The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-08-21
LAzAR HOUSES AND THE CONSTR
Triton.

Mr.. Dennis Kearney had the honor of pro-
pounding to General b. F. Butler some ques
tons about thep power of state over Chinese
immigration. Butler tells his friend that
under the decision of the supreme court of
the United States and under the treaty a.
state can not, by its organic law or legisla-
tive action, prevent or hinder the immigra-
ton of the subjects of the empire of China"
This would seem to settle the question and
leave the boss drayman, who is now enlight-
ening the people of Massachusetts, upon the
subject of work and wages, no other alterna-
tive but to return to San Francisco and sub
NIT to the inevitable. But Butler informs
Kearney that with regard to state in pro-
tectlng itself from curses is supreme. He
says:
What can not the state do to protect itself
from curse? And do not know what IT can
not do. But the question returns TO us, WHO Is
to determine whether the presence OF the Chi
nese is q curse? Is there any higher power TO
which this question can be submitted than a
constitutional convention of a state? GER
taInly do not know of any. Each state must
determine how to get rid OF the curse OF IA
mine. the curse OF incendiariSm, the curse OF
crime, the curse of peddling liquor to ITS in
habitants and the curse of pestilence in Its
court upon most OF these questions have stfs.
tanned the right of the state to deal with them
according to its sovereign viii. A state may
send beyond Its borders, so far as the individ-
ual is concerned, any person or persons there
in who is deemed a curse, as did our Puritan
fathers the Baptists and Quakers, in the
earlier time, and as do their sons In
Massachusetts with the paupers and Grim.
inals that are sent upon them from for
eign nations. No state can, against its
will, so long as 1t is independent and soveT-
eign, be made the iaZar house OF the world, or
OF even one-third of the population of IL. Nor
do believe that there is anything in the con-
stitution of the United states which gives TO
the congress OF the United States a right 70
pass law requiring a state to be such a lazar
house. And If there is nothing in the consti-
tuition which gives congress, composed of the
three branches of the law-making power, the
right to make such law, can not find any
thing in he constitution which gives TO one
branch. the executive, the right by treaty TO
make Ii the supreme law OF the land that any
state shall be the lazar house of Asia. Whether
the adjoining territories 10 California quietly
submit to have the chinese poured over upon
iust with its neighbors, and that question Is
ons with which the Cinnamon have nothing
TO do know of no civilized nation which
has not exercised the power OF deportation OF
obnoxious aliens.
According to Butler, state can not pre-
vent Chinese immigrants from landing on
its shores under the existing treaty, but it
can compel them to depart from her juris-
diction. This is what Kearney wants. The
Chinese will eventually be compelled to
find some other country in which 70 display
their ingenuity or remain in the celestial
empire. California will be found unhealthy
for the Chinese at no distant day, and their
exodus is an event that will tran spire in the
near future.