Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-20


nority Reports OF fhe Hard Times -
COmmitsee.
WASHINGTON. March 19th.-The special
report on the Chinese Immigration question
of the House committee appointed TO inquire
into the causes of depression OF labor was
presented to the House to-day. The major
ity report is signed by Chairman Hendrick
b. Wright and Messrs. Munich, Dickey and
O'Connor, and was accompanied by two mi
nority reports, one signed by Messrs. Martin
and Sherwin. and the other by Cowgirl OF In
diana The majority report, it is asserted, Is
based on careful examination or witnesses
and at once concludes that Chinese lmmlgra-
ton is destroying the trade and materially
affecting the BUSINESS of San Francisco and
the whole Pacific coast. Thousands OF
industrious white men and women are
absolutely thrown out of employment
Chinese labor being used throughout the
whole coast as a substitute tor white labor.
1t asserts that the subject is assuming alarm
ing Importance, and that the entire population
of the Pacific coast, as far as could be ascer-
tanned, is host lie to Chinese immigration, and
especially in the city of San Francisco, where
a population of 30, 900 or 49, 900 Chinese are
located in the heart of the city. This Asiatic
element is governed by their own laws, living
in dirt and filth, and eyading all responsibility
of municipal taxation. This state of things,
the majority say, induced the authorities of
the State to propose law and submit it to
the people to ascertain the sentiment OF citi-
zens of the State upon the propriety of allow
ing the immigration to continue. The result
of the vote testing public opinion on this
question was of almost entire unanimlty,
l54, 900 voters, through their ballots, being In
opposition to continuance OF the lmmlgra-
ton, and only 800 favoring it. The majority
further state that, in their opinion, unless
some decisive action be taken by Congress,
there is danger to be apprehended regarding
the welfare and solidity of the government
of the State of California. The majority
recommend, as temporary measure of relief,
that the bill of the last session, limiting the
landing of but fifteen Chinese from one YES
sci, be adopted by Congress, leaving
out the two sections engratted by the
Senate upon the bill which recommended an
abrogation Of our treaty with China, which
was, the report says, probably the cause OF
the bill being vetoed by the President. The
report continuing, says: Something must be
granted to the people of the Pacific slope, and
until it is there is great danger of internal
commotion and revolution. The people have
reached a point beyond which it becomes an
absolute necessity on the part of the Govern
ment to interfere and prevent great wrong
being inflicted upon that coast. The influx of
labor and monopolizing the Industries of the
people there, but their manners, customs and
habits are undermining the moral and social
condition of the State, and in order to dispose
of the question in a definite manner, the
majority offer joint resolution presented in
the House to-day, proposing to abrogate that
part of the treaty between the United States
and China, relating to immigration.
The minority views of Representatives
L.
mendatjon of the majority regarding the pas
sage of law limiting immigration to not
more than fifteen Chinese on one vessel, but
do not indorse the proposed joint resolution.
The minority report of Representative
Cowgirl asserts that the majority of the COM
mittee refused to put the witnesses under the
obligations of an oath as to the truth or
falsity of their statements, and refused to
subpoena any one to appear before them. As
n result, with but one or two exceptions, none
but the most visionary and partial witnesses
appeared before them; that the evidence
taken is wholly unreliable, and if believed is
Iuuch better calculated to mislead than
enlighten any one. The committee,
under the purview of the resolution
creating it, had no authority to investigate
the Chinese question, excepting as far as Chi
nese labor incidentally may affect the general
subject of labor that the evidence taken at
San Francisco by the committee was of a
character utterly unworthy of belief that
the course pursued by the Chairman of the
committee in delivering addresses to Sand
lotters on Sabbath evenings, at one of which
he receives the nomination by Kearneyite
for the Presidency, may have induced and
encouraged that class of people to obtrude
themselves upon the committee, and may
have had some agency in shaping the major
ity report. 1t asserts that the evidence is
not of such character as to warrant the
conclusion of the majority in regard to Chi
nese immigration. 1t admits the existence of
much bitter feeling on the part of the whites
against the Chinese, chiefly due to race pre-
JUDGES, as evidenced by the result of the
late election in California Preferred to in the
majority report). In support of the view that
this feeling results from race prejudices, it
cites the adoption by the State of Indiana in
1857, in constitutional provision, by vote
scarcely less decisive, by which a whole race
was prohibited from coming into the State
The report concludes that whatever causes
may have existed for the appointment of the
committee originally, none exist at this time
requiring its further Investigations that
prosperity abounds everywhere, and the la
borer can secure employment at fair COM
pensation. The report is accompanied by the
following resolution
Resolved, That Hon. Hendrick B. Wright Chair.
man of the committee, be required to pay into the
United States Treasury any balance of the appro-
pristion made for the use of the same that now
remains in his hands, and that the committee be
discharged from any further consideration of the
subject.
The neutrality-suspicious. Case.
WASHINGTON, March 19th.-The minority
report in the Donnelly Washburne case states
that Washburne's majority was 3,013; that
the district has always been largely Repub-
he q
S,153. The report declares that little if any
of the evidence before the committee would
be received in any Court of justice, being
generally hearsay, and that there is evidence
that both sides used money to poll the dis
trict and provide means for getting voters to
the polls who were remote, etc. The can
vassers were paid, also ticket-holders for
both parties. Speakers received money, and
the committee do not say that such use of
money is entirely Legitimate, certainly not
unusual. The sitting member was unwilling
to dignity alleged testimony by offering to
disprove it. There was little worthy of be-
ing disproved. Many witnesses were disap-
pointed applicants for brides. Whether or
not the law preventing the numbering of
ballots was constitutional, there is no law or
precedent for rejecting the 2,2S2 votes thus
numbered. The report meets all the other
points from legal and equitable standpoints.
honest, and the result correctly eanvassed
and returned.
The Colorado Indian Question Testimony
OF Ouray, His Wife and Jack.
WASHINGTON, March 19th.-The House
Committee on Indian Affairs resumed the
examination of Ouray to-day, but failed tc
elicit any satisfactory information in regard
10 the fight with Thornburgh, the Meekel
massacre, or the subsequent i'll treatment Of
the captive women Of the Agency by the In
dams. He did not deny that they might
rave been treated as alleged, but asserted
that he knew nothing Of it.
Hrs. Ouray was still more non-committal
and the committee were unable to exact any
s7formation upon the subjects under inquiry
Jack was then tried. but with no bette