Speech #500123239

In the RECORD of September 4 I find the following language used by the Senator from Oregon : Wien the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations stirred up the question of a treaty last winter and took action upon the matter and reported their resolution. there had not been. as I have very good authority for saying. a scratch of a pen between the two Governments in regard to this Chinese treaty since the 1st of the preceding May. That is. when applied to the dates of these various transactions. from May. 1887. up to the 1st day of March. 1888. a period of ten months. the Senator from Oregon. upon what he regarded. and I have no doubt sincerely. as very good authority. stated that there had not been a scratch of a pen between the United States and the Government of China in relation to the subjectmatter of Chinese immigration. My attention has been called to that and also to the very serious character of the mistake into which the Senator had fallen. It appears that the Senate passed the resolution which I will now readI have it in my handon the 1st day of March. 1888: Resolved by the Senate of the United States. That in view of the difficulties and embarrassments that have attended the regulation of the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States under the limitatiom of our treaties with China. the President of the United States be requested to negotiate a treaty with the Emperor of China containing a provision that no Chinese laborer shall enter the United States. The effect of the statement made by the Senator from Oregon is that the State Department had been negligent in its duties. had taken no steps to negotiate a treaty or to have any understanding or arrangement with China in reference to the importation or immigration of Chinese laborers until March 1.1888. when that Department. touse the language of the Senator. had been "stirred up " by the action of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. that is. that no step had been taken by the Department from May. 1887. until March. 1888. on that subject. I call the attention of the Senator and of the Senate to a document which was sent by the President to the Senate when he sent us the treaty which is now pending in China. With that paper and with the message of the President are several communications between the State Department and the Chinese Government.