Speech #490019383

These are propositions so well settled as to require but little more than the statement of the proposition and a reference to the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. And but for the fact that this power has. since the introduction of the bill under discussion. and with an air of selfimportance as amazing as it is absurd and ridiculous. been flatly denied by one of the great journals of the metropolis (the New York Times) and its senseless assertion taken up and. parrotlike. repeated in an ignorant as well as an offensive manner by the Post of the national capital. no argument whatever in its support would now be offered. The morning subsequent to the introduction of the bill under consideration the New York Times. in its issue of the 12th instant. had the following editorial: Senator MiTcUELL. of Oregon. has introduced a new antiChinese bill by which he coolly proposes to sweep away all treaty provisions which stand in the way of an absolute prohibition of Chinese immigration. and to exclude from the country all Mongolian immigrants and prevent the return of any that may leave the country. The logical sequel of this kind of legislation would be a provision for sending out of the country all the Chinese now here. which would place us squarely on thepolicy of China ofa generation ago. The chief drawback about this policy is that it does not discriminate on the proper lines. If we are to exclude from this country objectionable immigrants we should so draw the line as to exclude those that are objectionable because they are objectionable. and not those that belong to one particular race because they belong to that race. If we are going to filter the incoming population we should so arrange our strainer as to exclude the scum. It maybe stated also for Senator Mittelhelts informalion that treaties can not be amended or abrogated by statte law. While in its issue of February 15 the constitutional expounder of the Washington Post exposed his consummate stupidity on the subiect by the following editorial: The antiChinese bill introduced by Senator MITCH ELL. of Oregon. shows two thingshis narrowmindedness and his ignorance. lie proposes to sweep away all treaty obligations that affect immigration from China. Yet. he ought to know that a treaty can not be abrogated by an act of Congress. Itl3 bill prohibits all Chinese immigration. The purpose is to prevent the admission to the country of objectionable immigrants. But this bill declares against a certain class. not because they are objectionable. but because they are Chinese. The illiberality and the ignorance seem to be furnished in equal quantities.