Speech #520048736

Therefore I say the arguments made against the House bill are illogical and fallacious. What does the Committee on Foreign Relations propose as an amendment here? It proposes to extend for ten years all existing laws upon the subject of Chinese immigration. Now. then. let us see if the Scott exclusion act of October 1. 1888. which is proposed to be extended by the committee. is not in direct contravention of one of the most important provisions of our treaty with China of 1.880. Article II of our treaty with China of 1880 provides as follows: Chinese subjects. whether proceeding to the United States as teachers. students. merchants or from curiosity. together with their body and household servants. and Chinese laborers who are now in the United States. shall be allowed to go and come of their own free will and accord. and shall be accorded all the rights. privileges. immunities. and exemptions which are accorded to the citizens and subjects of the most favored nation. It will be observed that by the provisions of that treaty we solemnly agreed with China that not only Chinese subjects who were teachers. students. merchants. or others who might come to thiscountry out of curiosity. but also the Chinese laborers in this country at the date of this treatythe 5th day of October. 1880should be allowed to do what? To go and come of their own free will and accord. and shall be accorded all the rights. privileges. immunities. and exemptions which are accorded to the citizens and subjects of the most favored nation. That is the treaty. What did the Scott exclusion act of October 1. 1888. which the committee propose to extend. say upon the subject? It is very brief and I will read it: An act a supplement to an act entitled "An act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese." approved the 6th day of May. 1882. Pfe it enacted by the Senate and liouse of lRepresenlaties of the leited States of America in Congress assembled. That from and after the passage of this act. it shall be unlawful for any Chinese laborer who shall at any time heretofore have been. or who may now or hereafter be. a resident within the United States. and who shall have departed. or shall depart therefrom. and shall not have returned before the passage of this act. to return to. or remain in. the United States. There could not be amore direct and positive conflict between any two statements in any law or in any two laws than its presented by the conflict between the provisions of the second article of the treaty of 1880 and the provisions of the Scott exclusion act of October 1. 1888. yet that is one of the laws which the Committee on Foreign Relations present here as an amendment to the House bill. Then they come at us and the House of Representatives and at the country with the argument that we are violating a treaty with China. I say. then. that argument in view of those facts. is illogical. is fallacious. it is an argument which ought not to have weight eith3r with the Senate or with the country.