Pacific both in name and by nature. which offers hardly an obstruction to the passage of the rudest and most primitive craft? Who in the light of these facts can ridicule the prospective danger which their coming involves? Who can say in the absence of any law prohibiting their immigration. pressed by hard necessity at home and tempted .by alluring promises from corporate wealth here. how many years would elapse before the thousands whom we now claim would increase to millions. demoralizing our institutions. degrading our laboring men and women. and threatening the safety. the happiness. and the stability of society? But we have heard today that the laboring classes are not concerned about this legislation. that it does not affect them. that it has not been shown that these Chinese have reduced the wages of labor. &c. And then. too. we have heard some allusion to the tariff. and surprise is expressed that the Democratic party has shown such an urgent desire t& pass this bill. Sir. it is true that the Democratic party has shown a deep interest in this legislation. and while I do not insist upon making a political issue upon this subject. our friends on the other side seem so disposed. I notice that all the speeches against this bill have been made by our Republican friends. I remember that it was a Republican administration which refused the request made by a Democratic House that negotiations changing the treaty with China should be commenced with a view to restricting Chinese immigration. I recall the fact that two Republican Presidents have resorted to the extraordinary power of the veto to -prevent the passage of bills for this purpose. I recall the further fact that the bill we are now endeavoring to amend was passed under whip .and spur. and against the protest of the five Democratic members of the Committee on Education and Labor of the last House. who. while declaring their intention to vote for the bill as better than no legislation. .said in their minority report: We doubt the propriety of striking out the section which imposed fine and imprisonment upon Chinese unlawfully in our midst.
Keywords matched
immigration