The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-04-14
VETO OF THE AN1l.CHINEsE BILL.

IS088O00
proving Of the Provisions Of the Anti
Chinese Immigration Bill.
WASHINGTON. April l.
The following is the full text of thu
Presidents message vetoing the Anti
Chinese bill:
To The Senate: After q careful considera
0on Of Senate bill No. n, entitled IAN act t.
execute certain treaty stipulations relating t.
Chinese, herewith return it to the Senate, ii
which it originated. with my objections to ii
passage. A nation il justified in repudiatins
Its treaty obligations only when they are IL
conflict with great paramount interests. Ever
men all possible reasonable means for modify
ing or changing these obligations by mutual
agreement should be exhausted before resort
ing to the supreme right of refusal to comply
with them. These rules have governed the
United States in their past intercourse
with other powers. as one Of the families
Eress can feel that this act violates
the faith of the Nation, Is pledged
20 China, 1t will concur with me in re
3ecting this mode of regulating Chinese immf
grafton. and will endeavor to find another
which shall meet the expectations of the PEG
pie OF the United States without coming in con
dict with the rights Of China. The present
treaty relations between that power and the
United States spring from an antagonism which
arose between our paramount domestic inter
ests and our previous relations The treaty
commonly known as the Burlingame treaty
conferred upon Chinese subjects the right of
voluntary emigration to the United States for
the purpose of curiosity or trade, or as perma-
cal as to citizens of the United States in China.
1t gave to the voluntary emigrant coming to
the United States the right to travel there
or reside there, with all the privileges, immu-
mites, or exemptions enjoyed by the citizens
or subjects of the most favored nation. I'm
der the operations of this treaty it was found
the institutions of the United States and
of obtaining q livelihood might be serious
ly affected by an Unrestricted introduce
ton Of Chinese labor. Congress attempt
iation, but e the act Which It passed proved to
be in violation Of our treaty obligations,
and. being returned BY the President with
his objections. failed to become q law.
treaty was concluded with China. without
-abrO9ating the Buriingame treaty it was
agreed to modify it so far that the Govern
limit or suspend the coming of Chinese labor
.ers to the United States, or their residence
therein, but that it should not absolutely pro-
hibit them. and that the Limitation or suspen-
ss1on should be reasonable, and should apply
only to the Chinese who mightgO to the United
States as laborers, other classes not being in
Guided in the limitation. This treaty is unilat-
erai not reciprocal. 1t is concession from
the Chinese Government to the United States,
or a limitation of the rights which she was en-
jOying under the Burlingame treaty. 1t
leaves us by our own act to determine
itations. China may therefore fairly have
the right to expect that in enfOrc-
ing them we will take good care not
been conceded us. 1t is but year since this
new treaty, under the operation of the COnSu-
tuition, became part Of the supreme law of the
land, and the present act is the first attempt at
fI,.a of fbn nn na6 v,nU
which China relinQuishes to the United States.
In its first article the United States is empow-
cred to decide whether the coming of Chinese
laborers to the United States, or their resi-.
dence therein, effects or threatens to affect our
interests. or to endanger good order either
within the whole country or in any part OF it.
The act recites that j" in the opinion of the
Government of the United States, the coming
of Chinese laborers to this country endangers
the good order of certain localities thereof"
but the act itself is much broader than the re-
grafton. Its provisions are effective throughout
the United States. think it may fairly be &C
cepted as an expression of the opinion of Con-
gress that the coming of such laborers to the
United States or their residence here affects
our interests and endangers good order
throughout the country. On this point l
should feel it my duty to accept the views of
power upon this Government to regulate,
limit, or suspend, but not to actually prohibit
the coming of such laborers to or their resi-
Ce lcH III the u nltcQ STATES. Inc neROClauOrS
of TIE treaty have recorded with unusually
fulnesS their understanding of the sense and
meaning with which these words were used.
As the class of persons to be affected by the
treaty, the Americans inserted in their draft
tn provision that the words " Chinese labor
ers' signify all immigration other than
that for teaching, trade. travel, study and
curiosity The Chinese objected to this. that
it operated to include artisans in the class of
laborcrs whose emigration might be forbid
den. The Americans replied that they could
not consent that artisans should be excluded
from the class of Chinese laborers, for it is
their very competition of skilled labor in the
cities where Chinese labor immigration con-
centrates which has caused embarrassment
and popular discomfort In subsequent negO-
tiations this definition dropped out and does
not appear in the treaty. Article i of the
treaty cOnfcrs the rights. privileges, immun-
of the
ton upon Chinese subjects proceeding to
the United States as teachers, students,
merchants. or from curiosity. The Amer
Government claimed that in this ar
ticle they did by exclusion provide that
nobody should be entitled to claim the benefit
treaty but those who might go to the United
States in these capacities, or for these pur-
poses. acceptthis as the definition of the word
''laborers as used in the treaty. As to the power
the new treaty provides we may not absolutely
prohibit their coming or their residence.
The Chinese commissioners gave notice IN the
outset that they would never agree to a pro-
hibition of voluntary emigration. Notwith-
standing this the United States Com
missioners submitted draft in which
it was provided that the United States
might "regulate. limit, suspend, or
prohibit it The Chinese refused to
accept this. The Americans replied that
they were willing to consult the wishes of the
Chinese Government in preserving the prin-
cipl. of free intercourse between the people
of the two countries, as established by exist
ing treaties provided that tho right of the
United States Government to use its discre-
ton in guarding against any possible evils of
the immigration of Chinese laborers is dis
timely recognized. Therefore, if such conces-
sion removes all difficulty on the part of the
Chinese Commissioners (but only in that
easel, the United States Commissioners will
agree to remove the word "prohibit" from
their article. and to use the words " regulate
limit or suspend" The Chinese reply to this
can only be inferred from the fact that. in place
of the agreement as proposed by our COM
miss OnerS that we might prohibit the
coming or residence of the Chinese labor
ers, there was inserted in the treaty an
agreement that we might not do it The re-
manning words " regulate. limit and suspend
first appear in the American draft When it
was submitted to the Chinese they said: I'VE
infer that of the phrases regulate, limit,
suspend, or prohibit the first is general ex-
preston, referring to the theirs. We are en-
trely ready to negotiate with your Excellen-
cieS to the end that limitation either in point
of time or numbers may be fixed upon the
emigration of Chinese labOrers to the United