Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-04-01
IF HE COULD VOTE

The New York Nation scolds the Re.
publican party for supporting the Chinese
bill charges it with reereancy to its first
principles, and to the most fundamental
American doctrines asserts that its new
position casts doubt upon the finality OF
the recognition of negro suffrage; and con-
cludes long and bitter article as follows
"The more we examine the Chinese prob.
elem on the Pacific coast, the more satis-
"fied we become that the whole anti
Chinese movement, in so far as it is
"political, is the result of the judicial
decision which denied to Cinnamon the
equality of being free white persons for
purposes of naturalization under the
LIMITED States statute, although the stat
cute expressly admits to citizenship the
"savages of the African continent, as we'll
as our native blacks. If even 1900 Chi.
"namen had been naturalizsd in Califor.
mia, and had been voters during the past
az ten years, it is all but certain that
"neither the Democratic nor the Repub-
''lican politicians would have discovered
"the horrors of Chinese immigration, or
have ventured to plant passports, and
"alien registries, and disqualification by
"r race and color, on American soil. In
fact, they would probably be by this
time as anxious TO deny all hostility to
% Cinnamon as they are now to conceal
that they ever favored negro slavery,
cor belonged to Know Nothing Lodge"
The same general assertion has been made
by Mr.. Seward, and both the Nation and
Mr. Seward appear to think that it is a
very formidable indictment, and that it
somehow shows the Chinese bill to be a
bad measure.
The position is evidently strong in some
respects. 1t would be folly to say that if
the Chinaman could have voted it would
have made no difference to the movement
against him. 1t would have made great
difference. Ii he could have voted if he
could have been naturalized, and if he had
shown disposition to become citizen,
it is, we think, as certain as anything can
be, that the politicians would have de-
clined to make dead set at him IS they
have done. In fact we may admit the
substantial accuracy Of the Nations state
ment, that if even 5000 Cinnamon had
been voters there would have been no po.
litical anti Chinese movement. But this
does not show that the anti. Chinese move
ment was wrong. 1t only shows that our
system OF Government almost compels pol
iticians to truckle to every voting element,
merely and solely because it is voting
element. The Nation is really making an
argument against universal suffrage, and
not against the Chinese bill, when it de-
clsres that the possession of the ballot
would have protected the Chinese against
adverse legislation for, supposing this to
be true, it only shows that we have adopted
scheme OF naturalization SO loose that it
may at any time enable an alien element,
all of whose purposes are hostile to Ameri-
can civilization, to paralyze our Govern.
ment, and prevent it from defending itself
against the encroachments and injuries in.
aicted by that element.
The Nation does not seem to perceive
that the question OF the ballot has really
nothing to do with the question of the de.
STABILITY OF Chinese immigration. That
question must be dealt with in quite other
ways, and it has been 90 dealt with as to