Speech #500108008

Speaker. a demand comes from the States and Territories on the Pacific coast asking for legislation on the Chinese question which must be heeded. A cry of distress comes to us from millions of people of our own race which should be responded to promptly. In the language of another. they have said to usThat everything which men hold dear. their traditions. their liberties. their sympathies. social habits. and political rights. are all in jeopardy unless a check shall be put to the incoming and terrible wave of an approaching Mongolian overflow of everything like Christian or American civilization in the States of the Pacific Slope. The history of the world does not show an illustration of greater unanimity of feeling on the part of a people expressing their wishes and desires than was shown by an election held in California under an act of the Legislature wherein the question as to whether Chinese immigration was beneficial or otherwise was submitted to the vote of the people. The vote showed this significant resultfor Chinese immigration. 883. against Chinese emigration. 154.638. Less than onehalf of 1 per cent. of the voters of that population expressed their wish for noninterference with Chinese immigration. and over 991 per cent. testified to their hatred and abhorrence of it. I am in favor of opening our ports to the worthy of every land and of giving them a cordial welcome to a country. which is the freest and best in the world. but the Chinese have not proved themselves worthy to enjoy the blessings and benefits of our country. They do not appreciate our institutions nor our laws. and they only come here for temporary purposes. and they do not desire to become a part of our civilization.