Speech #520084246

Why. sir. has it ever struck those who have been so swift to condemn our action concerning Chinese labor as a violation of I the treaty with China that the treaty itself provides that we may exclude that labor. and that the steps which we took were necessary steps in order to carry out its provisions? I will not pause to elucidate that. I am willing to content myself with the assertion and refer gentlemen to the document but I will ask those here and those throughout this broad lana. who have arrayed themselves in hostility to the labor of this country and in favor of alien labor. whether the treaty sustains them in the position which they have taken? I am sure. sir. that no law of God. no law of good neighborhood. no interest of this country. no debt that we owe to our fellowcitizens will sustain them for a single instant in the position that the barbarian may come here and may take the bread from the mouths of our own flesh and blood. But. sir. a survey of the field shows that every great interest here is arrayed against labor. that all the material interests. so to speak. of this country are clamorous for an advantage over labor. and that the object of this advantage is to cheapen labor. and so to degrade the standard of American citizenship. Need I dwell upon that? I remember when I. was upon the committee charged with the investigation of railroad and mining strikes in Pennsylvania I found this state of things: I found men there who in one voice were clamoring for the protection of American labor. and in another voice were whispering to the agents of contract labor to bring cheap men into the mines to displace the American laborers. I found one instance where a strike commencing with about three hundred men was met by a replacement of the strikers with about three hundred imported laborers. I found that these. in turn. were educated up to the dignity of American freedom and American labor. and when they struck for decent pay they were in turn replaced by another three hundred.