Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-05
A Vote for Harrison Means the
Abandonment of Chinese Exclu.


Abandon ment of Chinese Exclu.
sion.
EDITORS HERALD-A vote for Harri.
son at this time means vote for the ad-
mission of Chinese into this country.
Why? Because their permanent exclu-
sion depends upon the cooperation Of
the people East of the Rocky Mountains
in that purpose. Without their cooper
alton we are powerless to do anything in
the matter. 1t has taken twenty years
of agitation to educate them up to a
willingness to cooperate with us in that
exclusion. General Harrison, while in
public life, was consistent and persistent
advocate of the admission of Chinese into
this country and to citizenship. That he
has become better informed on the sub
ject is absurd. He had ample time,
abundant opportunity and reason to in
form himself about it before he entered
the Senate, the subject of exclusion
having been a matter of active public
discussion for at least fifteen years be-
fore that time. That he has changed his
life do not change or surrender their
fixed opinions except for the weightiest
reasons and under pressure of great pub
lie excitement, such as war or tremen-
dous public commotion that, like our
late civil war, threatens to overturn
society. Therefore, should our people,
after these long years of ceaseless outcry
against the Chinese, and after having
won sufficient number of Eastern people
to our way of thinking to pass an entire
Exclusion act, commit the incredible
blunder OF voting against it's ardent sup
porter and friend and in favor of its most
stubborn and unyielding enemy and that
right upon the heels Of the adoption of
the bill, our friends East could only con-
strue our action into an abandonment of
the Chinese issue in the very hour of its
triumph. In that case they would rea-
son, and justifiably, that we had been
converted to the views of Mr.. Harrison
and his co-workers, and modification
of the act to be succeeded later by its re-
peal would follow. We must guard we'll
and vigilantly the advantage we have
gained in this struggle or lose it. The
care of the infant Savior was not
given to Herod nor his satellites,
lest he be destroyed; and for
the same reason we cannot give
the care of our precious Exclusion bill
into the hands of General Harrison. This
is plain, practical view of plain ques-
ton, that no man OF good common sense
will attempt to gainsay. We ought,
therefore, in common sense and common
decency, to vote for Cleveland if we are
sincere in our opposition to Chinese
immigration, in order that exclusion of
that people may become, under his ad.
ministration, the permanent policy of the
Republic. That established, we can
afford to change, and can do so consis.
tently, but to defeat Mr.. Cleveland now
would be treason to our chosen policy,
and would be to "swap horses while
crossing a stream" inasmuch as
exclusion as the policy of this
country is yet in is incipient
stage, and may easily be broken
down by. its foes. Hence a vote
for Cleveland and Thurman is a vote for
the permanent and total exclusion o
Chinese, and for the protection OF Amer
lean labor by excluding the slave com
petitors Of. China from our labor marts
the only way in which labor can be
effectually protected.
THos. j. SUTTON.
San Buenaventura, Nov. 2, 1888.