The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-03-16
THE CHINESE REGULATION BILL.

ship shown in the Chinese business.
The character of Chinese civilization
and the vices of Chinese character
were very we'll known before dlPlo-
macy, in the person of Minister Bur-
lngame, knocked at the door of the
Chinese empire and opened the flood
gates for Coolic competition to pour
UPON the labor of this country, and
brought the leprous and debauched
Asia,!c into our cities and upon our
roadsidcs. 1t ought not to be neccs-
sary for man of sound mind to eat
poison in order to know that 1t will
kill. Yet we have taken the dose into
the national stomach knowing what it
was, and even insisting on swallowing
it against the advice of the apothc-
cary, and now subject him to dlsre-
spectful and rude treatment in order
to get it off. -
1t is very clear that the anti-Chlnese
bill which has just passed the senate is
a violation of both the spirit and letter
Of the treaty itpurports to "regulate. -
Senator Hoar fought the bill fierccly
on the ground that it was a violation
of the principles of the Declaration of
independence, bill of rights, rights of
man and, generally, those for
lorn distractions with which the
Massachusetts mind has been
crazed these many years. But
he failed to urge that it was an
express violation of the convention
with China which it proposes to sup
plemcnt. The illinterdicts the ingress
of "Chinese laborers, skilled and I'M
skiiled,' for 20 years. No argument
is necessary to show that such inter-
diction is in contravention of the fol-
lowing provision Of the treaty.
The' government Ct the United
States may regulate, limit or suspend
such coming or residence, but may not
absolutely prohibit it. The limitation
Or suspension shall be reasonable, and
shall apply only to Chinese who may
20 to the United States as laborers.
other classes not being included in the
limitation.
The bill is a breach Of the national
faith guaranteed in this clause, in two
particulars. 1t suspends the coming of
men Of skilled labor, or artisans, who
are no more laborers in the meaning
of the treaty, or in technical sense,
or indeed in any sense, than doctor,
clergyman or lawyer is a laborer.
Everybody knows what a laborer is,
and that matchmaker, tailor, dentist,
Or one having a trade of any kind, is
not a laborer. And congress not only
violates the treaty but outrases COM
mon honesty, by using the expression
.'lab0rers, skilled and unskiIled.' There
arc no ''skilled laborers,' although
there is skilled labor. Then if the act
had had recourse to ''llmitatiOn' in
stead of suspension and had limit
ed the coming" to ] 900 or 5000
Chinese laborers a year, it would not
have been ''reasQnablc' in the sense of
the treaty, and would have amounted
to an abrogation of it. So the 'sus-
pension" of the coming of laborers for
two thirds of a generations nOtreason-
able and amounts to abrogation. We are
willing to 20 to any length and to sus-
tain the government in going to any
length, even to the extremity of 4 war
with the Chinese Empire. to save this
continent S0m the Chinaman, from
contact with the civilization of the
Fast, from the degeneracy of race, the
sapping of the virtues, power, spirit,
l., IL 4