The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-03-23
IT'S COMIC SIDE.
A Republican Plan to Make Poll
tical Capital.
The Chinese Bill Apt to Prove Boomer
ang to the Republicans and Re-
bound Upon their Heads.

The story Of the Anti-Chinese bill has
q comic side to it which the politicians
who have engineered it do not care to
dwell upon.
1t is thought very desirable by the Re-
publicans to carry the Pacific States
next fall. The Republican congressman
from those States have asserted that
they could not be carried unless the Re-
publican party made haste to pass an
anti-Chinese bill, and very stringent
one. Both parties, in their last national
conventions, committed themselves to
an anti-Chinese policy, but the Demo-
cratic convention, which met after the
Republican, adopted the most concise
and comprehensive anti-Chinese resOlu-
tiOn of the two. Hence 1T was urged
that the Republicans must catch up with
their opponents by bringing forward a
bill.
Accordingly a Senate bill was intro
duced on the 9Th of December by Senator
Miller, Republican, of California, and
referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations. There it was seen that it
went too far, inasmuch as it suspended
and prohibited totally and until other
wise provided by law" The treaty with
China provides that Chinese immigra-
tion may be regulated, limited or sus-
pended, but not prohibited and this
treaty udu D66u Jlld WOlh VI q lhOpuDll-
can administration.
On the 25th of January, Senator Mil
ler, therefore brought in substitute.
This also was sent to the Foreign Rela-
tiOns Committee. 1t is the present bill,
and "suspends the coming in of Chinese
for twenty years"
At this point the first political awk-
Wardness happened. The Foreign Re-
latiOns Committee reported the bill to
the Senate with unanimous vote in Its
favor. There was, therefore, no special
Republican thunder so far. The Demo
Gratis were as strongly for the bill in
committee as the Republicans.
Then came the debate, in the course
of which Senator HOar spoke for the
Chinese and against the bill, and Senator
Edmunds, while opposing Mr.. HJar's
.SFeraIities and allowing the right and
the wisdom of checking and 5uspending
Chinese immigration, supported the
amendment offered by Senator ingalls,,
Republican, to make the period of sus-
pension ten years only, on the very
proper ground that this was within the
spirit of the treaty, while suspension
for twenty years was virtually pr0hi-
bitiOn, which the treaty fOrbids. The
amendment was, however, defeated, and
the bill passed with the twenty year
clause. but the Republican managers,
who had their eyes on the Pacific States,
saw to their dismay that the bill was
adopted by nine Republican and twenty
Democratic votes, while Of those who
voted against it all but two were Re-
publicans.
Under these circumstances the bill
went to the House, and there also the
prospect is now that the bill Will be
passed mainly by Democratic votes, with
the help of a minority of Republicans.
1t will then go to the President, and
this afternoon some of its Republican
advocates fear the President will veto it
on the same ground taken by Senator
Edmunds, that twenty year suspen-
sion is contrary to the spirit Of the
treaty. On the whole, this political
manoeuvre has not so far been a success