It seems that even in 1880 the state of California is suffering. The Gold Rush is long over, and the mining industry no longer employs the thousands of men who seek employment here in the West. It seems like gainful employment is hard come by. While European immigrants are blamed for the shortages of jobs back East, here in California there is another ethnic immigrant blamed: the Chinese. White men are pushing for legislation to prevent Chinese laborers from taking the few jobs available.
A San Francisco newspaper, the Daily Evening Bulletin published an open letter on January 7th from outgoing Governor Irwin, a long winded summation of the current state of legislature following the recent passing of a new state constitution. Governor Irwin acknowledges that the voting public was adamantly against Chinese immigration, as noted in an election last September, where more than 154,000 of 161,000 voters in the states general election voted against Chinese immigration. "The vote at the September election demonstrated what every intelligent person residing in the State knew before, that the opposition to Chinese immigration was limited to no class, but embraced nearly the entire population." Irwin hopes that the results of the state wide election might make an impact on a federal level, and hopes for federal legislation restricting Chinese immigration. "The State should use whatever police powers she possesses to mitigate the evils flowing from the presence of the Chinese among us; but in my judgment, the Federal authority alone, is competent... to deal with the question of the immigration of foreigners to this country."(1)
While the soon to be former Governor seems content to wait for federal laws to address Chinese immigrants, the new state legislators seem ready for action already. Only two days before Governor Irwin's letter was published, perhaps as he was
penning it, the same paper reported directly from Sacramento the happenings of the first gathering of the new State Assembly. John F. Cowdrey addressed the assembly, reminding them of their duties to their constituents, which as he bluntly stated included: "To delegate power to cities and towns to remove Chinese..." (2)
Governor Irwin had observed in his aforementioned letter that: "Though there was no doubt in the mind of any intelligent person who has resided or spent any considerable time in this state as to the condition of public sentiment on this subject, there was, somehow, a strange misapprehension in the public mind East of the Rocky Mountains as to what it was. The impression seems to have obtained widely there that the opposition to Chinese immigration was limited to the poorer and more ignorant classes." Irwin continued to celebrate the state wide election which had demonstrated that this was an almost unanimous opinion held statewide. It does seem that there is a division between the East and the West of this country though. While the newspapers here in California are filled with anti-Chinese sentiments, the newspapers from the East seem to be shocked by the xenophobic Californians.
The New York Times published an article blasting the people of California. This year conveniently has been a census year, and the results are very surprising. After reading editorial after editorial about how the Chinese outnumber the whites here in
California, the census sharply contradicts these claims! Here in San Francisco the census reports a total of 233,060 inhabitants; "But, to the great astonishment of everyone, the Chinese in San Francisco, instead of numbering 60,000 and more, as usually claimed by the Chinaphobists, is only 20,549. This is a tremendous falling off in the yellow population of the city. It wholly upsets the calculations of the anti-Chinese party, which has perpetually howled death and destruction to 'the
Asiatic hoards.' There has been, in California, a studious attempt to exagerate not only the evils of Chinese immigration, but also the numbers of Chinese in California."(3) Governor Irwin correctly identified that the rest of the nation wasn't taking seriously the problem this state believes it is encountering as a result of Chinese immigration. Indeed, the East openly mocks the "Chinaphobists" of California.
Here in the West though, the anti-Chinese attitude continues. Governor Irwin would be proud to see the results of Nevada's Storey County general election (home of Virginia City). There voters opposed Chinese immigrants almost unanimously as well, voting 5,114 against, and only 13 in favor of "the coming of Mongolians." (4)
Regardless of division between the East and West, there has been some unity on a federal level in regards to Chinese immigration. There has been a treaty passed with China which clearly addresses the general opinions here in California. "...Whereas the Government of the United States, because of the constantly increasing immigration of Chinese laborers to the territory of the United States, and to the embarrassments consequent upon such immigration, now desires to negotiate a
modification of the existing Treaties..." There is going to be some permanent changes from now for Chinese immigrants. If the people of California have their way, there won't be any new Chinese laborer's arriving here from now on. (5)
(1) Daily Evening Bulletin, San Francisco, January 07, 1880, page 4. http://infoweb.newsbank.com
(2) Daily Evening Bulletin, San Francisco, January 05, 1880, page 3. http://infoweb.newsbank.com
(3) "The Chinese Hordes," New York Times, New York City, August 05, 1880, page 4. http://proquest.com
(4) "Chinese Immigration," New York Times, New York City, November 15, 1880, page 5. http://proquest.com
(5) Treaty Regulating Immigration From China, November 18, 1880. Availalable at http://www.uintahbasintah.org/usdocuments/doc34.pdf
