The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-10
REPRESENTATIVES, PAGE
Tells How He Proposes to Die
pose of the Heathen
Chinee.

Legislation desired by the Pacifi
Coast under the Chinese immigra
ton treaty, is outlined in the fol
lowing conversation with Represen
tative Page, of California:
What do you people want in tn
nature of legislation under thes,
Chinese immigration treaties?
MIR. Page = Inasmuch as tn,
treaty has not as yet been pro
ella med, it is difficult to say pre-
cisely what they do expect. VIVA
they want and what they thinl
they can secure under the treaty il
the exclusion of all Chinese labor
ers, as well as criminals, paupers
imGeciles and immoral women, ex.
cluded by the act of rs. We think
that under the provisions of thi:
treaty we can secure what we de
sire. We have good cause to desire
ii, heaven knows. We are inundated
with Chinese. They are every,
where. They constitute now about
one-siXth Of our entire population
They are cut-throat competitors
with our workingmen. They are
arriving in constantly increasing
numbers, hundreds and hundreds in
a month, vast horde of vampires
coming in to prey upon us. You OF
the east do not appreciate this
thing, but we are face to face with
it every day. 1t is all very
well to talk about America
b ing the home of the down-trodden
and oppressed of all nations
the refuge of the poor, unfortunate
and crushed; so it is when the peo-
pie who propose coming to it pro-
pose to stay, become residents and
Identified with its life, but when
they come as these Chinese do as
sojourners for a time, until at low
wages by close saving they can &C
cumulate $500 or $jUO, a fortune in
China, when they turn around and
leave for their fatherland on the
next steamer, they are of no value
to any country. They are here SIM
ply to get what they can take or
scrape together in the course OF
four or five years. They add moth
ing to the United States; they take
all they can grab from it. They
have no love for its institutions, no
regard for its welfare, no interest in
its affairs. They worship the al
mighty dollar and on that alone CEN
tire all their affections, and to &C
quire it all their energies are
bent. All this might be
suffered if they did not undermine
our own citizens. You would soon
find that out if you lived in Califor-
MIA. Why, ex-President Hayes adj
mitted to Senator Sargent and my
self that 10000 Chinese workmen
suddenly introduced into the labor
ing circles of Cincinnati would pro-
duce a riot. Even at South Adams,
Mass, when only few compare
lively, an insignificant handful, was
employed, trouble arose. Oh. no, ii
is impossible. They cannot live
with us. OF course we have no de-
sire, we have no right, l believe,
under the treaty, to exclude Chinese
gentlemen, Chinese merchants, Chi
nese travellers, Chinese youth desir-
ing educational facilities not to be
mad in their own country. They
will be admitted as be-
fore. What we want to break
up is the importation of Chinese
laborers by Chinese companies in
San Francisco. Practically, you
know they are slaves. They belong,
body and soul, to the companies. Of
course we can not eXpel these now
in the country, but they will disap-
Dear gradually and we shall see no
more to replace them.
Are you preparing legislation such
is will satisfy the views of your
people under the treaty? Yes, l am
drafting a bill which will, l think.
cover it. OF course l cannot COM
plete it until the terms of the treaty
are proclaimed, but in outlining it, |
have the valuable assistance of Com
missioner Swift, who aided in the
negotiation of the treaty. He has
already given me important sugges-
lions derived from his knowledge of
p he circumstances under which the
treaty was concluded.
What will be the general nature of
your bill? Well, it is all practically
the same as the fifteen-pasSenger
bill vetoed by Hayes.
Do you expect strong support in
the House? Yes; / do not believe
more than fifteen or twenty men
will vote against the bill in
The House. l do not believe it
will meet with much opposition in
The Senate. Mr.. Hoar may speak and
vote against it. l don't know any
other eastern senator who would be
likely to oppose it. I have the sup
port also of the entire west in the
House. Gen. Miller, will, of course,
carry the bill through the Senate.
Now, when you have put it
through Congress, will it be vetoed ?
No, sir; very emphatically) Garfield
will approve the bill. We know he
is with US In this matter. We are
greatly encouraged by what he said
in his letter. 1t strengthened us
very much on the Pacific coast in
our campaign. Oh, he'll sign it
quick enough. He will have it on
the statute book and executed be-
fore many weeks after the first
Of next December.