Speech #470034232

But. sir. it is a grave and a difficult problem how far we ought togo in this direction. Any step we take in this way is a reversal of the public policy of this country from the beginning. We have already taken care to make a treaty with China to enable us to pass certain legislation limiting. restraining. or suspending. but not prohibiting immigration from China to this country. That has been done so that we violate no treaty if we conform to the terms of the recent treaty with China in our legislation. but when we in Congress pass a law that no portion of the people of Asia. no portion of more than onehalf the whole people of the civilized world. shall come to this country. we take a grave and important step. and we ought to do it with care and deliberation. When this debate commenced I had no more doubt about the necessity and propriety of voting for a bill on this subject than I had as to any ordinary act of legislation. because I had become convinced that. although it was exceptional legislation. contrary to the general habits of our country. yet the dangers that threatened our Pacific coast and might extend further and further eastward did demand that we should pass some law to restrain and limit this hmigration. but it does seem tome on consideration. that in the very first act that is proposed under this treaty we have gone not only to the extreme of the treaty but we have gone beyond the reasonable bounds of the treaty. We have not only suspended for twenty years all immigration of Chinese laborers here. but we have adopted all the most offensive features of European laws. we have adopted the passport system by which no man of the Chinese race can travel anywhere in the United States without showing his passport. we have adopted some of the most offensive features of European despotism. I may say. as against the Chinese. It does seem to me that this bill might have been limited. restrained in such terms that it might have prevented the threatened evils without seeming to violate a treaty and to go in hot haste in a new policy that is foreign to the general habits of our people and of our country.