No. 38.
Mr. Seward
to Mr. Fish.
Sir: At present all Chinese passengers starting for America go from this port. I find upon an examination of the colonial papers that during 1875 their number ran up to 19,168. This emigration exceeded that of 1874 by 3,180. The increase to all countries was 51 per cent. Less than 2 per cent, of the emigrants of 1875 to America were women.
It will be seen that the flow of Chinese to the United States is small in comparison with that of people from the European countries. Furthermore it does not increase greatly. Speaking from memory I believe that the average migration of the last five years is not more than twice that of the corresponding term twenty years back.
The Chinaman is becoming more and more disposed to seek fields for his industry abroad, but he is deterred from going to America because of political feeling there, because of unfavorable legislation, because of the difficulty of setting up family life there, and lastly and mainly because, as I believe, he shrinks from contact with our restless, energetic civilization. He would rather go to the districts south of this, Siam, the Straits, and Java, where he is indisputably more active and acute than the natives, or to regions like some of those of Australia, where he can found colonies in places not yet sought out by white men.
[Page 50]It is certain that a great immigration of Chinese into our Pacific States would give rise to grave political difficulties. But to my mind it is quite as certain that no such immigration will take place. The opportunities open to the Chinamen in other directions are prehaps nowhere else so lucrative, but they are more inviting to him for the reasons I have given. It is to be said further that, while he may earn a higher wage in America than at home, his expenses too are higher. He pays here less than a cent of our money for his sandals; his boots cost him in California perhaps five dollars. A mere comparison of the rates paid for labor here and there, leaving out of view other considerations, would lead to very wrong conclusions. And again his country is not so overpopulated as is believed. Under an improved system of administration, which would embrace the working of mines and minerals, the construction and operation of railroads, &c., there would be a demand at home for all the labor that would be available. As things are, there are perhaps as few persons pinched by want to be seen in the streets of most Chinese cities as in those of the cities of Christendom. If, then, the people of the Pacific States need Chinese labor, they may safely encourage immigration; when they cease to need it, the Chinese will cease to come to their shores. I mean by this that when the call for labor ceases to be an urgent one, the Chinaman will stop his migration in that direction. Even with a great call for labor in all our western and southern country, he cannot be induced to go to either.
I have, &c.,