Speech #530009382

The Democratic party has had but one record upon this Chinese subject in the halls of national legislation. The votes which have been taken from time to time upon every measure show that if the people of California and of the portions of the United States most affected by Chinese incursion had had to rely upon the Republican party they would have been disappointed. the time for action would have gone. and no remedy would have been suggested. That is the record as made here. i have not. as I said before. done anything in the way of examining the subject. though I am familiar with the general facts as to the votes. but a critical examination of every roll call taken concerning these exclusion acts will demonstrate that what I have said is correct. Hence. when the Democratic party unitedly. solidly. and enthusiastically enacted the law of 1888 and sent it to the President. and when he signed it. they were adopting no new rule of conduct. but were proceeding upon the line of policy which they had outlined and which to them was entirely unbroken. Certainly. when we are here today attempting to procure legislation in the way of an appropriation to assist in carrying out that act. it is no time for a Senator representing the Republican party in this Chamber to claim any merit whatever with reference to Chinese exclusion. Everyone. I presume. who has sought to legislate upon this topic bas become educated regarding it by the experience which we have all had. wbe have all learned something. and we have the support today of the masses of the Republican organization throughout the United States. but we did not have that assistance in earlier times when we had the support of the Democratic party. upon which alone we were compelled to rely.