1850 American Gold Tycoon

On January 18, 1852, Liang Yao summoned Chinese businessmen in the hall of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

"Everyone is almost here. The main members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Jinshan and Sachs City are here. There are still three or five members of the chamber of commerce in Los Angeles. But it doesn't matter. The content of the meeting is that we can also directly generate electricity after the meeting. Report to them.

The president suddenly summoned us, but is there something urgent? "

After almost everyone had arrived, Pan Zhengwei, vice president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said to Liang Yao.

Liang Yao looked around and found that there were many new faces among these Chinese businessmen, which was a good sign.

"I remember many of you asked me when you first arrived in the United States, whether the United States can donate officials." Liang Yao said after sitting down.

Businessmen are a group that adapts to the new environment relatively quickly. Except for some newcomers who have just joined the association, the early Chinese businessmen who arrived in California have lived in California for at least more than a year. Some of the core members even followed Liang Yao. across the eastern United States.

Many Chinese businessmen have gradually become accustomed to life in the United States, and have a more or less general understanding of the situation in the United States.

"I'm not afraid of your jokes. I was the first to ask this question." Wu Yuanhua smiled awkwardly, "When I go out, I don't have an official as a talisman, and I always feel uneasy."

As soon as Wu Yuanhua said this, bursts of laughter broke out among the Chinese businessmen, and the air was filled with a happy atmosphere.

"Don't laugh, everyone, Liangyi's worries are not unreasonable."

After these Chinese businessmen laughed, Liang Yao said seriously.

“Although the United States prides itself on being the largest liberal democratic republic in the world today, freedom is ultimately the freedom of the few, and democracy is ultimately the democracy of the few. Although the United States does not have an emperor, in whose hands does its power lie? Know?"

"In the hands of the President!"

“In the hands of Congress!”

“In the hands of the Supreme Court!”

Businessmen rushed to express their opinions. Due to the special national conditions, Chinese businessmen have always been very concerned about politics. However, the purpose of their attention to politics is not to participate in politics, but to understand the policies of the court and figure out the psychology of officials in order to make the most self-interested decisions. Maximize your own interests.

In the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the specific manifestations of these Chinese businessmen's concern for politics were to figure out what their superiors wanted, to make friends with local officials and court favorites who had real power, and to donate money from time to time to protect themselves.

After arriving in the United States, this specific manifestation became an investigation of the national conditions of the United States, understanding the national machinery of the United States, and can also be said to be an understanding of how the superstructure of the entire California operates.

Being able to get these answers that are not outrageous shows that these Chinese businessmen have done their homework and are not just talking nonsense. At least they have a superficial understanding of the United States.

"You are all right, but not entirely right. The United States divides the executive, legislative, and judicial powers into three. But the root cause is that whoever has more seats in Congress controls the power of the United States." Liang Yao said slowly.

“Members of Congress are divided into two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state in the Senate has two fixed seats, while the seats in the House of Representatives are determined by the population of each state. Only one representative can be elected for every 50,000 voters.

California has two fixed Senate seats, but the population is too small. The entire population of California is only a little more than half of New York City. California has no advantage in the House of Representatives seats. "

Since the founding of the country during the Revolutionary War, the central power of the American federal government and the power of the president have been continuously strengthened, especially during the Civil War and World War II, two key nodes that determined the fate of the United States.

The United States has chosen to strengthen central power and the power of the president, but whether it is strengthening central power or presidential power, the United States is relatively limited.

Especially before the Civil War, Congress wielded considerable power.

"What the president said is absolutely true. New York State has 33 members of Congress, while California only has three, which is only a fraction of others." Pan Zhengwei deeply agreed.

When attending a local dignitary party in New York, Pan Zhengwei asked former New York Governor Hunter this question out of curiosity.

"Although I still don't know much about Washington, I still know the California we are in. It's just who has the most people, whoever is more powerful has the final say, and the ghosts are always afraid of us. It's just because the Chinese in California are getting more and more... They come more and more, and they have many seats in the state assembly, and the president has a big business in California. Without the president, it will be difficult for those ghosts to survive." Wu Yuanhua said after thinking for a while.

"I think the same principle applies to the Congress in Washington and the state assembly in California. What does the president mean by asking us to immigrate more and win more seats in Congress?"

"Exactly."

These businessmen are still very savvy and can easily understand that every state in the United States is a smaller version of the federal government, and its operating logic is the same.

"We will do this even if the president doesn't say anything. At present, the Qing Dynasty is not at peace, and there are successive years of famine, and the people are in dire straits. Being able to ferry those disaster-stricken people to California is also a good thing, and it is a matter of immeasurable merit.

Furthermore, California is a huge country with a population of about 300,000 people, and there is still a large area of ​​land waiting to be reclaimed. We do not have enough workers. "Wu Yuanhua said.

The businessmen in Guangzhou have been helping with the immigration matter. In addition to directly sending ships to transport immigrants, the local magistrates are also taking care of the business led by Yihe Bank and Tongfu Bank.

These businessmen also know that they do not have Liang Yao's ability to understand the national conditions of the United States and to maneuver among the major political figures in the United States.

The more stable the foundation of the Chinese in California is, the more stable the foundation of these Chinese businessmen in the United States will be, so they are also willing to take the initiative to contribute in the matter of immigration.

"Immigration is bound to happen. I am here to tell you that according to American law, a territory can apply for statehood as long as its population reaches 60,000. Our neighbor to the north, Oregon, currently has more than 40,000 people. Population." Liang Yao picked up the tea cup and took a careful sip of the fragrant tea.

"The president wants us to send some immigrants to the Oregon area and let them settle down in Oregon. When Oregon's population exceeds 60,000, we can submit an application for statehood to Washington!" Wu Yuanhua slapped his thigh. A sudden realization.

"Wonderful, 50,000 immigrants can only win one more seat in the House of Representatives in California! And all of them have to be adult men! And as long as 20,000 immigrants are sent to the Oregon region, Oregon can directly establish itself as a state! New Jersey has at least two Senate seats and two guaranteed seats in the House of Representatives!”

Although the United States requires a population of 50,000 to elect one representative, these 50,000 people are not people in the biological sense, but people in the political sense.

Needless to say, black people in the South are certainly not people in the American political sense. Even the 1787 U.S. Constitution stipulates that when counting the population of each state, five black people are converted into three people to calculate the total population of each state.

Women and children cannot be considered persons in the political sense. Although the standards for voters vary from state to state, they all follow the principle of adult free men. In some states, a certain amount must be reached on this basis. Only the property of a person can be called a voter.

This is not fundamentally different from the ancient Greek democratic system.

This is also the reason why when California was founded as a state, its population exceeded 150,000, but it only had three seats in the House of Representatives. This was the number of seats in the House of Representatives after excluding women, children, and black households without American citizenship.

"Clever!" he said with great satisfaction.

"It's just that I heard that the folk customs in Oregon are also very fierce. Most of the people there make a living by hunting and selling furs, or logging and selling wood. With so many of us going there, it is inevitable that we will conflict with them." Zeng Jinsong grabbed the sparse hair on his chin. Beard said.

"They are tough, why don't we be tougher than them?" Liang Yao's tone became tougher.

"My status in California today was not obtained for nothing, but was achieved with the barrel of a gun. When I first became successful in California, there were many people who refused to obey me and wanted my life. What about now?

Ghosts always bully the weak and fear the strong. The more you accept the weak, the more they will bully you. If you are tougher than him, you can bully him.

The old ghosts in Oregon use their words to reason with them if they can, but if they can't, they use their guns. What are you afraid of when I'm here to carry you?

Please remember that no matter where you go, California will always be your solid backing. "

In order to give these Chinese businessmen more confidence after entering the Oregon region, Liang Yao gave them reassurance.

Two years ago, he would never have dared to be so arrogant, but at this moment, he now holds the command of three infantry regiments: the California Infantry Regiment, the California Militia Regiment, and the Arizona Infantry Regiment that was just recruited to guard the U.S.-Mexico border. troops.

This is one of the most powerful violent machines in the entire West Coast of the United States.

Any infantry regiment that marches into the Oregon region in the name of defending the Indians is enough to give those unconvinced ghosts in Oregon a drink.

"With the president's words, I feel much more at ease." Zeng Jinsong said.

"I have men who are engaged in the fur trade in the Oregon region. Although I don't know the Oregon region thoroughly, I still know a little bit about it. Although the winter there is cold and the farming conditions there are not as good as those in California, but if you cultivate them carefully, you can still open up a lot of new fields. Come."

"There is also fur wood. If new mines are discovered in future mining exploration, it will also be a great wealth." Wu Yuanhua added.

The Chinese businessmen nodded one after another. With Liang Yao backing them up, they were willing to organize immigrants to colonize the Oregon area.

"I've heard that Burnett has been coveting the position of governor of Oregon for a long time, and is also working hard for Oregon's statehood. Moreover, he has great prestige in the Oregon region. This guy has never dealt with us, so I'm afraid he will be a trouble." Pan Zhengwei He expressed his concerns to Liang Yao.

"Bernet is already a withered bone in the grave. In the Oregon region, you just have to go and help the immigrants settle there. I will take care of the rest."

Liang Yao said lightly.