Speech #500116707

Upon that question I have never occupied two sides. either before I came into public life or since. I have not taken this position simply because the Chinese were overwhelming my State or my section. for I believe there have never been over five hundred or six hundred Chinamen in Colorado at any time. but I had seen the evil influence on other sections of the country and knew whereof I spoke. The Senator from Missouri the other day arraigned the Republican candidate for the Presidency upon the ground that he had been in favor of Chinese immigration. He was unable to find a single jot or a single tittle in the discussion anywhere which indicated that Mr. Harrison was opposed to the restriction of Chinese immigration. Mr. Harrison was opposed to saying that for twenty years Chinese should be excluded. Why? Because he believed it was not consistent with the treaty of 1880. and very many men on this floor believed the same thing. I so believed. and when the present occupant of the chair moved an amendment that the term should be put at ten yearsI had made some remarks upon the subject at another time to the effect that I was opposed to Chinese immigration. and that I did not think twenty years was too long to exclude themI rose and said: "I want to exclude them forever. but Senators on this floor say that they do not think that it is consistent with the treaty. and as I am anxious for the passage of this bill I will vote for ten years." So I voted for the ten years. as did many others. and among those was the present candidate of the Republican party for the Presidency. The Senator from Missouri said in his remarks the other day that every man who voted for that modification (which was not accepted and did not become a part of the law) voted that after ten years he was in favor of unrestricted Chinese immigration. No more monstrous assertion could be made. for no man on the floor had been more anxious than I was for the exclusion of the Chinese. as I had expressed in my speeches and by my votes. The Senators own colleaguevoted for that amendment. as did the Senator from Tennessee . undoubtedly moved by the same reason that moved me.