Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-03-10
OPPOSED TO BRUTE FORCE.
Henry Il. 8ighton's Letter to the Sal
francisco Supervi-ors

hehrS II. 8tShton's Letter to the San
Eiancisco Supervisors.
Henry f. Hishton has sent to the Board
of Supervisors communication, in which
ne declines, for business reasons of an i'm.
perious characte7. to accept the appoint
ment as delegate TO the Anti Chinese Con-
vention, TO be held at Sacramento to-mor-
row. Mr.. HightoB says in his letter.
/ regret to say tiaat the enforced trials of
cases which ! could not foresee, and cannot
prevent, render itinpossible for me TO at
tend the Convention to be held i;s Sacra-
mento on Wednesday next; and therefore
am reluctantly compelled to resign the
position of delegate assigned 10 me by the
Board of Supervisors OF this city and
comfy.
was anxious to attead that convention.
because | hoped to be able there to CO.
operate with intelligent, determined and
law-abiding representatives of the people
IN practical effort, on the one hand, to
secure the eradication of the Monaghan
element from out midst and, on the other
hand to arrest the tendencies toward an
archy which are endarge.ing the prosperity
and the good name of the State. / hope it
is not improper for me to say in this form
that the problem of removing at least no.
600 Cinnamon from this State bv methods
at once legal and honorable, without in
fficting serious injury upon existing indus
trial interests, demands the exercise of a
high order of intelligence and OF cool and
deliberate judgment. 1t is to be expected
that the further influx of Mongoians will
now be finally checked. Bnt the withdrawal
of those already here, in my opinion, can
| not be accomplished by brute force, even if
| the employment of such means would not
be disgracefui to an American conmunitv,
and will require the combined action of the
people themselves and of the municipal,
| State and Federal authorities.
1t is quite certain that, in the United
States, which has been and is an asylum
| for the oppressed of all nations, and where
every white man and every black man pos
/ sesses or can obtain the right of suffrage,
| there can be no excuse or even palliation
| for lawlessness, and we should repudiate
| alike our political institutions our civiiza-
ton and our humanity if we denied to
every Chinaman who is actually here the
same protection for his life and property
that we demand for ourselves. He is
here quite as much through our fault as
! through his own, and we must get rid of
him peaceably and lawfully, and not by
confiscating his property il he has any, or
| by taking his life. Any other course would
| defeat its own purpose. and would not only
be unjust to ourselves, but would concen-
trate upon us the condemnation of our
| countrymen and of the whole civilized
| world. / say this much with direct object.
| was among the first to oppose Mongol-
| ian immigration, the introduction of ncn-
| assimilating clement of race virtually
ensaved, and at once alien, debased and
competitive, into our population, and re-
| MAN now where was nearly thirty years
, ago. | am glad TO recognize the fact, that
| through the action of the present Congress,
the further inroads of that race are likely
| to be summarily checked. But am firmly
| convinced, that as TO the resident Chinese,
with whom we are now called upon to deal.
while it may have its local and temporary
uses, will turn out, in broad sense, to be
an Intellectual remedy, and may, indeed,
ultimately return to plague the invent
| ors." If carried to its remotest conse-
quences it might concentrate the Chinese
in San Francisco. But what then? They
cannot be driven into the sea or otherwise
| extirpated, and they cannot be forced across
| the sea, except gradually, and by the aid
| of Congress and the treaty-making power
| The only alternative to this method of
procedure would be violence, which no
good citizen desires, which would, most
likely, be promptly suppressed, and the
existence of which would be almost de-
| structive to the State.
| ~ iaNOi vi q StlpiI5 appear W OOlI-
greSs and to the Executive head of the Gov
| ernment for the united action we now so
| imperatively need, and of the adoption of
an amendment to the Constitution of the
United States which shall prohibit the
Mongolians from entering the United
States, except for necessary commercial and
| diplomatic purposes, and which shall pre-
vent all Mongolans, and, beg to add, all
paupers and all persons belonging to the
criminal classes, from acquiring a resi-
dence in the United States, and which
shall furthermore compel the legislation
| necessary to carry out these objects fully
and etfectually l am. my dear sir, with
| great respect, faithfully yours,
HENRY +. Hebron
JOHN A. RUSSELL, Clerk of the Board of
| Supervisors, San Francisco.