Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-02-27
WHOLE NO. 1872.
The Chinese Bill.
From the Springfield Republican

FROM the Springfield Republican
1t is apparently President Hayes.
purpose and practice never In veto
bill merely from difference of opin.
ion with Congress az TO its expedi.
ENJOY, apart from considerations in.
volving cons,lfutionality or the ne.
tiOnal honor. Her de. while he vetoed
the silver bill, which involved the
public faith immediately. be did not
feel obliged to put any limit 20 the
sums Congress might vote in pen-
sions Congress holds the power OF
the purse constitutionally In this
country, and must be held ans " era.
Bile strictly for the amount OF the
public expenditure. and the purposes
to which it is applied.
The bill to limit the number of
Chinese coming to this country to Is
per vessel, or the other hand, is q
clear derogation from the Burlin-
game treaty, and an odious attempt
OF political parties to curry popular
favor at the expense of our national
honor. The rejection by the Senate
OF Mr.. Conkling's amendment notify
ing China of our desire to abrogate
the treaty. and of Mr.. Edmund's
amendment recognizing the right of
the Emperor of China to impose a
like restriction on American travel
to China, shows the disingenuous
ness OF the whole affair. Nj. HAYES.
as the organ of our foreign inter-
course, must decline TO sanction leg
islation which outrsges q solemn
treaty between tho United States
and China. If we conclude That we
don't want the treaty, the honorable
way is 10 denOunce it and have A new
one, or let our relations with China
60 at random, but to derogate from
one OF the solemn pledges of the
treaty by legislation is to pursue a
course which we should denounce "a
highly dishonorabIe 10 any other
power toward us
The yea and nay lis, on the first
vote il very Instructive. The Pacific
coast sentiment swept in every sena.
tor from the three states beyond the
slerras. including Blosb, whose inde.
pendence and eloquence have become
Q tradition. The West, especially
beyond the Mississippi, wont the
same way The s nth was d,vided
and New England even gave two
votes for exclusion, Blaine and Ea.
ton, melancholy mating, whom
Barnnm would have joined, ii he had
not been paired. As regards the ar
ties, Is Republicans voted on each
side, or, it we count the pairs, 10 re :
publicane 10 favor of ihe bill and 20
against it. OF the Democrats. 90
were tor the bill and 8 against it,
This involves both parties lamenta~
bly,, but the Democrats are the most
unfortunate 10 the exten. to which
their leaders yielded to the clamor.
The republicans could very much
better afford to 10. Bsaino go as.-av
after the Chinese idol, than the Dem
ocrats could to put Bayard under
the same disability. Thurman must
have regarded it as a great person al
triumph for him that ho had tarred
with the same stick not only Lamar,
Wallace and Mcdonald, but last and
greatest, Bayard. Nearly all the
Republican leaders except Blaine
stand among the nays; also Judge
Davis, Ben Hill and Stanley Mat
thews, who has at length made an
effort propOrtioned to his presena.o.
rial fame and achieved a gratifying
success. Q
Probably both parties to the meas.
ure would be pleased to have Mr..
Hayes veto the bill. Its friends
would DC relieved of the conseouen.
ces of their demagoguery it's oppo-
nents would rejoice that the country
we're likewise relieved. The presi-
dent has no duty toward the parties.
but he has one to the country. and
we believe he has the Opportunity
now and here to pnt his heel on the
first disgraceful effort to reduce our
international relations to the level Of
sandlot politics. He cannot prevent
the trucking of politicians, but he
can rescue the national honor from
the contempt which they would
bring upon it in the eyes of the
world. 1t il still possible of course
that the bill may fail between the
two houses, as the House has to act
on the Senate amendment permit
ting vessels 10 distress to land mora
than the prescribed number, bu. we
judge that those who have once
"made record" will carry it out to
the end.