The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-05
THE MORRISON TARIFF BILL.
What Was Said by Various Members Of the
House During Saturdays Debate.

WAS NaCdIou
The House then went into committee of the
whole tMr Cox of New York, in the chair on
the bill amending the Chinese immigration act.
Mr. Henley spoke in support of the bill, which
he said was the joint product of delegations
from California, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona
and Washington Territories Never had meas
ure received an Endorsement moro nearly unani-
nous or more earnest than had this bill received
from the people of the Pacific coast While it
might be assailed on the ground that in some
way it was hostile to the doctrine of universal
fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man;
while 1t might be criticised by those who had
not studied its subiect-matter, there was this
fact connected with it, that people inhabiting
this tract of country, sufficient for an empire,
came with practical unanimity and demanded
the enactment of this measure Its oppon-
ents could not be acquainted with the civilza
ton of the Chinese 1t was ciViliza-
ton which presented a strange para
dox Of civilization without the slightest
ameiioration to humanity. The minority report
minated that the enactment of this law might
break up our friendly relations with England
This proposition he considered utterly baseless
England herself in Australia had enacted
measures infinitely more restrictive in their pro-
visions than any which can be found in the
pending bill. England was not going to quarrel
with the United States for doing what she had
done herself. But if the apprehension were we'll
founded, so momentouS was this question, so far
reaching its results, that he would still say let
this measure pass If amity with Great Britain
was only to be purchased at the price of the
degradation of laboring people, it was too large
price for it. Congress could do nothing nobler
than TO declare that in event should the labor
sng CLASSES of America be subjected to the de-
grading contact and ruinOus competition with
the yellowedskinned races of the earth.
Mr.. George said he would not enter into a dis
cussion of the necessity of the passage of this
When the or oiDal hef0pn fhn
House he had declared his views on the subject
and only wished now to reiterate his declarations
in all their force and import The people of the
Pacific coast before the Forty-eighth
Congress and pointed out some defects which
time and experience had shown to exist in the
original act.
They asked for remedial legislation. He be-
lieved the provisions of. the pending bill were
absolutely necessary for the enforcement of the
original act That act did not provide for pun
ishment in case of its violation. If Congress had
right to say certain persons should not enter
this country, it had right, and twas absolutely
necessary that it should be exercised, to provide
punishment for them if they did come This the
pending bill did, and if that were the only pro
vision in it, it would merit the careful attention
and favorable consideration of this House. He
appealed to his side of the House to stand by the
material interests of the Pacific coast 1t was
not party measure with the people of that
region The people there were united They
looked on this measure as a matter of the very
greatest Importance to. their advancement, pros
peritY and happiness IN the future.
Mr. Rice opposed the bill.
He maintained the measure was not demanded
by the inhabitants of the Pacific coast, and was
only clap trap and subterfuge from beginning
to end The original act had done its work, and
anything further unnecessary. Since its
passage up to January 5 last, IL, 900 Chinese had
departed from our shores for their homes, and
only 3 AIS returned. He suggested and strength
ened his suggestion byquotations from the Argo-
maui, that this agitation started be-
cause white labor voted and yellow labor
did not. He ridiculed the pending
bill as being twelve pages of
waste ink and paper; and as an example of the
puerile provisions of the measure quoted the
first amendment suggested to the law. The law
forbade the Chinese labOrer ''to enter into the
United States The amendment proposed to
add the words from any foreign port and place"
Truly an important amendment Proceeding in
the same manner to criticise the various changes
proposed "by the combined genius of the Pacific
COAST delegations, he asserted they were abso-
Mtely unnecessary.
Referring to some remark of Mr. Henley's,
relative to the religion of the Chinese, he quoted
from letter written him by Chinese merchant,
inclosing subscription of $500 for the Garfield
Memorial Hospital fund. He prayed his Cali
fornla friends to amend the act by providing that
instead of passports, men who had subscribed to
the Garfield memorial fund should present their
receipts for not less than $500 before they were
permitted to come to this country to view the
hospital they had helped to build. Who showed
BEST the disciples of Confucius, who $50 years
before the Christian era, had declared ''Do not
do to Others that which you would not wish
shern to do to you" or those who wear the sign
ofJe of Nazareth though he feared they did not
always exhibit the spirit of the Master in their
aetsf -
Mr. Bldd inquired whether the gentleman did
not know that the Chinese had no regard for
their daughters; did not even give them names,
and sold them into prostitution that they sold
their wives and killed their children
Mr.. Rice replied that he had not known more
than half before He did know there were many
h0d VAIo IN fIAy osY1(N
San Francisco, some in New York, and some
In very slight degree-in Washington Re
turning to the consideration of the bill he said
that its heart and kernel was contained in the
Fifteenth Amendment. which applied the pro-
visions Of the law to Chinese who subjects of
China or any other foreign power. That was all
there was in the bill that puerile and frivo-
l0us 1t was the 'be all and end all of the bill.
1t was intended to exclude English Chinese from
the United States. Where was the treaty right
f to do that9 How long would England keep her
Ironciads from bombarding our cities if the
United States should refuse to her subjects,
Chinese though they were, the right to set foot
on our shoresl Did the gentlemen think the
English Governor of Hong Kong would sit down
and grant Chinese sailor on an English vessel
the ridiculous certificate which this bill required2
Were gentlemen ready here and now to enact
law when its only provision would either be ig-
nored as foolish bombast by England, or would
lead to war with that country
The bill was petty in its details, presumptuous
in its attempts, and impossible to execution
l This country ought to cultivate friendly rela-
tions with China, in order to cultivate advant-
ages in trade and commerce He adiured the
House not to do that which would cover the
broad Pacific with the red flags of war and con-
quest. but rather that which would cover it with
the white sails and iron -keeled ships of com
merce, and weave indissoluble bonds of friend
ship and amity across the ocean. Let not Con-
gIess build upon the Pacific coast Chinese wall,
with gates only opening within and cannon
frowning without, but rather let, from the high
turrets of Christian civilization electric light,
) to illumine the dark places of the old lands
where the race was born.
Mr.. Glasscock, in brief speech, defended the
bill from Mr. Rice's criticisms, and expressed
amazement as to the Misrepresentation which ex-