Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-10-11
CHINESE EXCLUSION BILL.
Text OF the Presidenrs Message APP
proving the Rill.

WASHINGTON. Oct lin his message
to Congress regarding the Chinese bill
President Cleveland announced his ap.
prevail Of II. lie said: The experiment
OF blending social habits and mutual race
idiocyncracies Of the Chinees laborng
classes with those Of tho great body OF
the people Of the United States has been
proved by experience of twenty years,
and ever since the Burlingame treaty OF
'6s, TO be in every sense unwise, impolitic
and Injurious to both nations; with the
lapse Of time the necessity of its abandon.
ment has grown In force. until those
having In charge the government of the
respective countries have resolved t.
modify and sufficiently abrogate all those
features Of prior convent nal arrange.
ments which permitted the coming Of
the Chinese laborers into the United
States. In the modification Of prior con.
ventions, the treaty of November Is.
1880, was concluded, whereby In the first
article thereof II was agreed that the
United States should, at will. regulate
the limit or suspend the coming OF
Chinese laborers to the United State,
but not absolutely prohibiting. and under
this article the act OF Congress approved
May o. 1882, and amended July 3. 1884,
suspended for ten years the ming OF
Chinese iaborers TO the United States,
and regulated the coming andtOing of
such Chinese laborers as were ut that
time IN the United States. This view of
the Chinese government being completely
in harmony with that OF tho United
States was by my direction spec lily
formulated in treaty drafted between
the two nations, emboiying the PROPOSE.
tionS presented by the Chinese foreign
official Being submitted for advice and
consent Of the Senate its confirmation
last May was accompanied by twn amend
ments which that body ongruflod upon
it, On the 10th day If the same month,
the Chinese minister, who was plenipo
Tertiary Of his government In negotiation
and conclusion Of the trea'y, In n oie to
the Secretary Of State, gave his approval
of these amendments and they were at
once telegraphed to China.
The 18th day OF last IN NTH | approved
the Senate bill to prohibit the coming Of
the Chinese lahorers I" the United States.
This bill was intended to Implement the
treaty, and was approved in the confident
anticipation of early exchange of ralihca.
tion Of the treaty an its amendments
and proclamation OF the same, upon
which the legislation so proposed was by
its terms to take effect No information
Of any definite action upon the treaty by
the Chinese government was received
until the 2ist ultimo. The Day bill
which have just approved was pr sent.
ed to me the day when the telegram Of
our minister at Pckin to tho Secretary OF
State announced the refusal Of tha Chi.
nesc government tn exchange the ratih-
cations OF the treaty unless ( rlher dis.
cussion should be had with the view to
shorten the period stipulated in the treaty
for the exclusion of the Chinese laborers.
and TO change the conditions agreed on,
which 1t was. however, soon made evil
dent that the merCenary greed of pa-tIes
who were trading on the labor Of this
class of popu' alton, was proving too
strong for the just execution II the law,
and that the virtual defeat OF the object
and intent Of both the law and the treaty,
was being frnudulently accomplished by
false pretenses and purjury contrary to
the expressed wish and will of both gov.
ernments. Such demonstration OF inrper.
alive and the inefficient condition Of the
treaty. and the law has produced q deep
seated and increasing discomfort among
the people OF the United States. and es
pecially with those resident OF the Pacific
coast. This has induced me to omit M
effort. to find effcctual remedy for the
evils complained Of and to answer the
earnest popular demand for the absolute
exclusion OF the Chinese laborers. having
objects and purposes unlike our own, and
| wholly disconnected with American citi'
zenship. The necessity for remed J
has been fully appreciated by that Gov
eminent. and in August SO our minister
at Pekin received from the Chinese for
eign office, a communication announcing
that China Of her own accord proposed
to establish the system OF strict and abso
Lutte prohibition Of her laborers undel
| heavy penalties from coming 10 tn,
| United States. and likewise to prohibit the
return to the United States of any Chinese
laborer who had at any time gone bach
| to China
I'm order 0n words Of communicate
| that the Chinese laborers may be gradu
ally reduced in number. and the causes
| Of danger averte1, and the lives preserv
| ed should entitle any Chinese lahore
who might ga back to China to return
again to the United States"