Speech #470034252

In other words. not only is the bill as reported from the committee unnecessarily objectionable in containing provisions which go beyond the fair meaning of the treaty. but now the Senator from California. without the report of the committee. indeed you may say against the report of the committee. wishes to put another obnoxious feature on the bill. which has no connection with and does not arise out of the danger which leads to the passage of the bill as reported. That is the condition which will cause the amendment he presents to form another objection to the measure. We interfere with the naturalization laws. However you may regard this measure and I am not sure what the future will say of the passage of the bili. it is a dangerous experiment with our public policy. It is a departure from the principle which invites all men to our country to share in our civilization and to help develop with us a great republic. Those who like myself see dangers from Chinese nmigration which do not spring out of European immigration are willing to give to the Senators from California a law that will protect them against the danger. but in doing so we do not want to go further than is necessary against the wellestablished public policy of this country. There is the trouble. It seems to me the bill might have been made effective to prevent this tide of immigration. it might have contained moderate provisions. simple in their character. which would have prevented the landing here of great hordes of Chinese pauper laborers without striking at all the laborers who might come from China. Discriminations might have been made. From anything that has been said in this discussion there is at present at least no danger whatever of the imilgration to this county of that class of skilled laborers in China who. when they come here. would be like coners from all other lands. who would add to our country their skilled labor and aid us in developing our country. Very few of that kind of men will leave China. because. if 1 read the history of China aright. they are more like the French in that particular than other nations. there are no emigrants of the better class. or but few. none. you may say. If we confine the operation of the bill to the particular class of pauper laborers. contract laborers. and if we protect you from that kind of "immigration." you ought to ask us to go no further. If there are intelligent Chinamen. skilled laborers. able to read and write. with wives and families. who choose to come here and. make their homes among us and help us develop this country. there is no danger from that kind of immigration. and no Senator has alleged that there is danger from it. Therefore I think there ought to have been a discrimination between laborers so as not to exclude all laborers. or indeed all China except a few learned professors. but only to exclude the class of laborers who are brought here under contract. paupers without wives or children or homes. I think the bill has gone too far.