Speech #500111399

KINNE. Chairman. To the Senate and lousceofRepresentatives: The people of San Francisco. in mass meeting assembled for the purpose of devising some means to save our State from the incoming of Chinese coolies. whose immigration is expressly prohibited by the laws passed byyou. do represent as follows: We recognize that Congress has responded to the wishes of the people of the United States by adopting such legislation as we all deemed necessary to and adequate for that end. That such legislation would have been sufficient to accomplish the end for which it was intended had it been enforced in good faith. according to the spirit in which it was devised. there can be no doubt. Although the law has been upon the statutebooks since 1882. and was amended four years ago with the intent to strengthen its provisions in order to meet the technical objections raised by the judiciary on the Federal bench of this coast. the fact remains that a larger number of Chinese are entering the port of San Francisco today than have entered at any other time in our history. Thereare practically no greater restrictions upon the entry of Mongolians than upon that of Europeans. the only difference being that a head tax is imposed upon Mongolians for the benefit of the courts instead of the Treasury. Thus have the efforts of Congress to protectAmerican labor from ruinous and degrading competition with a servile race been defeated. The situation is so alarming as to endanger the peace of this State. because the judges whose duty it is to uphold the law have brought the administration of the law into contempt.