Speech #470057070

I believe. would have gone to the stake. he would have put his right hand into the flames like Cranmer. before he would have accepted the Presidency or have subscribed his name to a declaration involving such a blow to the dig itt of labor and the dignity of American humanity as is involved in this bill. This is what the ]Republican national convention declared. I stand. and an ready to stand in the future. by every word and letter and syllable of the declaration: "Since the authority to regulate immigration ant intercourse between the United States and foreign nations rests with thoCongress of tho United States and Then the Senator proceeds to say: the treatymaking power. the Republican party. rgarding the unrestrictd immigration of the Chinese as a matter of grave concernmentunder the exorcise of Mr. President. I reaffirm for myself. and for tho people whom I immediately both these powers. would limit and restrict that immigration by the enactment reresent. every yllable of that rafoqent declaration .1 am willing to join my of such just. humano. and reasonable laws and treaties as will produce that friends from the Pcflc coast in regulating immigration so as to extirpate. root result." and branch. every form of cooly labor. The assurances of the Senator that lie is ready to stand in the Does not the Senator know that we have experimented iii the future by every word and letter" of the Republicau platform will statutes against cooly labor? Does not he know that our statutes hardly reassure the people of tho Pacific States in the good faith of are powerless to effect any restriction in that respect? The history Republican promises after what has transpired here and at the other of this cooly legislation has simply been putting statutes formally end of the Avenue. The debate here andin the other branch of Con- upon the statutebook. So far as I have ever heard or known. there gress and the votes given for and a gaiast this and the former bill. in has not been a single instance where the Chinese immigrantbe that connection with the veto message. ias so completely unmasked the immigrant a cooly. criminal. or prostitutehas ever been refusedRepublican opposition to any effective legislation looking to a proper permission to come upon a vessel bound for the United States. or restriction of Chinese immigration that such promises now given will refused the papers necessary to bring him to California or to Oregon. hardly serve to restore the confidence of our people in Republicion It is idle to talk of such legislation. It cannot in the nature of things good faith. reach the case or prevent the evils complained of. And here stopping forthemoment. let ussee whatwas accomplished The term " cooly laborer" is an indefinite term imported into our by the Chinese commission. The fifteenpagsenger bill. as it is corn- language and into our literature. It has no practical moaning that monly known. had a clause in it which repealed the fifth and sixth can be applied or enforced in statutory provisions. articles of what was known as the Burlingame treaty. the articles The Senator from whom I have just quoted seems to be very much under which this immigration was made lawful. I say the fifteen- concerned about the bill. regarding it as a strike at labor. I do not passenger act repealed or proposed to repeal or abrogate those two know that I comprehend the position of thehonorable Senator.