Speech #580060836

That treaty authorized the United States to suspend. limit. and regulate the incoming of Chinese. The Congress in 1882 went beyond that permission. The communications that passed between the high officials of both Governments about the treaty of 1894 disclose that the anticipation of China was that under the treaty of 1880 the suspension of Chinese immigration would be made to apply merely to certain localities. that if the numbers arriving in some were so large as to seriously affect the social or the industrial affairs of such localities the Chinese might be excluded from them. but nevertheless that very class of immigration might be needed in other localities to properly carry on their industries. And when the legislation of 1882 occurred. drastic and sweeping as it was. thougb limited to the period of ten years. it wounded the pride of China. It was not satisfactory to the American Administration either. though it eminently represented the feelings of the masses of the country. Friction to a considerable extent arose between the two Governments by reason of this legislation. and the treaty. so called. of 1894 was a salve applied by China itself to its own wounded feelings. It affirmed the identical legislation that was upon our statute books ostensibly under the provisions of the treaty of 1880. China itself declared in that treaty that the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States should be absolutely prohibited for ten years. By this stipulation China assented to the legislation that had been had. The test of that is this: If Congress had subsequently seen fit to modify the legislation of 1882. so that immigration would be suspended. say. for six months or for a year. or it had limited its suspension to certain localities in the United States. Congress would not have violated the treaty of 1894. It was China that