The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-10-31


only at the command of death. To the
American workman, labor means honor
and home-not degradation and vice. 1t
means fair, honest struggle for Preside,
where wife and children are joyous bless
ipps. It means manhood in its highest
sense-not wan eyed and weary slavery to
the commands of capital. On the I'd of
November Benjamin F. Howey will be
taught that the people of New Jersey do
not "coincide" with his views of the dignity
of American labor.
On the passage of the bill, Congressman
Albert S. Willis, of Kentucky, made a
speech from which the following extract
is made:
Nh. wuLIs:-To the workingman, care not
whether he lives in San Francisco, New York or
Louisville bill before Congress is so important
as this. If labor is degraded in California, the
effects of the degradation will reach the whole
Union.
The cheap cigars, cheap shoes, and the thousand
other articles Of Chinese handiwork come directly
in competition with such work in other parts OF
the country. Water does not seek Its lever VAIN
greater certainty than the price and condition
OF labor in one city or State anects It's conoiton
in all the States Of the Union.
In sslf-governing community such as ours,
this question is Of especial importance. Here, II
anywhere it should be the aim Of the Govern
ment of it's legislative representatives. to elevate
the dignity and preserve the sef-respect or all Its
citizens As are the people, will be the govern
ment II the people are corrupt II they are ienoT,
ant selfish or unpatriotice, the government will
reflect these ignoble traits in its own features.
The introduction, therefore. of class OF men
like the Chinese, who are without homes or famil-
les, whose education and habits disquaiify them
for citizenship, whose cheap wages degrade
labor Is fraught with great danger to our republic
can institutions, and should be promptly and Of
fectually checked. We say in theory to our clt-
gems that they are to be protected in all their
rights and privileges; we say to them In theory
that the Government respects and honors labor
honorS the bone and sinew Of the land.
How, then, can we hope to secure bold, dem
ant, independendent citizenship among the labor
ing men. who comprise four-ffths of our popula.
ton, if we declare to them by our conduct by our
practical legislation, that these theories ale but
myths but differing generallties? Shall we sub
ject them to a competition. to mode Of life that
will make those grand and inspiring truths utter
impossibilities?
Shall we say to them that the rights and honors
of American citizenship are one thing, and their
possession, their enjoyment another and differ
emit thing? Shall we, in other words, compel any
home and school to become mere "hewers OF
wood and drawers of water" by subjecting them
to the shame and degradation which curse the
hope and believe that no such declaration will
go forth from this body, but that we will re-
cognize the equal rights and dignity of all our citi
result is demanded by political no less than by
industrial considerations. We welcome TO our
shores all who desire intend to make this their
home, or who expect to become permanent citt-
zens of our Government.
The German, the Irish, the French and other
immigrants of our country have quickly and suc-
cessfully adapted themselves to our institutions.
Prompt to defend the ho2or and to promote the
interests of their ad opted land yielding cheerful
and ready obedience to its laws and customs, they
have illustrated in their lives and vindicated by
their conduct the wise policy of immigration. As
kindred drops of water, they have mingled and
been lost in the great stream OF American life.
The Chinese had no such intention or
experience They do not come to seek homes.
They disdain to accept our institutions; they
look with contempt upon our social customA
they defy the authority Of our laws; they retain
all the distinctive features and characteristics Of
their national life. Twenty five years of residence
and contact with our people have left them I'M
changed and unimproved in any important par
deular. The argument, then. based upon q COM
fellow citizens, is utterly without foundation,
The Chinese, unlike them, have always been and
always will be an alien element in our midst We
want no such servile and degraded class in our
government. We want brave, patriotic, self-re-
liant assimilattvs citiaenship.
Is it not Known that we are separated
only by comparatively short distance
from 400, 000,0 900 of Chinese, the most of
whom are discontinued, poor, oppressed,
and eager to escape from their unhappy
surroundings Only four years ago do we
net know that there was great draught
and famine, which in single province Of
China destroyed population ten times
greater than that which now occupies the
whole Pacific slope. Has not the history
of the past demonstrated the fact that
these great rowing tribes may at any mo-
meat, under some impulse Of interest or
want, or wild fanaticism, be forced from
their present habitations to be hurled like
one of their mountain torrents, with re-
lentless fury and destruction, against their
neighbor States2 Are we not to-day d.
vided from them by an ocean, Pacific both
in name and by nature, which offers hard
" an obstruction to the passagenof the
rudest and most primitive craft? Who in
the light of these facts can ridicule the
prospective danger which their coming in
volves2 Who can say in the absence of
any law prohibiting their immigration,
pressed by hard necessity at home, and
tempted by alluring promises from cor
porate wealth here, how many years
would elapse before the thousands whom
we new claim would increase to millions,
demoralizing our institutions, degrading
our laboring men and women, and threat
ening the safety, the happiness and the
stability OF society?