Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1886 — Keep the Chinese Out. [ARTICLE]

Keep the Chinese Out.

In China there are between 300,000,000 and 400,000,000 people, a quarter of whom would come under the head of laborers. Without doubt 25,000,000 laborers could be spared without injury to the industries of the country. Wages for common laborers are so low that Americans cannot understand how the laborer lives. If he gets $2 a month more than the bare necessities of life he is content! ’ Between this human hive] and the sparsely settled Pacific coast lies a body of water over which Chinese lalwrers can be transported at a cost of about sls each. The steamship Company charges $25, but the business is so profitable that they want all they can get of it. The laborer whose time is worth $2 per month in China -GMYearn from sls to $25 per month in California. In industries requiring a little skill he can readily earn from $6 to $8 and $lO per week. It will be seen that it is worth while for the Chinese laborer to pass from China to the Pacific coast. If the cost of the trip was $250 in place of $25 there would be money in the business of importing themTfor any company which has the machinery to control them. The United States lias passed a law forbidding all Chinese laborers to land on American soil without proof that they were in this country at a certain date. There is $225 clear profit in. violating this law. The Chinese companies readily give about SIOO to their agents and keep $125 for themselves. Under any possible enforcement of the law there would be many violations of it. The Chinese are cunning and unscrupulous. Violating an American law does not shock their* moral instincts. They act always upon the assumption that the law can look out for itself. If they can beat the law they hold that they have a perfect right to do so. They have not found much trouble in getting the best of American officials. In some cases doubtless the officials were paid •not to see, and in others alittle Chinese dust was thrown into open eyes. The result is that Chinese have come about as fast as ever, though it has cost them more to come. — San Francisco CaU.