Speech #500108741

But at that very time. as has been said here this evening. the treaty which the President and Secretary of State have so successfully negotiated. and which was sent by the President for constitutional approval on the 12th day of March. 1888. to the Senate. was under consideration. I want to say in this connection that I believe the treaty. making power of this country is subordinate to the legislative power. and this position. as all know. is in accordance with the legislative history of the country. and is sustained by the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. but as there were negotiations looking to a treaty absolutely prohibitory. no action was taken by the House on the bill reported by the Committee on Foreign Affairs May 1. 1886. The Foreign Affairs Committee has always promptly. expeditiously. and as soon as possible. considered every bill that has been referred to them looking to the stopping. restrainiu. or suspending the immigration of Chinese labor. It has been asserted. also. that we did not report the Felton bill. Mr. Speaker. it was not proper to report the Felton bill after we had favorably reported the Morrow bill. These bills were substantially the same. but neither of them changed existing law much. and neither of them were as full and comprehensive as the situation on the Pacific coast demanded. The report of the committee on the Morrow bill declares: The main features of this bill. which differ from those which have preceded it. are as follows: It provides. first. that no Chinese laborer shall have the right to emigrate to the United States for the term of ten years from and after its passage. second. it provides for the means of identification by photographic representations of any Chinaman who shall seek to go abroad. third. it prescribes and limits the number of Chinese according to tonnage that may be brought over in any one ship or vessel. Now. at that very time the treaty of Pekin. concluded in 1880. was in force. At that very time the act of 1882 and the amendment of 1884 suspending Chinese immigration to the United States for ten years were in force. Mr. Speaker. it is very late and I desire to be brief.