National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-27
THE ANTf-cH1SEsE BILL.
Senator MitcheIps Remarks In supper
OF the Measure.


Senator Mitchell, Of Oregon, yesterday
made well.considered speech in support
Of the bill introduced by him directing the
abrogatlon OF all treaties which permit the
immigration Of Chinese into the United
States. In substance, Mr.. Mitchell said.
Desperate cases In medicine and surgery,
Mt. Mitchell said, required heroic treatment.
When malignant cancer was making start
ling headway toward tho vitals temporiziug
and palliatiyes would have to give way TO the
knife and though the emergency might com.
pei inc sacrifice OF human blood in order TO
save human life the devourlng sore would
have to be cut from the body. 50 was IL with
the body polite, When assalled by an extraor =
binary evil, when menaeed by rapidly ad-
vancing vice, .poriling the best interests ana
most cherished institutions OF our country, the
time for tempori2ing had passed, and the
amenities usually observed toward foreign
powers would have to give way to such heroic
and aggressive measures as were necessary on
the principle OF self.presorvation. The main
tenance of our civilization and the tranquility
OF our republic demanded this.
An evil of the character referred to was par
alyzlng the rights Of the laboring classes
among us, was lnstening venomed 1angs, and
oxuding leprous virus into the vltals OF our
body polite, casting moral aud physical in
lection on every side, disturbing the public
peace and ondnngering Christian civilization.
The people OF the whole Pacific coast were To-.
day suffering from the presence of large mum.
bSrs OF IN unolean, non.asslmllating, and pa
ually extending eastward like a cloud of
WIalh, the evil inn erlled labor, property,
peace, even life itself 10 cradinte the scourge
heroic treatment would be necessary.
Mr., Mitchell quoted articles from the
New York Times and Washington Post de-
nying the right OF Congress TO abrogate or
amend treaty. He would show, he said,
that the great constitutional LAWYERS of
those journals were mistaken, and that Con-
gress had the undoubted power referred to.
Our courts. lawyers, jurists, aud greatest
statesmen, he said, not only conceded this
power, but eoncurrtd as 20 the duty of
Congress to abrogate treaty whenever IL
was pernieious or ruinous to the state.
Although the constitution made treaties
part OF the supreme law Of the land, yet
there existed, pre-emiBent, the supreme
right OF the government to exercise,
through Congress, any constitutional power
necessary for the common defense and gen.
eral welfare. The treaty-making power
was limited, and subordinated to the exer-
else by Congress of those supreme powers
for tho execution of which the constitution
was ordained.
In conclusion Mr.. Mitchell said.
This BILL unlike our restriction acts and pro.
posed acts is not elastic; It Is absolutely iron
clad, IL leaves nothing to construction: It IL
conclusive. IL Is not open 20 the objection of
being liable to have Its vitality sapped or It's
efn enc destroyed by departmental Or judi
clai uecltionS NO deitcnte questions as to
conflict between act and treaty are left open
for construction or determination by either
court or department
The conflict that Is waged on this sub
iect, OF no As!atc occupation Of this coun-
try, Is as iirepressible as the conflict that
resulted IN the overthrow OF human
slavery. 1t Is conflict for supremacy on
American soil, between intelligent, en-
lightened, and honest American labor, and
the cheap and degraded labor OF the lower
order Of the Mongol; conflict between
morality and vice, order and anarchy,
Americanism aud Asianism; q conflict be-
tween civilization and heathenism, Chris
tlanity and pnganism; conflict between
two opposing forces, in all essential partic-
ulars non assimilatlng and repellaut,
when considered in the relation of the one
to the other; aud the one or the other of
which must, and will ultimately and neces-
sarily, be driven to the wall; nor does it
require any peculiar prescience to determine
the result of the contest, II the United
States government either stands supinely
by and does nothing, or, what is but little
more effective for good, simply attacks the
advancing army OF invaders with wooden
swords and paper bullets, under pretense
OF conforming TO treaty stipulations and
sustaining diplomatic relations.n