My belief is that we ought not to pass any law in disregard of our treaty obligations. that we can continue the present law until the treaty of 1894 shall expire. if notice shall be given that this Government does not desire it to be continued another ten years. and in the meantime a new treaty may be agreed to which will abrogate any possible treaty stipulations against the absolute exclusion of Chinese laborers and which will permit us to enact such legislation as we may deem necessary for the protection of our country from the influx of these Chinese laborers into the United States. I desire to say right here that if keeping out the Chinese laborers is not sufficient. let us adhere to our treaty obligations until they expire or until we regularly abrogate them and then pass such a law as the American people deem their interest to demand. and I will vote for it if it keeps every possible Chinaman from coming to our shores. If China should decline to enter into a new treaty of this character. we might then be justified in going ahead and passing any law on the subject of Chinese immigration that we might choose. I recognize. of course. that in the absence of any treaty on the subject every nation possesses the absolute right to restrict immigration in any manner it may desire. It is better to pass a law in reference to Chinese immigration before our present laws expire next month. Still. if every law on our statute books prohibiting the immigration of Chinese laborers should expire today. the treaty of 1894 would prove a barrier against Chinese laborers coming into the United States. That treaty by its terms prohibits such immigration. and that treaty has all the authority and weight of an act of Congress under our Constitution. It is a part of our supreme municipal law without any additional act of Congress. and it would be the duty of the executive department to see to it. by such measures as they might find it necessary to adopt. that no Chinese laborer should enter the United States except as provided in the treaty.
Keywords matched
immigration