the teach
ings of demagogism are too apt to find o
fruitful soil in which they bear fruit of n
kind not dreamed of by the members of
the organization when they first enter its
pale. We are no wise backward in ad-
vocating any and every measure calcula-
ted to promote the dignity OF labor, nor
do we forget thai the remedy for every
social evil is found only through organiz-
ed efforts. Thus, we do not say it is
wrong for labor to organize in its own
defence, but let those who thus combine
be careful Of The quality Of their member
shin.


The convictions at Oroville of the Chico
incendiaries, is a strong justification of
the belief that, the people of this State,
while recognizing the presence of the
Asatic element here as curse, will not
brook any resort to crime, violence or
mob law as a factor in it elimination. -
But these are the first steps-it remain to
be seen if the succeeding ones are as ef-
fective. The crime of the Chico incen-
diaries dealt with the property of white
men-that Of the Chico murderers dealt
with the life Of members of the hated
race. If the people of Butte county con
vict the greater criminals, it will speak
volumes for the law abiding character of
California, and greatly simplify the task
Of our representatives in striving for the
suppression Of Chinese immigration.


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