Speech #530009437

I see the Senator from Orogon is now in his seat. and if 1 can have the honor of his attention. I desire to call that attention to certain provisions of that law. which made me for the first time vote against any bill which has passed this body for the purpose of excluding Chinese from this country. One of the earliest speeches which I had the honor to address to this body was in favor of the Chinese exclusion act. If my memory is not at faultand I do not think it ison the occasion of the passage of the first exclusion act more than twothirds of tha Republican members of this body voted against it. I voted for it. The legislation of 1890 I was unable to vote for. for the reason. among others. thit there was a provision in the bill which I thought was insulting to a large majorlty of my constituents. a provision to which I desire to call the attention of the Senator from Oregon. I ask him why a provision was inserted in that act by the American Congress which contained. not by implication merely. not by inferenca merely. but by direct statement. an assertion that no one of eight million citizens of the United States was to be credited on his oath when he came to testify in relation to the exclusion of Chinamen. I will read that clause of the statute. After providing for the arrest of a Chinaman and bringing him before a United States judge. the statute provides: That he be deported from the United States. as hereinbefore provided. unless he shall establish clearly to the satisfaction of said judge that. by reason of accident. sickness. or other unavoidable cause. he has been unable to procure his certificate. and to the satisfaction of the courtIf the statute had stopped there it would have been no reflection upon anybody. it would have been the usual and proper statement in a statute upon a matter of that sort. but it did not stop there. It proceededand by at least one credible white witness. that he was a resident of the United States at the time of the passage of this act. That bill was passed through this body. as most of these Chinese bills have been passed through here. under a sort of pressure.