Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-02-25
Discussion OF the Chinese Blu by
our Maine Senators.

DetNeeu Cen2lOTs Dlalue huu Llaullu
Blaine-ls there any Senator on this
floor, land | ask to be answered, if there
is), who is willing to say that under the
operation of the Burlingame treaty. a.
it is now running, if the Chinese come In
aud occupy the three Pacific States to
the exclusion OF the whites, they have
the right to do it under this government;
or rather that We would be right in per
hitting them to do it? | will repeat my
question Should we be justified sitting
still here in the administration of this
government, and permitting the treaty
and the immigration which it allows to
20 forward until those three States
should be overridden by that population ?
That is what ask every Senator
Mr.. Hamliu-If my colleague wants
an answer, will give him one for myself.
Mr.. Blaiue-I do.
Mr.. Hamlin-"When the sky falls We
shall catch larks." That is al old adage.
The statistics will show that in the last
thirty years, the emigration hence from
China has exceeded little over four
thousand year.
Mr.. Blaine-Shll my honOred colleague
Is svading the question, not answering 1t.
Mr.. hamlin-I sm not going to evade
It. l will meet every question as 1t
shall arise, and | will state to my col
eague how | would meet it when it shall
arise. Ii has not arisen now. When
the time shall come that | become sstis-
fed that the population of China viii
overruu our country, and there shall be
danger OF imminent peril from that I'M
migration, will JOIN with my colleague
II sbrogating all treaties with them NO.
one single little paragraph of treaty
while We ask them 10 maintain 1t 10 IL
integrity for sll the commercial sdvAu-
tages that that treaty bestows upon Us
and all the protection that that treaty
gives Us TO the right Of trial by jury IN
der our own laws. | will not meet il BY
an attempt to abrogate treaty upon :
little point while We are the bcne6ciSries
in the great aud substantial points. !
am As indifferent To all the danger tina;
shall come away down into the stillness
OF ayes from the immigration of the
Chinese Treat them, l will not say like
pagans, because CONTIGUOUS would shame
Us if We 90 to his cOunsel-treAt them
ike Christians, and they will become
good American citizens. Applause II
the galleries.
Mr.. Blaine do not Justify the bru-
tality OF the treatment of those Chinese
VINO are mere 1t Is greatly TO be regretted;
II Is greatly to be condemned; but YOU
mus; deal with things is you find then.
If you foresee a conflict upon that coast.
By reason OF an immigration that ca. ?
for the interposition Of the military, /
think It Is a good deal cheaper and more
direct way to avoid the trouble by pre-
venting the immigration.
have heard a good deal about their
cheap labor. You cannot have the
wealthy classes IN republic where suit
frage is universal, legislate in what Is
called the interest OF cheap labor. Labor
should be cheap and it should not be
dear; 1t should have It's share and will
have It, share There Ii not d laborer on
he Pacific coast to-day, l say that to my
honorable colleague-whose whole life
has been consistent and uniform in de.
fence and advocacy OF the labOring class-
es-there Is rot lsboring man on the
Pacific coast to-day who does not fee
wounded and grieved aud crushed by the
competition that comes from this source
When you tell me that the Chinamsu
driving out the tree American laborer on
ly proves the superiority Of the China
man, | ask you. did the African slave
abor, driving out the free white labor
from the South prove the superiority Of
slave abor The conditions are not I'M
Ike, the parallel l. not complete, and yet
it Is q parallel. 1t Is servile labor; it is
labor that comes here under q mort
gage. Il Is labor that comes here u
suosist on what the American labor can
not subsist on. You cannot work a man
who must have beef and bread, and
would prefer beer, alongside of a nan
who can i've on rice 1t cannot be done,
10 all such conflicts and in all such
struggles, the result Is not 10 bring up the
man who lives on rice to the beet and
bread standard, but it Is to bring down
the beef ami bread man to the rice stan
dard. Manifestations Of applause in
the galleries.
In conclusion, maintain that the leg
i-lation Is 10 the Striotest accord with
international obligation. We have given
notice, and the Chinese Empire has it.
self violated the treaty. Whether You
take It on the one ground or the other,
We are entirely justified in the legislation
proposed They have never lived for
one month on their side Of the treaty.
That question out, the only one We have
70 regard Is whether on the whole we will
devote that interesting and importan,
section OF the United States 10 be the
home and refuge Of our own people and
our own blood, or whether we will con-
tinue to leave it open, not to the oompe-
titiOn Of other nations like ourselves, Dut
TO those who, degraded themselves, vii.
inevitably degrade us. We have this
day 10 choose whether We will have for
the Pacific coast the civilization OF Christ
or the civilization Of Confucioas ZAP.
plause in the galleries
Mr.. Hamlin-Mr. President, l am
political partizan, | have been.One my