Speech #500117197

It was done in 1862 by astatute. The Senator ftom Colorado read one section of that statute. and found it convenient to oulit the reading of another important section of it. The Senator read section 2158. being a section of the act passed in 1862. and he relied upon that to show thatthe Republican party had been against Chinese immigration very early. If he had read another part of that same statute he would have found that there was an express provision for the entrance of the Chinese here. In the first place. the Senator entirely misconceives the legal effect and meaning of section 2158. He claims that that was a provision to prevent coolie immigration into the United States. when it has no such effect. I will read it. and I call the careful attention of the Senator to the reading of it: No citizen of the United States. or foreigner coming into or residing .withil the same. shall. for himself or for any other person. either as master. factor. owner. or otherwise. build. equip. load. or otherwise prepare any vessel. registered. enrolled. or licensed in the United States. for the purpose of procuring from any port or place the subjects of China. Japan. or of any other oriental country. known as " coolies." to be transportedWhere? To th United States ? No. sirto be transported toany foreign porter place. to bedisposed of. orsold. ortransferred. for any time. as servants or apprentices. or to be held to service or labor. It was simply a statute to prohibit our seamen from engaging in what is called the slavetrade with coolies. It had no reference to the importation of Chinese or Japanese into this country. and that is proved by another section of the statute. which I will read. and which the Senator from Colorado did not read. a section of the same statute. passed in 1862: SEc. 2162. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to apply to any voluntary emigration of the subjects specified in section 2158. or to any vessel carrying such person as passenger on board the same. So in the very statute to which the Senator alluded as prohibiting the importation of Chinese into this country there is an express provision for their coming into this country. I was a little mistaken in my speech a few days ago in supposing and stating that the treaty of 1868 opened the door. It had been opened six years before that time by the act to which I have called attention. That act was in force and under it Chinese immigration was taking place year by year when the United States came to make the treaty of 1868. which was the cause of all our sorrows. If the matter had stood upon the statute it would have been in our power to repeal it at any time without any impeachment of our honor. without any charge that we had broken faith with another treatymaking power. It would have been then not only in our competency to have repealed the law but to have enacted one wholly prohibiting the Chinese from coming here.