The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-02-06
Cincinnati Times.1
Politicians Puzzle.

Politicians are wrestling with their
Chinese puzzle. We should perhaps
have said Republican politicians, for the
Democrats are not struggling over it to
sny great extent. There are a dozen
electoral votes to be cast by the Pacific
States, and quarter of them in 1876
would have saved Tilden from all the
vexations of cipher dispatches and Elec-
toral Commissions and staying out in the
cold. His party therefore, with few ex
ceptions and no misgivings has deter
mined to step to the front, and to bawl
louder than all the hoodlums, that the
Chinaman must &C"
1t is not exactly so with the Republi-
cans. AS shown by the vote in the House
on the kindred but milder proposition
that the Malay shall not come, except in
limited bers-only fifteen at a time
there is a prevailing but not unani-
nous inclination on the part of the Re
pulican members to follow the Democrat
ic lead on this question. But there are
many and prominent exceptions. 1t is
still quandary, with that side of the
House, whether the party should stand
by its principles and respect treaty obli-
cations or let them all go, in the scram-
bic for twelve electoral votes-and prob
ably lose them at that. This is the po-
ntlcal Chlnese puzzle.
From some remarks alleged to have
been made to a newspaper interviewer,
last fall, we had thought General Garfield
pretty well settled in the belief
that the Golden Gate should be emphat
ically slammed in the face of all Asiatics
seeking ingress, and swung wide for the
earliest practicable departure of the last
Heather Chinee. But from some briei
expressions of his in the House-and
from his failure to record his vote on the
Chinese immigration question-it is evi
dent that he has not found q satisfactory
solution of the puzzle. One remark o.
his, made just before the vote was taken
shows that he was not absent on that oc
cNsion, and also proves that he is still
vexed with conscientious impediments
which avert him from the course
that seems demanded by political neces
sity. The bill, said our Western Re
serve statesman, ''is a palpable violation
of international law, and was got up rath
er for party purposes than out of consid
Grafton for the interests of the working
men" In other words, it is plain and
direct reputation of certain stipulations
made by our Government in the Burlin
game treaty, to say that not more than
fifteen Cinnamon shall land upon oul
Shofes from any one vessel, on the same
trip; whereas, in securing the important
concession of unrestricted admission o
American citizens into the Chinese EN-
pire, we entered into solemn obligation
to grant the same privileges to Chinese
citizens wishing to come to this country
In this view Of the case. our statesman
| and orator is quite correct That this
| BILL too, is measure to catch votes, ra
ther than to help the workingmen, eve
| rybody understands. But suppose it hao
been really a measure to benefit the
working classes, and would have no effect
whatever on the twelve electoral votes
of the Pacific States, what then? Could
not sagacious and highly moral states
man determine whether or not to vote
for a measure in the interest of labor re
gardless Of solemn international agree
nent?
But General Garfield did not vote eli
ther way. This Chinese puzzle was toe
much for him. And a majority of Re
publican members took no thought fol
international obligations - there were
the twelve electoral votes, and as to the
Burlingame treaty in comparison, it was
only as so much broken China