Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-03-06
Restricting Chinese immigration
The Presidents Veto.

The President has vetoed the Chi.
nese Immigration bill. The veto mes.
sage is a document that must COM
mend itself to the favor of those who
peruse it with care, though their reas.
oning or their prejudices may lead
them to conclusions differing from the
President. The HERALD has not,
npon this subject, given way to the i'll
advised and sentimental opposition so
generally expressed by Republican
papers. 1t has long regarded the
present influx of Chinese to this coun.
try as curse that should by some
means be brought TO its end. "Amer.
lea, the home of the free" and the
"asylum for the oppressed of all ma
tions" is excellent IN sentiment, but
America, a continental vat into which
the filth and slum of all the eastern
continent may be emptied, would
spoil any mans sentimental affection
for the free and the oppressed. The
danger from unlimited Chinese INN :
grafton, or importation rather, was
thought of by considerate men when
our early treaties were made Th 8
induced the treaty parties TO agree
that the Emperor of China sho, ID :
cure the passage of laws maxim it a
penal offence for Chinese subje cts 10
compel migration. About the TIN g
the Burlingame treaty was ma lie, or
ton, no less lover of the free ard
oppressed than Horace Greeley wri :
ing upon the necessity of elevate ig Il e
standard of American citizensh; 0, ha a
this to say of Chinese immigrat' On:
These considerations derive importar ee from
the imminence on this continent of a deluge
of Asiatic paganism, whereof the ,pening
showers have already reached our Neste n
coast. Az yet our Monaghan visitors re SUD-
I
whom they will, so long as they renaer due
obedience to our laws AS yet, l jupge IL 1t
the benefits resulting from their INN grafton
have decidedly overbalanced the evils. 1t
what has hitherto been a rivuet NAV at an
early day become a Niagara, hurting millions
instead of thousands upon US from the vast,
overcrowded hives of China and India, TO
cover not only our Pacific Slope, but the Great
Basin, and pour in torrents through the gorges
of the Rocky Mountains into the vast, inviting
Valley of the Mississippi. This prospect de-
mands instant, earnest consideration The
stream Of Mongol immigration may vastly en-
large itself. yet remain bene6cent and fertiliz.
ing but not if il is to work las many appre-
hend) a retrogade change in our indus rial Or
ganizaton, and result in tho establish nent OF
a novel and specious serfdom but little removed
in essence from old-fashioned slavery.
And President Haze in his.mes.
sage given in full in this paper, clearly
acknowledges the right and duty OF
proper restrictions upon Chinese i'm
migration, when he suggests methods
for securing ourselves against larger
and more rapid infusion of this race
than our system of industry can take
up and assimilate with ease and safety.
But the President shows that the
main substance of all the provisions
of the original treaty was "to define
and secure the rights Of our people in
respect of access to, residence and
protection in, and trade with China"
and IN the Burlingame additions TO
the treaty the two countries agreed TO
recognize the ''inherent and inaliena
BILE right of man to change his home
and allegiance, and also the mutual
advantage of the free migration and
emigration of their citizens and sub.
jects respectively from the one coun.
try to the other for purposes of curl
osity, trade or permanent residence"
How then could law, made without
notice, be honorable on the part OF
the United States? The act of Pres
ident Hayes in vetoing the bill was
right but the object sought in its pas,
sage should be accomplished by proper
methods in as short time as possible