The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-05-07
C0NGR RESSIONAL.
HOUSE.

WASHINGTON, May 3-On motion
OF Morrison the order for an evening
session tonight was vacated.
The House then went into COM
mittee Of the whole, Cox, Of New
York, in the chair, on th ebill amend
Ing the Chinese immigration act.
Henly spoke in support of the bill,
which he said was the joint produce
tion of the delegations from Califor-
mia, Oregon, Nevada. and Arizona
and Washington Territories. Never
had measure received an endorse
ment more nearly unanimous or more
earnest than had this bill received
from the people of the Pacific coast.
The measure might be assailed on the
ground that in some way it was hos
tile to the doctrines If the universal
fatherh00d of God and brotherhood
ofman. While it might be criticized
by those who had not studied its
subject matter there was this fact
connected with it that the people in
habiting tract Of country suf1ci. Mt
for an empire had come with practi
cal unanimity and demanded
the enactment of this measure.
Its opponents could not be acquaint-
ed with civilizations crimes. It was
civilization which presented q strange
paradox of civilization without the
slightest amelioration of humanity.
The minority report intimated that
the enactment of this law might
break our friendly relations with
England. This proposition he con-
sidered utterly baseless. England
herself in Australia had enacted
measures infinitely more restrictive
in their provisions 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; tut if the
apprehensiOns were well founded, so
momentous was this question and
far reaching in its results he would
still say let the measure pass. If
amity with Great Britain was only
to to-. be .. purchased a%a aosa, at the the
of the laboring people it was too
large price for it. Congress could
do nothing nObler than to declare in
no event should the laboring classes
of America be subjected to q degrad-
ing contact and ruinOus competition
v ith the yellow skinned races of the
earth.
George said he would not enter
into discussion of the necessity OF
the passage of this measure. When
the original act was. before the
House he had declared his views on
the subject and only wished now to
reiterate those declarations in all their
force and Import. The people of the
Pacific Coast come 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 legis-
lation. He believed the pro-
visions of the pending bill
were absolutely necessary for
the enforcement of the original
act. That act did not provide for
punishment in case of its violation.
If Congress had right to say certain
persons should not enter this coun-
try it had the right and it was abso-
luttly necessary it should be exer-
cised to provide punishment for
them if they did come. This pend
ing bill did, and if that were the only
PROVISION in il, it would merit the
careful attention and favorable con-
sideration of this House. He ap>
pealed to his side OF the House to
stand by the national interest of the
Pacific Coast. It was not a party
measure with the people of that re-
gion. The people there were united.
They looked on this measure as q
matter of the very greatest import
ance to their advancement, prosper
ity and happiness in the future.
Rice opposed the bill. Referring to
some remarks of Henley relative to
the religion of the Chinese. he quoted
from letter written him by Chi
nese merchant enclosing q subscIip-
tion of $500 for the Garfield memorial
hospital fund. He prayed his Cali
fOrnia friends to amend the act by
providing that instead of passports
Inen who had subscribed to the Gar
field memorial fund should present
their receipts for not less than $500
before they were permitted to come
to this country to view hospital
they had helped to build. Who
showed best, the disciples of Confuci-
us, who, $50 years before the Christ
ian era, had declared, do not do to
others what you would not wish
them to do to yOu," or those who
wear the sign of Jesus of Nazareth,
though he feared they did not exhib-
it the spirit of the Master in their
acts?
Budd enquired whether the gentle
man 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 |
their children. The house should
not do that which would cover the
broad Pacific with red flags of war
and conquest but rather that which
would cover it with sails and iron
keeled ships of commerce and weave
iEdissoluable bonds OF friendship and
amity across the ocean. Let not
Congress build upon the Pacific |
Coast Chinese wall with gates |
opening only within and cannon
trowng without, but rather let from |
high turrels Christian civilization,
electric light, science and philan- |
thrOpy shine across the Pacific to IL
lumlne the dark places in the old
lands where the race was.
GlasscOck, in . brief speech, de-
Tended the criticisms and expressed
at the apprehension
which existed in the Eastern states |
as to tho Chinese character. Not |
the assertions OF the |
from Massachusetts there |
was not an amendment proposed to
the law that was not based upon some |
sound substantial reasons.
Sumner, Peun., said there was
perfect law created two years ago and
ii there were defects found in 1t they |
should be remedied. He denied tina
The measure would not be presented
II the Chinamen had votes, and IT.
ferring to Rice's quotation from the
San Francisco Argonaut, said Frank
81, VHyA0