Must the Chinese go?:  An examination of the Chinese question
By Mrs. S. L. Baldwin
Published: 1890

Two intelligent wealthy business-men of the State of New York, the one a Republican and the other a Democrat talking with me on the Chinese question, asked, “Why do you not send us decent immigrants?”  In reply, I put the following questions and received in substance the same replies from both gentlemen:
“Did you ever see a drunken Chinese?”
“No.”
“Did you ever see a noisy, boisterous one on the streets?”
“No.”
“Did you ever see one disturbing others, or lounging at saloons, or gossiping?”
“Never.”
“Did you ever see one on the street who did not seem to have some object in view, and to be going right toward it?”
“I must confess I never have.”
“Has a Chinese tramp ever come to your door?
“Never.”
“Do you hear of them committing murder, burglaries or other crimes against our laws?”
“No.”
“Will you be so kind as to inform me of any other immigrant class in regard to which you can reply in the negative as above and also what you regard as a decent immigrant?”

Both gentlemen honestly and frankly admitted that this was an entirely new view of the question.  Both state that they had formed their opinions from “newspaper statements,” and yet these same intelligent men read their newspapers with brain alert on every other subject than this, on which they were ready to accept the most libelous statements against a friendly nation, whose representatives were, by their own personal observation, the most inoffensive, law-abiding people of our land.  But how fearful is the responsibility of our press, which, so far from being, as it should be, the educator and conservator of the morals of the people, a mighty lever to lift them up to the nobility of true patriotism, is today in a large degree, only the tool of evil men, sacrificing right, justice and even humanity for votes!”

Apparently back then the newspapers of America were held to a much higher standard!

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