National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-15
The Chinese Immigration Treaty.

The proposed immigration treaty with
China is a valuable and timely relinquish-
ment by that nation of privileges improyi-
IDENTIFY granted under the Burlingame
| treaty of 1868. The immigration of Chi
nese laborers to this country, without
other limits than their willingness to come
and the proftableness of their importa
ton, has not only been the prolific source
of local disturbances, injurious to the
good name of our country and subjecting
the immigrants to violent and barbarous
treatment, but it has excited and alarmed
the orderly and law-abiding portion of
the people of the Pacific coast. The fail
ure of the Cinnamon to bring wives with
them, and the consequent absence of all
needs on their part other than bare in
dividual subsistence, taken together with
their ability to live on fare which would
not keep in working condition even those
of our laborers who are unmarried,
tended to the reduction of common wages
below the standard at which Western
civilization could exist. The Chinese
could not underbid our workingmen if
the same proportion of them had fami-
lies to support and were so clothing their
children as to make them decent for
school and church. The cheapness of
their labor does not proceed from
thrift, for they are not thrifty. Gam
bling is a passion with them almost
universally INDUCED in. Chinese SER
wants in California seldom lodge at
the houses of their employers, but
spend large portion of their nights in
gambling and smoking opium. But they
work cheaper than others, and will con-
tinue TO do so, no matter how low this
brings their wages, because they have
few of the wants of our civilization. 1t
is greatly to the credit of the commission
ers sent to China that they did their work
so expeditiously and so well. Professor
Angel brought to the Commission doubt
less the conservative and humane view,
knowledge of the evils of Chinese COM
petition with American labor, and Mr..
Trescott a mind trained to the arts of di-
plomacy and business-like in grasping the
ends to be attained.
Excellent as is the work of the COM
missionerS, there is one feature to which
an amendment is certainly necessary, as
was the case in the original Burlingame
treaty. We refer to Article Ii, in which
it is provided that Chinese subjects who
may lawfully come and their servants,
and the Chinese laborers now in the
United States, shall be accorded all the
rights, privileges, ,immunities, and exemp-
tons which are accorded to the citizens
and subjects of the most favored nations -
This is ali enlargement of the privileges
now enjoyed by these people. When the
Burlingame treaty of 1868 was presented
to the Senate it contained Ian
guage of the same import as
that we have quoted. This clearly
to be a pledge that the privilege
of naturalization accorded to the subjects
of other nations should be granted to the
Chinese. Senator Conness, of California,
moved an amendment which expressly
provided that this should not be, but
should be excluded from the rights
granted to the subjects of China. The
was amended, and the form
in which it was finally adopted is in the
of Charles Sumner Itwould
be misfortune if treaty intended to
relieve us of the serious consequences
which have followed and are threatened
by the emotional policy of 1868 should
be ratified in form capable of iniscon-
struction on the very important subject
of naturalization. The excluding Ian
guage of the Conness-Sumner amend
ment to the Burlingame treaty is evidence
that it was then necessary. Its omission
now would surely be tantamount to a
of what was then forbidden. |
We suggest that the treaty be amended,
either in the identical language used in |
1868 or by provision that nothing in it |
contained shall be deemed as extend |
ng or enlarging the privileges conferred |
oy the former one.