The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-24

. ing the naturalization laws added the follow
9 ing provision: THAT the naturalization law
t are hereby extended to aliens OF African nc
tvfty and to persons Of African descent" I
; Stat 256, Sec. 7. Upon the revision of tE
statutes the revisor Inadvertently perhaps
} omitted the words white persons" section
2l65 being the section comforting the right
Inc provision relating to Africans was car
rled into another section, being section 2167.
This section was subsequently amended by
the act to correct errors and supply omis
sions in the Revised Statutes" of February
IL, 1875, and the words white persons
omitted from section 21s5 supplied in this
section, which now reads: "The provisions OF
the title shall apply to aliens being free mhUt
persons and to aliens Of African nativity and
persons of African descent"
After this statement of the law the deci-
sion goes on to discuss the scientific classiti-
cations OF races, and reaches the conclusion
that neither in popular language, in litera-
ture, nor In scientific nomenclature do we Or
dinarily, Ii ever, find the words white per-
son used in a sense SO comprehensive as to in
| clude an Individual Of the Mongolian race"
Inc term must however, be taken In Its gen.
eral sense, and In this country 1t is applied to
none but persons of the Caucasian race.
The decision then proceeds to show from
debates in Congress on this very question
that it was universally understood by that
body, In its recent legislation, that Mon
golians were excluded. The extracts made
by Judge Sawyer are from debate between
Sumner and Morton. and have an interest
outside OF the question itself, which, perhaps,
lustities us in reproducing them. Judge Saw
yer says: Sat the time Of the amendment in
1870, extending the naturalization laws to the
African race, Mr.. Sumner made repeated and
strenuous efforts to strike the word white
from the naturalization laws, or to accom-
plish the same object by other language. It
was opposed on the sole ground that
the effect would be to authorize the admis-
sion OF Chinese to citizenship Every Senator
who spoke upon the subject assumed that
they were then excluded by the term white
persons, and that the amendment would
admit them; and the amendment was advo-
Gated on the one hand and opposed on the
other upon that single idea Senator Morton.
In course OF discussion, said: This amend
ment involves the whole Chinese problem.
The country has just awakened to the
question, and to the enormous magnitude of
the question, involving a possible immigration
OF many millions; involving another civiliza-
tion; involving labor problems that
no Intellect can solve without study
and without time Are you now prepared
TO settle the Chinese problem, thus In
advance inviting that immigration /? Senator
sumner replied: Senators undertake to dis |
,urb us In our judgment by reminding us of |
,he possibility of large numbers swarming |
rom China, but the answer to all this is very |
obvious and very simple. II the Chinese come /
lere, they will come for citizenship or merely
or labor. IL they come for citizenship, then
n this desire do they give pledge of loyalty
o our institutions; and where Is the peril in
uch views? They are peaceful and indus
r1ous How can their citizenship be the oe-
aston of solcitude ." But the amendment
L Mr. Sumner was defeated and the one
dopted extending the right of naturalization
the African only. ut Is clear from these pro-
ceilings, says Judge Sawyer, that Congress
etained the word white in the naturaliza-
ion laws for the sole purpose of excluding
he Chinese from the right OF naturalization.
1t seems to us that this is the only just con-
fusion that can be reached especially when
re call to mind the fact that when it was dis
overed that the term "wbite persons" had
cen omitted from the Revised Statutes, Con-
ress made haste to restore it by the act of ,
'75 "to correct errors and supply omissions
/ the Revised Statutes" 1t is evident from
lis that Judge Tissot made mistake in
the three Cinnamon who applied
, him the other day.