Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-04
MEMPHIS APPEAL
TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 1889
ARTHUR AND THE CHINESE BILL.

ARTHUR AND THE CHINESE BILL.
In discussing this question few days
since the omission of a word made the AP-
PEAL antagonize the policy il has so long
advocated, that of opposition to Chinese i'm
migration. These people can never be made
to assimilate to our institutions; they degrade
American labor, and should not be permitted
to come in contact with the laboriug classes
The country is surprised that President Ar
thur should hesitate to sign the Chinese bill
which recently passed both houses by such
an overwhelming majority. The civilization
of America must protect itself against the
hordes who propose to feast by starving
the laboring classes who cannot COM
pete with the creatures who live in dens
and fatten on filth. 1t will hs--~ -
de- r. ,He institutions Of America if
q hundred millions of Chinese should be
permitted to come in contact with the decent
laboring classes, who must either perish or
reduce themselves TO the level of rice and
rat-eaters During the recent discussion on
the bill that has been sent to the President
for his signature, Mr.. Flower, a member of
Congress from New York, said:
The coolie system is a system of slavery Chinese
i labor is brought here by computes Tor certain
TO secure certain pay, and finally TO return home
those who are Obliged to employ labor II comes e
to aid those who have mines to work or railroads
to build, or factories to be manned or labor of
any sort TO be don9. 10 is bought and brought by
capital to increase the profits of capital; it is
chine, bought and worked in the Interest OF CAPT
tai The tool itself-the Chinanan--is the passive
instrument in the hands of masters. He sells him
self from home, from friends from family, to fur
ther the selfish scheme Of his employer. He places
he tolls, he suffers without ceSsing he serves out
his time threefold, did Jacob, of the olden time
get fom his WIN greedy eTd Whine ne here
his only is to spend nothing his
are with him. These his items Of expendi-
ture, and cost him almost nothing. Finally he
10 stay: none want to have him stay; all parties
are glad when he goes he does not ceme like
other Immigrants, fleeing from oppression. but
voluntarily comes to be oppressed This Is not
and scorns a grave in this land OF liberty
Every interest of self-protection demands
that the immigration which has wrought
such manifold evils on the Pacific coast |
should be suspended, and President Arthur
will commit grave error if he should veto
the Chinese bill for the benefit of the pro-
tectionists, whose interest it is to import |
cheap labor. The argument that the people |
of the United States have no right to dis
eliminate against foreign immigrants, and TO
say who shall and who shall not be added to
our population, is preposterous and absurd
in the extreme. If any of the powers of Eu-
rope should undertake to import 10 America |
their paupers and criminals the United |
States government would close its ports
against them, and it has the same right
to discriminate against Chinese immigra-
tion, more to be dreaded than the crim-
inals and paupers of Europe. If America is
the asylum of the oppressed, it is made 80 by
suferance and not by any inherent right of
the immigrant. The benevolent millionaire
in inviting on Thanksgiving and Christmas
days the honest poor and destitute to partake
Of his bounty and hospitality, has the right
to close his doors against the ragged mack
erels who live in the slums by a system of
theft in which they delight; and il is the
sovereign right of nation TO discriminate
in self-defense between the classes who seek
to its territory. The Chinese bill
the Chinaman, for the very just and sufficient
reason that he does not asaimilate TO our in
because he accepts the rewards
and opportunities of citizenship while reject
ing its burdens. We have rejected the ban
ished criminals whom other nations sought
to foist upon US, and we have the right to
reject any other class without touching
upon the tradition which has made our coun-
try the asylum for the oppressed. The
United States has offered gladly, and
still offers, a home to every man
who comes to be a citizen, by assimilat-
ing to our institutions and ready to shoulder
a musket to defend them in time of war.
But the government does not thereby lose its
right to exclude those who come to degrade
American labor, who scorn citizenship, and
who, in time of war, would not lift finger
in defense of the government that protects
them