Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-02-27
WASHINGTON.
Mitchell's Speech Against
the Chinese.
THE TELEPHONE QUESTION
An Edit0r-C Congressman Rather Ne
verely Criticised-Tle Eduea-
tional Bill Discussed.s

Special 10 the Herald bvths Associated Pressi
wAsHINeros, February Ex-senator
Mitchell, Of Oregon, made a speech in
the Senate to-day on his Chinese bill.
He said that the people Of the whole
Pacific Coast were to-day suffering from
the presence Of large numbers OF an un-
( clean, non-assimiIating and pagan racc
gradually extending eastward the cloud
Of wrath. This evil imperiIled labor,
prosperity and peace, and life also.
To eradicate the scourgs heroic treat
ment would be necessary and more
decided and aggressive governmental
step than had as yet been taken. The
necessary means OF relief could not
properly be availed Of while preserving
treaty stipulations with the Chinese gov
.ernment; neither could we expect with
in any reasonable time to secure re-
lief BY negotiation with that govern
ment, hence it was that the bill
submitted by him (Mitchell) proposed
that the States and the people Of this
Republic, through Congress and the
Executive, OF by two-thirds Of Con-
gress without the approval of the Exec
utive, should remove the distractions
by first wiping out of existence all
treaties which recognize the coming Of
the Chinese to the United States and
then absolutely prohibiting their com
ing, expect Consular and Diplomatic
officials. Mitchell argued at length to
show that the United States has the
power to abrogate by act Of Congress a
| treaty with a foreign nation, and that
The magnitude Of the evil TO be relieved
| justifies the step proposed. Mr.. Mitch
ell read number OF newspaper articles
to show that the recent anti. Chinese
disturbances in the West were not the
work of the irresponsible or hoodlam
element. They were the voices Of hon
est laborers; the walls Of the indignant
toilers struggling for life in the unequal
contest with the serviie laborer. The
Burlingame treaty, he said, was value
less to the United States. This point
the speaker enlarged upon with detail
and circumstance, quoting statistics of
our commerce with China in sup
port Of his contention.
Mr.. Mitchell, in conclusion. said:
''fhis bill, unlike our restriction acts
and proposed acts is not elastic; it is abb
soIutely iron-clad. 1t leaves nothing TO
construction. 1t is conclusive. It is
not open to the objection OF being liable
to Laving its vitality sapped or its eff
cheney destroyed by departmental or
judicial decisions. Nodelicate questions
OF conflict between the act and treaty are
left open for construction or determine
tion by either the court or the depart
ment. The conflict that is waged on
this subject of the Asiatic occupation
Of this country is as important as the |
conflict that resulted in the overthrow
OF human slavery. 1t is c,,n-
fict for supremacy on American
soil between the intelligent, en-
lightened and honest American laborer
and the cheap and degraded laborer, the
lowest order Of the Mongolian; the
conflict between morality and vice. order
and anarchy, Americanism and Asiatics;
the conflict between civilization and
heathenism, Christianity and paganism
The conflict between two opposing forces
in all essential particulars ncn-assiInilat-
ing and repellant, when considered in
the relation Of one to the other one
or the other oil which must and will
ultimately and necessarily be driven
to the wall, nor does not require any pc
euliar precedence to determine the result
Of the contest. The United States gov
ernment either stands supinely by and
does nothing, or. what is but little more
effective for good, simply attacks the
advancing army of invaders with wood
en- swords and paper bnllets, under the
pretense of conforming to treaty stipu-
lations and sustaining diplomatic rela-
tious.