Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-28
SENATOR HOAR AND THE CHINESE
BILL

BILL.
Senators Hoar and Ingalls, have lined
and intoned another stanza of the old
tune. When the Chinese restriction bill
came up in the Senate on Wednesday, they
both opposed it. Mr.. Hoar objected to it
for the same old reasons. He said:
Like the Act which it would amend this bill
would hereafter be regarded as a blotch on our
legislation. II was legislation aimed at men
because they were laborers, and because they
belonged to a certain race, which was against
the fundamental principles Of the Republic,
namely that labor was honorable, and that no
discrimination should be made against men on
account of race. If there were not rivalry be-
tween the two political parties for the vote of
the Pacific coast, this legislation would be re-
gasded by all intelligent and humane men with
execration.
In making this statement the Senator
wehope unwittingly-fatly misrepresented
the sentiment of the people of this coast.
lie ought to lnow-and we prefer to be-
lieve that he is honestly ignorant Of the
fact-that the conviction in the public
mind here that the competition of Chinese
with American laborers is bad for all
classes of people, is conviction not re-
lated to any political faith, the outgrowth
OF any party agitation, or the result of
heated prejudice. 1t is just as calm
solemn and deep conviction as that man
ifest at the East as the judgment of the
public mind, that Anarchists must not be
longer tolerated in the United States.
When Senator Hoar says our anti-C Chi
nese sentiment is the result of race preju-
dice, he is ill-informed 1t is the result of
prejudice no doubt, but not an uniusti-
fable one; for it is not against race of
men as such, but is opposed to a system of
civilization enabling an alien-competing
Iaborer to so live that his American COM
petitor cannot on the wage that measures
the bounds of that system of " living"
maintain himself in the state required of
citizens of the republic. To the people of
the Pacific coast it seems wonderfully and
strangely surprising that our friends of
New England cannot, or will not grasp
the central truth of this fact 1t is pre-
cisely because "labor is honorable" that
we of the Pacific would place it on such a
plane that its citizenship may add ma
terially to the citizenship of the republic
This 1t cannot do, if its competitive rela-
tIon with the Chinese labor element COM
pe!s 1t to adopt the Chinese system of
economy.
10 simplify and in homely way illus
trate this thought: We expect the
white workman to take the news
paper; to marry and build or occupy
nome; to mt 1t with the ordinary comforts
OF life, some books, and bit of ornament
perhaps, n few at least of those things that
tend to refine him and his and to elevate
their tastes We expect him to raise up
children to the State to maintain a home
attractive to them, and TO clothe them de-
Gently for the public schools and the
public walk. We expect him to raise them
up to be Of honor and service
and ornament to the republic We
expect him to be a clearly, thrifty
intelligent neighbor, with neat home and
some attractions about it. ave expect hum.
In short, to use and consume products of
our civilization, and thus become factor
in our business prosperity. This is the
minimum of exactions we make, and these
are exclusive of savings of an occasional
holiday, of pew in church, or a seat in
the lecture hall or concert chamber; ex-
elusive of carpets all the books he ought
to have, magazines garden, Sunday suit,
4 spare dime for recreation or holiday pre-
sents, etc. Now, cannot Senator Hoar see
that such one cannot compete with the
Chinese wage-winner, whose wages or ava
rice are measured by his narrow bunk.
bowl of rice, pipe of opium, and by the
express elimination Of wife, children,
schools, books, papers, house, home, and
the ordinary comfoI Is and decencies that
should distinguish the American citizen I?
Senator Sherman well replied to Mr..
Hoar, but it remained for Senator Teller to
say, In response to Senator Ingalls,, who
denounced the bill as disgrace to Amer
lean civilization, that the bill was no dis
grace to American civilization. Every ma
tion on, earth recognized its principle.
which was to exclude such persons as the
people believed injurious to the welfare of
the nation. The question was whether
American labor was to be compeIled to
compete with 100000 600 of Asiatics who
could be landed on our shore at $40 n
head. We were told that the cause of
humanity demanded the admission here OF
Chinese; that the cause of humanity re-
quired that our own laborers should starve
In order to make room for men who, when
among Us, would have neither homes nor
Psiyes nor children The glory and
strength of our republic were the men who
glabored.n
a TERRIBLE INDICTMENT.
If Republican journal, or Republican