Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-02-05

of the State of California.
| n his argument before the House
last Friday, Hunting
ton offered to include this in his
propositions; that is, to submit the
projected transcontinental road
which he desired to build to gov
supervision. The argu-
ment upon which the most stress
has hitherto been laid has been
that the construction of the road
by the Central Pacific would SIM
ply add another line free of govern
ment control to the line now con-
trolled by that monopoly.
The chinese Question.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4th.-Willis,
of Kentucky, and Loring, of Mas
sachusetts, the sub-com mittee of
the House Committee on Educa-
ton and Labor, were not quite
ready to report on the Chinese
question to-day, and, consequently,
all action on the subject was post
poned until Thursday next. The
committee, however, continued its
informal discussion to some extent
this morning. Tie prominent
opinion was that, apparently, the
most expedient course to pursue for
the present will be to report a
joint resolution for adoption by
Congress, instructing the President
to invite the corporation of China
and Great Britain to restrict Chi
nese immigration and prevent the
importation of the coolie class to
this country; but, if the committee
decide to report such proposition,
it Will be with the distinct under
standing that the committee re-
serves the right to recommend
legislative action by Congress in
advance of the desired result being
attained through diplom attic chan
nels, in case of serious delay or
threatened failure. The DISPOSE
ton of some members of the COM
mittee to adopt this circumlocutary
method has been strengthened and
the prospect of success for direct
ing effectual legislation is weak
ened by the ill.considered action
of the California Legislature in re-
Gently adopting resolution asking
only only for treaty notifications,
through the instrumentality of an
International Convention. 1t is
hoped, however, that the councils
of the more far-sighted members OF
the committee and the arguments
of the California delegation may
prevail before the meeting to Sc
cure the committees recommends
ton for practical and quickly oper-
ating legislative action.
Sargent's brief as to the powers
of Congress to legislate in contra
vention of treaty stipulations was
delayed by the printer until this
afternoon, but copies have now
been placed in the hands Of all the
members of the Committee and
will in due season be distributed in
Congress. This brief, after citing
in logical order and with great
clearness the numerous decisions OF
United States Conrts and Attorney
Generals, and the utterances OF
Wheaton and Vattel bearing on
the question discussed, concludes
as follows: "We may summarize
this whole matter by saying that
the United States Government, by
virtue Of its sovereignty, has the
right of self preservation and it is
its duty to exercise its powers for
the protection of its people; that
protection includes the preserva-
ton of its people from influences
injurious to their happiness by cur
failing the necessaries of life or in
terfering with their laudable and
innocent enjoyment; that it is
bound to exercise these powers for
the benefit of its own people where
necessary, at the expense of the
convenience of the people of other
nations and that Congress is the
possessor of the constitutional
power by the passage of law to
abrogate or modify treaties. This
power has been frequently eXer-
cised by Congress and its action up
held by the Executive and Judicial
branches of the Government. 1t is
not the purpose of this brief to
state the reasons why this power
should be exercised, but simply
to show that it exists. We assume
that the Committee have full light
upon the great evils affecting the
Western States and Territories
from the influx of the vast num-
bers of Asiatics who do not come as
ordinary immigrants or with the
purpose of making the United
States their home; who are alien in
every respect anu remain so and
are an indegestlbIe non-assimila
tive mass in our body polite; we
merely point out that Congress
possesses the power and is bound by
duty to provide remedy for such
evil.u
Another Indian War probable.
OMAHA, Feb. 4th. -Informatlou
has been received here at military
headquarters that the Superintend-
ent of the mounted recruit service
has been ordered to forward to San
Francisco $50 recruits, 100 being for
the First Cavalry and 100 for the
Sixth Cavalry.
A dispatch received here to-day
states that 80 more lodges of the
agency Indians have left the new
agencies on the Missouri intending
to 60 on the war path. This makes
500 lodges that have left altogether.
Military officers hero predict an
other Indian war and that it will
commence early in the Spring.