National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-05-04
The Chinese Bill Passed.

The concurrence by the House in the
Senate amendments to the Chinese inn
migration bill sends that measure to the
President. In his message vetoing the
first bill the main stress was laid upon
the length of time of the proposed sus.
pension of immigration. This objection
is obviated by the present bill, in which
the time is reduced from twenty years
to ten.
The statesmen who will urge the Presi-
dent to withhold his approval from this
wise and most important measure should
be able to explain what was meant by
the sending of special embassy of three
members to China for the negotiation of
a treaty to enable legislation upon this
subject. What juggling was it that the
advocates of Chinese serf-labor in
America were engaged in when they told
us that they were only prevented from
standing by the interests of American
labor by the sacred obligations of the
Burlngame treaty? Did they mean that
they would emancipate labor on the Pa
cifc coast now, and guarantee its protec-
ton all oyer the country hereafter from
the destructive consequences of an Ash
attic invasion only on condition of Chi
nese acquiescence, and that that being M
erpectcdy obtained they would treacher-
ously shift the ground of their objections
and refuse TO do, in pursuance of treaty,
that which they pretended they were
only prevented from doing by treaty :?
1t will not be a sufficient answer to this
for the pro-Chinese to say that they did
not at any time favor restriction on
Chinese immigration. In the Senate, on
the 9TH of May, 1873, Mr. Howe reported
from the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tons the following concurrent resolu-
ton:
ResOlred ly Hc Senate (tho House of Representa-
tives concurrngl That tire provisions Of the exist
ing treaty between the Empire of China and the
United states dlIOt0ny the H,Tesr cted emigration to
this country from China might Wisey be mOdlGed so
as 10 subserye the best interests of both Govern
ments and the attention of the Executive is re-
spectlully invited TO the subject
On the 25th of the same month the Sem
ate unanimously agreed to this resolu-
ton.
Oll Illt llln VI Juut lOllOMlIE Vic ItSO-
luton was unanimously agreed to by the
House.
What did this resolution mean if it did
not mean to declare that wisdom de-
manded change in that portion of the
treaty which allowed unrestricted immi-
grafton of Chinese to this country? Did
the New England Senators and members
intend to cheat the enemies of that inn
migration by a false pretense of agreeing
with them? Was Senator Hoar playing
Spenlow (who was wiling to the Chi
nese Emperor's Jorkins (whose consent
he supposed could not be had, so that
the humanities and this new slave trade
might thrive together, yielding to "the
unco guild what African slavery did to
their dough-face prototypes profits
without the blame?
The Administration of President Hayes
was narcotized on this Chinese question,
and moved only at snail pace even
after the above prompting by Congress.
Then the tifteen-passenger bill was
pressed. II passed both houses and was
vetoed on the ground that without no.
tice it abrogated a treaty. This was
right. Congress had avowedly exercised
its arbitrary power to legislate contrary
TO Il treaty because the President had ap-
parently neglected to take any steps to-
ward new one. While the bill was
pending in the Senate Senator Conking
endeavored TO amend IL and to have it
take the form ofa conditional abrogation
of the treaty, That is o say, his subsh-
tute provided that, as the immigration
under the Burlingame treaty was found 10
be pernicious" 10 the welfare ofour own
country, if that treaty was not so modified
within a stated time as 10 permit restric'
tive legislation, then SO much of it Ms pre-,
vented such legislation should be deemed
10 be abrogated and of no further bind
ing force. This was supported by nearly
all of the enemies of immediate legsla
ton. We have not the text Of the sub
sutute nor the record Of the vote at hand
but il will be found 10 be as above stated
The defeat of Mr.. ConkIing's substitute
was a great misiortphe, because muel
time was thereby lost. But the passage
of the bill brought President Hayes tc