Speech #780106795

I move to strike out the last three words. I rise to call the attention of the House to a point of view of this bill that does not seem to have been touched on in the arguments so far. I want to remind Members of a treaty we made with the Chinese. called the Burlingame Treaty of 1868. the preamble of which reads as follows: The United States of America and the Empire of China cordially recognize the inherent and inalienable right of man to change his home and allegiance and also the free migrationand Immigration of their citizens and subjects respectively. from one country to the other. for the purpose of curiosity. of trade. or as permanent residence. Implicit in these words *as the conception that the Ohinese could come to the United States freely and could become citizens. The treaties of 1844 and 1855 between China and this country had said nothing about the rights of our resident Chinese. who were actually being naturalized in a -few States. Not until the amendment of the naturalization law after the Civil War specifically to include "persons of African nativity" was the phrase "free white persons". definitely construed to exclude Chinese from naturalization. When the movement for the naturalization of Negroes got under way there was some activity looking to the extension of the naturalization laws to . Include Chinese. In 1876 a joint special committee of Congress was appointed to study the Chinese question.