The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-03-16

SSSO w III SOO NOlO III VIC Jill
at ten years?
Robinson-With some other small
alterations | will.
Page-If you make a limitation
of ten years the question will arise
whether the limit shall be allowed
to expire, or whether it shall be ex-
tended. You will keep us in COM
motion the whole time. For Gods
sake give us twenty years rest. We
have been unsettled for thirty years
let us be settled for twenty years.
Protect the port of San Francisco
for twenty years, but, if you like,
at the expiratiOe of ten years open
the port of Boston to Chinese i'm
migration.
Tyler, of Vermont, stated that he
would like to vote for some bill to
restrict the importation of Chinese
bat this bill was one which would
prevent rather than restrict Chinese
immigration. The bill was not
within the treaty of 1881. He spoke
III favor OF a suspension of FIVE or
ten years.
Rice, of Massachusetts spoke in
opposition to the bill. though he
differed with the gentleman from
California page he did SO with the
greatest respect for the sincerity Of
the views which he had presented.
The gentlemen was good republi-
can and he had assumed to speak
for the democratic side of the house.
He could not speak for the republic
can side, and the reason was that,
though he well represented one
great wing Of the party, yet that
wing had been thrown into d
panic.
Page did not attempt to speak
for the republican party. l speak
from its platform and pledges in its
national convention. Does the gen.
tleman from Massachusetts, stand by
the platform in last national con-
ventiOn.
Rice.-The gentleman from
Massachusetts, stands with
his feet on every plank
of that platform. He has al
ways stood there and stands there
to-day, and in carrying out the .sug-
gestion that this left wing Of the re-
publican party is in a panic, the
gentleman has fallen back on the
main body.
page-Explain what you mean by
the left wing.
Rice-The left wing, the Pacific
wing. Let me explain what the re-
publican platform really means,
and show that B5tand on it better
than the gentlefl IN does 1t is the
democratic platform that says fno
immigration. 1t is the republican
platform that recognizes the right
Of every nation to protect itself
against pauperism, disease and
crime, and which says restrict and
regulate immigration so that it shall
not endanger the country or any
portion Of it. He is worse than an
in6del who does not protect his own
family, and l will protect every Sec
ton of these United States by pro-
per guards against immigration so
as to keep out an undue influx of
pauperism, disease and crime.
That is what the republican
platform means, not to prohibit it,
not to suspend it, but to regulate it,
restrict it, control it and make it,
instead of curse, instead Of the in
jury, blessing and source of pros
perity. Rice then proceeded to
argue in opposition to the bill on
the ground that it would work iI-
jury to the commerce of the nation
and commended that labor did not re-
quire, fer its protection, the adop-
ton of such an extreme measure
as the pending one. The labor
which worked for low wages never
crowded out the labor which worked
for high, but only crowded it up and
the arguments which were pre-
scented in support Of the bill we're
the same arguments which were
heard a hundred years ago against
labor saving machinery. The bill
was violation of the Chinese treaty.
Under color of treaty provision
modifying the old and existing
treaty, he feared that Congress
would do much toward writ
ing our name over that Of
ancient Carthage, on the list
of national perfdy. He objected
to the bill because it was in conflict,
if not with the words, at all events
with the spirit of the treaty. At the
beginning of our national existence
we had written legend-"AIl men
are created equaP'-and that legend
had been maintained for 100 years.
1t had been held out as sign of
peace and an omen of success, and
he was unwilling, for one, to prove
recreant to the great destiny which
lay before this country, as it entered
the second century Of its existence.
He did not know but he would con-
sent to short suspension of immi-
grafton, but against this bill, against
its essence, and against its spirit, he
could only utter his earnest protest
and say that he knew that it must
iail because all principles of justice
and equity, as of these fixed stars
whose serene light fell on Asia as
well as on America, fought against
this bill, and as sure as they were
set in their places by the hand of
God, who made them eternal, they
would, in the end, prevail.
Consideration OF the bill was then
suspended.