The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-04-11

4
the snspspiqaef q aoninGDf =!
labOreri . i ! cod try for snt ~
would { reach 81 ar Y ion CA
as<seo{sd etehf1 i'm 81 4 ~ d Il !
he reviews the negotiations 1t the form
ing Of the treaty, to show that neither d
the contracting parties contemplated the
passage q r. 4ctl coIt iniA prohibi-
ton of immigration for twenty years, OF
thought that such . period would Be !
reasonable suspension Or limitation. BE
adds. .thst he. ia deeply convinced Of the
necessity fer some lsgislalisn on.thissub-
ject, and points but festueS 0fishib act
which, he thinks, could be modified to adj
vantage. He says the system of personal
resignation and passports is uRdemocratic
and hostile to the spirit of our institu-
.tions. The Chinese Minister has reminded
him that the bill makes no provision for
the transit across the United States of
Chinese subjects now residing in foreign
countries. Good faith, and good policy,
too, he thinks. require us To suspend the
immigration of Chinese hborefs for Q less
period than twenty years. No one, can
say that the country has not pro6ted by
the work of the Chinese, and the Paciic
States, be declares, are full of evidences
of their industry. Now it is supposed
&koxx o~o ro& v~o~1o1 <ho~~ h,,< %hnro xnn =,
be other sections Of the country, be sug-
gests, where their labor may be advanta-
geously employed without interfering
with the laborers of our own race. -
Finally, the President points out that the
trade of China has been very valuable to
US, and especially to California, and that
the policy of this bill must repel it. 1t
may be, he says, that the great and par
amount interest of protecting our labor
from Asiatic competition justifes us in
permanent adoption of this policy; but
it is wiser in the first place to make
shorter experiment, with view hereafter
of maintaining permanently only such
features as time and experience may COM
mend.
The vote taken in the Senate, where the
bill originated, on its passage over the
veto, was 20 yeas to 81 nays-not two
thirds. The veto will not be voted on in
the House. 1t is said that an effort will
be made to pass . new bill reducing the
time to sixteen years, but in all other re-
spects similar to the one vetoed.
The Presidents action has excited great
indignation in the Pacific States, where
ninety-nine per cent. of the people,
according to Senator Miller, are OPP
posed to the chinese. The AN0 Cal
ifornidn comments bitterly on the action
of the President in vetoing the Chinese
bill, and says: "The veto appeals to
every Republican in the State, and
proves that the President is the slave and
not the master of Eastern bigots and
scared New York merchants. He reminds
us of our insignifcance at the East, and
that the wants of California are nothing
to Massachusetts and New England. The
veto means the loss to the Republican
party of California, Nevada, Oregon, Da-
kota, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming, and
the demoralizing of the party west of the
Rocky mountains. We acknowledge the
h;sA~--~-- ~ .lnhn"., 49, NC 0O nOt give
up the fight"
The Call says: "The veto is, perhaps,
the most arbitrary act an American Pres
ident ever performed. The veto of the
fifteen passenger bill by President
Hayes was stretch of power, but not 90
wanton an excess of Executive prerega-
tive as is this veto under the Constitution"
The Call publishes an interview with
John F. Swift, ex- Treaty Commissioner to
China, who says, regarding the twenty
year suspension clause of the Chinese bill,
that "the Commissioners of both coun-
tries contemplated considerably longer
period when discussing the terms OF. the
treaty. The Chinese Commissioners I'M
derstood even better than we did the
promblem of competition in labor, and
were willing to agree to means of relief.
The time of suspension was thoroughly
discussed, and it was agreed that sus-
pension Of thirty-three years, or one gen.
GRAFTON, would be necessary to remedy
the evils complained Of. l fully hoped
that suspension would have been pro-
posed for thirty years. The Chinese
Government would not have considered
the faith of the treaty impeacbed if it
had been fifty years or more"