Speech #590163650

In the famous Chinese Queue cases. decided by tile circuit court of California in 1879. an ordinance of the city of San Francisco providing that every person imprisoned in the county .jail upon a criminal judgment upon arriving at the jail should have his hair clipped to the uniform length of 1 inch from the scalp. was declared void oi the ground that the ordinance was in conflict with the fourteenth amendment. which prevents discrimination against a particular class of people. and on the further ground that it was aimed at certain iliens. the Chinese. and was void because it contravened certain stipulations of -the Chinese treaty. This case was never carried to the Supreme Court. The able judge who delivered the opinion in this case expressed correctly the feeling which even then existed against the Chinese in California. and also expressed the feeling which now seems to exist in that State against the Japanese: .We are awareHe saidof the general feeling. amounting to positive hostility. prevailing in California against the Chinese. which would prevent their further immigration hither and expel from the State those already here. Their dissimilarity in physical characteristics. in language. manners. and religion would seem. from past experience. to prevent the possibility of their assimilation with our people. And thoughtful persons. look7 ing at the millions which crowd the opposite shores of the Pacific and the possibility at no distant day of their pouring over in vast hordes among us. giving rise to fierce antagonism of race. hope that some way may be devised to prevent their further immigration. We feel the force and Importance of these considerations.. but the remedy for the apprehended evil is to be sought from the General Government. where. except In certain special cases. all power over the subject lies. In 1827. and since that time. tile supreme court of Illinois has decided that treaty stipulations are paramount to State statutes affecting descents and disposal of property.