The Shasta courier., 1870-06-25
CHINESE IMMIGRATION AND sUF-
FRAGE.


to protect the purity of the ballot.
Mr.. FiTCH-With SO much of the speech
of the gentleman from California tMr. John
son) as expressed unfriendlness to the en-
eouragement of Chinese immigration, earn
| estly concur. do not believe in - cheap
| labor which supplants contented and we'll
| paid toll, nor in that social theory which
would force the Caucasian to rival the do
mestic economy of the Asatic | do not
believe in the policy of introducing exten-
sively into this country a race who have
distinct civilization, religion, habits and Ian.
| guage of their own; a race who are alike in.
capable and unworthy of assimilation with
ours a race with whom polygamy is prac-
| tice and female chastity is not virtue a
race who are thrifty in habit yet slothful in
thought, apt yet retrogressive, educated yet
without newspapers, courageous vet without
self-respect, honest in monetary affairs yet
without moral principle, faithful to obliga-
tions yet utterly destitute of any regard for
the truth a race which rears no families
and acquires no landed property among US,
possesses no past and hopes for no future in
common with our civilization, and whose
members are of their own will perpetual
strangers in this land, where they never de-
sign to remain, and from which they contract
| ~ hufO CfCh thciI u6du DOuleS
L hope at proper time and upon an ap-
propriate bill to awaken the attention if not
the apprehension of the House to the pend
ing problem of the next decade, and to appeal
to the gentlemen to enact some measure which
shall legally and effectively stay the further
influx of Chinese immigration
The difficulty is that our Democratic friends
in California, and Nevada, and Oregon, and
Idaho, and Washington are more anxious to
iasten upon the Republican party of this ma
ton the charge of being favorable to Chinese
immigration and Chinese suffrage than they
are to prevent either. If my friend from
California Mr.. Johnson would give as much
effort to the honest solution of problem for
which no party is responsible, rs he bestows
IN endeavorlng to manufacture some partizan
advantage out of the problem, it would be
better for the cause of the laborers of the
Pacific.
Sir, were l disposed to make political cap
ital out of this great and troublesome ques-
ton, | might say that the Democracy obtain
ed power in California last fall upon the dis
tlnct proposition that if elected their legisla-
tors would enact laws which should effectually
prohibit Chinese from becoming voters, if
not cause their deportation from the country.
That party obtained an almost unanimous
Z t.
They already had possession of the executive
department, and accident gave them control
OF majority of the Supreme Court Con.
gress did not lnhibit them; the road was clear
Tor them to enact such lawsiand construe such
laws as to them might seem best about the
Chlnese. Pubic opinion was ready to en-
dorse them IN any measure, however extreme,
and the Democratic masses anxiously awaited
the fulfilment of the pledges upon which
their leaders obtained power Sir. what have
they done? Oh, ignoble conclusion ! After
several months session the Democratic Leg
islature recently adjourned without enacting
any law at all upon the subject of Chinese
immigration. So far from expressing their
dislike of the Cinnamon they passed Il law to
encourage that people to remain here by
levyIng IA tax upon the exhumation and ex.
portation of their dead bodies.
1t is idle to say that the Fif eenth Amend
ment interposed between them and legislation
which would have prevented Chinese suffrage
The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits distinc-
ton on account of race, color or previous
condition of servitude :" but it leaves the
States free to make distinctions on. account
of nativity. sex, age, religion or educa-
ton. 1t was within the power of the Cal
ifornia Legislature last winter, it will be
within the power of the Nevada Legislature
this winter to enact law excluding from
the ballot box all persons born within those
degrees of latitude and longitude which en-
close the empires of China and Japan, or all
persons who are pagans, OF all persons who
do not speak the English language | say it
Is within the power of the Nevada Legisla-
ture to enact such law without acting in
hostility to the Fifteenth Amendment, and
l suppose L violate no confidence now in stat
ing that the original draft of that amendment,
as reported by Governor Boutwell, of Mass
achusetts to the Reconstruction Committee
of the Fortieth Congress, contained the words
q nativity and religious belief"
| CHANGED to be present in Washington,
although not then member of this House,
and represented to Mr.. Boutwell, that with
the words nativity and religious belief in
we-could not exclude the Chinese from the
ballot if we should SO desire, and Nevada
would not, in my opinion. ratify the Fifteenth
Amendment if it should be so framed as to
prohibit the exclusion of the Chinese from
the right of suffrage. The language of the
Fifteenth Amendment was subsequently,
modified and the words " nativity and rehg-
ious belief were stricken out | do not
sumo that it was modified in accordance With
my suggestion, but it was modified, and Ne
vada was the first State to ratfy this great
measure of peace and justice.
Sir, if there shall be any desire manifested
by the Chinese to become voters, 1t is within
the power of the Pacific States to exclude
them on account of their nativity or religious
belief or lack of knowledge of the English
tongue. The latter two disqualihcatlons
may of course be removed by conversation or
education the former never can, although
in effect there is quite as little probability of
their being Z" born again" religiously as
| physically. If it shall become necessary to
pass laws to prevent Chinese suffrage in Ne
vada the Republican party will do it, and
presume the Republican party in California
will do it. One thing at least we know by
experience, and that is that the Democratic
party will not do it; whether because of the
power and influence of the See Yup Company
over Democrotic Legislators, OF because of the
natural inherent disposition of Democratic
leaders to leave unfulfled the promises upon
which they obtained power, cannot say
| SIR. all this cry about the Republican party