SOCIETY. 45 



passage money, and that is a kind of slavery that might pre- 

 vail more extensively among other nationalities without hurt- 

 ing them. 



The Paganism is brought up only as an excuse for persecu- 

 tion. If industry, economy, sobriety, fidelity in service to the 

 extent of their knowledge, humanity, peaceful disposition, good 

 order, kindness of manner, prompt payment of debts, and at- 

 tention to their own business, be immoral, then the Chinamen 

 are. There can be no caste in California except in so far as 

 their exposure of crime, and their submission to illegal violence, 

 makes them an unfortunate class. They are free, and their 

 children born here are citizens and voters ; and, under such cir- 

 cumstances, caste is not possible. 



Should they be blamed for not erecting houses for their ene- 

 mies to burn, or can we find fault if they send away money 

 which they can neither invest nor enjoy here in security? 

 Could we expect them to adopt our customs or language, when 

 we show to them that they must not think of this as their 

 home ? If California wants them to study her interests, she 

 should study theirs. The highest triumph of statesmanship 

 consists in bidding successfully for men, and the grossest of all 

 political blunders have been committed by driving away in- 

 dustrious, skillful, peaceful, and honest workers. France and 

 Spain, by such mistakes, enriched Holland and England ; and 

 perhaps California can enrich Oregon or British Columbia in 

 a like manner. The Chinese are a very desirable class of 

 inhabitants. They have all the natural qualities needed to 

 make a rich and happy State ; and if they understood that 

 they could enjoy their wealth here, they would probably soon 

 change their policy, and fit themselves for the country, by 

 making greater efforts to learn its language and customs, by 

 adopting the whites' costume, building good houses, and bring- 

 ing their women with them. 



Complaint is made that the Chinamen deprive the poor 

 white men of employment and drive them from the State ; 



