The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1870-08-13
THE ELK0 INDEPENDENT.
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1As Treaty Of 1874 and the Treaty .. 1870.
Tho Nevada Raiic.is hare badly choked up
with the Burlingame treaty That noted agree
-nent IL not half a. popular A. it.wast So years
ego. when former representative ofsthe dig
nifty OF this Republic made his appearance ia
America clothed in tho imperial garniehns of
che East. and with Oriental magnihoence pro-
claimed the b<ginning- of new era. the pro-
grrssion of the nineteenth century, the march
Of civilization. and other nrnsie and a.sndilo-
quent phrases stunning to the American Far.
The times have changed. the treaty is becpm-
ing better upderstoojs and those who 4ere
then the loudrst to proclaim from the hotse-
tops the grandeur and triumph of this cons nm
N ,tion are nov strangely silent. The Bar,
insame treaty isthe Of condemnation
on the party whose representatives maae i.
The only reply which has beeH-lstely at
tempted is a feeble evasion of the real ones
.tion of guilt. We are reminded Of other and
older treaties made by Reed and-crshipg
How the commercial articles Of 1874. opening
two ports on the China coast. mitigate the
Burlingame crime of 1870. is not clear: nor
do we see how the existence of former treaties
makes the latest yiess criminal or obnoxSous
Those old treaties were scarc-iy deserving the
name. Their object was simply to secure the
right to enter two or three seaports. mluly
for the purpose Of rero~-ting aud provision
ing vessels in the naval service. They we're
Of but h''le higher grade than those arrange
ments made between ship masters and.naiives
on the South.S Sea islands for the safety of the
ship and crew while lying in port.
When James X: Polk negotiated those lrti-
cles of agreement, scarcely a ChinAmar had
ever been seen IN America. California was
still portion of Mexico; the aoltl mines were
uudreamed of, and there was no more proba-
bility of a Chinese immigration to the United
States than there-is to-day from Egypt. Cush-
ing and Reedwere right enough in negotiating
treaty with China under the circumstances
then existing. The evil lay in continuing the
system long after the old order OF things had
passed away. What perfectly proper in
1874 became a very different matter in $50
The American people had learned something
about the Monaghan race in that interval.
They had suffered something during those long
years. They had withstood horde Of Tattars
which threatened TO make a second conquest
Of California. II was none the less a great
struggle because it was a battle of Industries
instead of revolving cannon. At the end of "a
twenty years. war in America between these
a new treaty. Rs all nations do at the clo4e of
struggle. 1t Was time to make new tr eaty
which would rectify old errors aud adapt its
requirements to the present age. If the trea-
ties of Reed or Cushing were lame Or inn per
fent. they should have been abrogsted totally.
or amended in accordance with the demand of
the people of this geneution-whi is briefly
that this immigration shall be stopped In
stead Of making more treaties to entice them
here, stipulations should have been made to
take them ont, and keep them out. What the
American people now need is an express. alb
solute prohibition. against the Immigration of
the Chinese to this country. Anything less is
only mockery and a delnsion Either the
Chinese race must own this country, or the
white race. We prefer the latter, and we
shonld 60 to work TO make that preference
effective and that perpetuity secure. The
Durlngame treaty WAS n step in the wrong
direction. Instead of correcting pernicious
presidents. it confirmed them-widenrd and
strengthened them. The old treaties of former
ministers were merely commercial articles the
Burlingame treaty is a treaty of permanent
peace, arnity, and friendship" trenty which,
instead of limiting the privileges and nbbreyi-
ating the inducements for Immigration. ex-
pands and secue them on an equality with
the most favored nations of civilized and
Christian Europe. Instead of repeating the
Chinese mining tax by treaty, that tax should.
have been augmented Thousand per cent
Instead of guaranteeing him the greatest priv
ileges of the American citizen in the courts
and ont Of them, he shonld have been curtailed
Of the privileges which he already possessed.
In short, instead OF being invited to come
here, he should have been invited to 90 home.
That is just the difference between what ought
to have been done, aud what was done, by that
infamous treaty. ---- ....-