Therefore. I appeal to the Senator from Nevada and the gentlemen who agree with him. not that I expect them to vote against this bill or to change their opinion. but that they allow it to take its due course and await the result of the action already had on the treaty. If that should not be carried into full execution by the ratification of the treaty. which not only provides for cutting off all Chinese immigration hereafter. but also provides for excluding even Chinamen holding our certificates in foreign countries from returning to the United States. a treaty that goes to the full length of this lawthen it seems to me is the time to pass this bill. and until then we ought not to take one single step further. For these reasons if I stood here alone I would demand and insist that this bill should remain until the treaty is disposed of. There should be no childs play. no party tactics or undue haste in dealing with our treaty relations with foreign nations. When we offered the Chinese Government a treaty we offered it in good faith. proposing to cut off all Chinese immigration and to pay them a large sum of money for injuries that were done to Chinese subjects.. If you defeat the treaty by this law. you make no provisions such as by the unanimous vote of the Senate were held to be necessary and proper to give to the Chinese Government compensation for injuries done to Chinese people in this country. You defeat the treaty and pass a law and thus revoke an appropriation that has been made already to pay the Chinese Government for the injuries done to Chinese subjects. Why not let it rest? There is no reason. and I appeal to Senators on both sides to do so. Remember now that this is not a question of Chinese exclusion. it is not a question that affects the Chinaman in this country or outside of this country. or the Chinese people. but it is a question whether the Senate of the United States. the conservative guardian of all the great interests of this country. will suddenly and rashly in the face of the information we now have abrogate a treaty which we have only recently ratified. and do it summarily without any of the necessary provisions needed to accompany it. I say I will not do it. and I trust the Senators on both sides will see that it is not done. I am bound to say that a large majority on the other side of the Chamber. although they probably are in favor of Chinese exclusion as strongly as the Senator from Nevada. yet they have seen the bearing of this question upon national honor. and I will not be behind them in standing by the good faith of this nation in dealing with China as well as with every other nation and with all the peoples of the world. I can not conscientiously. with my view of public duty. see here a gross. obvious breach of the treaty with a foreign nation made suddenly upon statement of facts that do not exist. I would not do it for the world. although I am willing to do anything that is proper and necessary to carry out the object of those gentlemen who are pressing this bill so strongly. While their people. no doubt. feel keenly the necessity of stopping Chinese immigration. I think they ought to be willing to await the ordinary course of events. They were well satisfied with the treaty that was made here the other day.
Keywords matched
immigration Chinese exclusion