Speech #500116183

There were in this country 10.000 Chinese prior to the year 1852 who had come in at the port of San Francisco alone. to say nothing of the thousand. perhaps. who had come in at other ports. In the year 1852 there came in at that port alone 20.026. in 1853. 4.270 came. in 1854. 16.084 came. in 1855. 3.329. in 1856. 4.S07. in 1857. 5.924. 1858. 5.427. 1859. 3.175. 1860. 7.341. 1861. 8.430. 1862. 8.175. 1863. 6.432. 1864. 2.682. 1865. 3.095. 1866. 2.242. 1867. 4.290. 1868. before the treaty. 11.081. 1869. before the treaty went into effect. 14.990. making a total of 141.800Chinese who had entered the limits of the United States at the one port of San Francisco alone before the Burlingame treaty was made. So the basis for all the talk here today made by the Senator from Mississippi to the effect that the Republican party opened the door to the immigration of Chinese to this country falls to the ground. The very reverse of the charge made by the Senator from Mississippi in reference to the party and the men who invited Chinese immigration to this country is true. I can tell the Senator who it was in San Francisco and in the State of California who first gave countenance in most emphatic. direct. and influential terms to the immigration of Chinese to this country. In 1849 Peter H. Burnett was governor of the State of California. He resigned and one John McDougal. a Southern Democrat. succeeded. he being lieutenantg6vernor. to the position of governor in that State. and in 1851 or 1852 that same Democratic governor and representative from the South. a native of the South and a representative of Southern feeling and of Southern interests in the State of California. delivered a message to the Legislature ot that State in which he referred to the Chinese as the "most desirable of our adopted citizens." He was the first man in the United States of America who ever referred to Chinese immigrants as being the most desirable of our adopted citizens. or as being desirable at all as citizens. He was a Democrat. the head of the Democratic party in California. representing Southern interests and Southern sentiment. and was the governor of the State of California. That great Democrat (and he was a great man in his way. great in intellect.