The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-02-20
The Chinese Bill.

The Chinese Bill.
Congress has passed the anti-Chinese Bill,
which prohibits the immigration OF Chinese
to this country in greater numbers than fiji
teen to each vessel. II has to receive the
comes a law, and there is doubt expressed
about this.
The objection to the enactment of such
legislation is the gross violation of treaty
stipulations which it perpetrates. The
treaty between the United States and Chi
ma, has increased the trade between the two
countries, from .s2,OoO,oO0 ill 1872, to
$1,000, 900 in 1878, and under its provisions
a large number Of American citizens have
located in China to manage the interests of
the trade thus built up. The abrupt term
inatlon Of the treaty which protects these
interests involves serious results, apart from
the questions of fidelity 10 national obliga-
tons. The earnest warfare made against
Chinese immigration on the Pacific coast,
however. has had more force THAN any ar
gument in behalf of the observance OF treaty
contracts and the result is given in the bill
passed by the Senate on Saturday last.
While we think it would have better
comported with national dignity and the
respect due to treaty stipulations, had the
Senate adopted Mr.. Conkling' amendment,
authorizing the President to enter into dip
lomatic negotiations to correct the evil COM
planned of, instead OF summarily and alb.
ruptly abrogating the treaty, yet we confess
that the Chinese question presents problem
of sserious import. There are 10000, 900
inhabitants in China, and the volume of i'm
migration has been SO great since the con-
firmation of the reciprocal treaty of 1871,
known as the Burlingame treaty. that it is
estimated there is one Chinaman in Califor-
Of economy enable them to work at profit
for less than an American can live on, and
they are thus working themselves into all
the avenues Of mental labor to the great
detriment OF American and natural lied la
Dor. Their education, habits and pursuits
are such as to work great de.riment to the
interests Of American labor, while they have
no ambition to assimulate with the moral
Influences which enter into the social Or
ganism OF the country. They are an ex-
crescence, demoralizing in all the relations
of community, except money making. They
accumulate at the mere nominal prices they
demand, and their employers add to their
wealth at the same time, because of the
profits realized upon their labor. Without
some treaty stipulations to check the tide of
immigration from China. it would only be
a question Of time when the Pacific States
would be overrun with this population, and
all the channels of labor placed at their
mercy. They. however, have come here
under treaty invitation and sanction, and it
should have been by treaty prohibition that
the present flood of population from that
country should have been checked.
The immediate influence which operated
in the enactment of the anti Chinese bill,
was, however, political, both parties strug-
CLING to get the advantage of the credit Of
the act, to affect the result of the election in
California next fall. Much may depend on
the political complexion of the Congression-
al delegation from that State, as it will give
the political control Of Congress, by States,
to the successful party. Should the Presi-
dential election of 1880 be thrown into the
House, the vote Of California would deter
mine the result, as there is tie now, each
party controlling an equal number of States
by Congressional representatives, and Cali
fornia will determine the balance. This fact
controlled the votes Of Senators on both
sides and more particularly on the Demo-
cratic, who reluctantly yielded to the APP
peals .of their party friends on the Pacific
coast.