The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-09-07
SENATE AND HOUSE.
A Repetition of Wednesdays
Session.
THE BIG BILLS STILL ON HAND.
the House on the Re-
taliation Bill.
SENATE.


ate bill for the admission of the State of
was laid aside.
The Chinese exclusion bill was taken
up. Pugh sent to theclerk's desk and had
read, in the absence of Hearst, to whom
it was telegraphed, the resolutions
adopted last evening in mass meeting
at San Francisco, urging the immediate
passage of the Chinese exclusion bill.
Sherman thought the Senate should
be willing to wait two or three days, So
as to ascertain whether the facts on
which the bill rested really existed. He
did not wish the Senate to act in the
dark on information which was probably
groundless and depart from its usual
orderly mode OF proceeding On its ap-
prehensiou of facts.
During his speech, Senator Sherman
said he had information from I'M
doubted sources (not from ths Presi-
dent or Secretary of State) that the
probability was that the Chinese Gov
eminent had not refused to ratify the
treaty. He was informed that the
Chinese Legation had information on
the su oject and that the President had
none. When the bill came over from
the House, he had assumed, as mat.
ter of course, that'the House had passed
it on information that came from
the executive. The Senate had no in
formation about it.. The Senate only
knew the House had suspended its bus
mess in order to press this bill on mo
ton of gentleman who was supposed
to be in the favor Of the executive.
Without such information the Senators
should not rush wildly like flock of
frightened cartridges, into the passage
of the bill. If it should turn out as he
believed it would, that the Chinese
government had not rejected the treaty,
the hasty passage of the bill would BIS
unbecoming to the American Senate,
for he had no right to criticize any
other body. He thought the Senate
bound by the common courtesy due
between nations as between Individuals
10 await the action Of the Chinese
government on this subject.
If the bill should pass and the treaty.
were ratihsd the Senate would have
placed itself in the ridiculous attitude
of assuming fact which did not exist.
On the contrary, if the treaty is re-
jected, there would be a,mple time to
pass the bill. He asked thai by unani-
nous consent the bill might be laid
aside.
Stewart objected.
Platt said he should vote for the
bill, but under protest. He did not like
the way it came before Congress WHY
such hot haste to override an act now
awaiting the Presidents signature,
and pass bill which, under the cir
cumstances, would be direct insult to
nation with which the United States
desired to continue on friendly COM
mercial relations. Was it vote-catch-
ing performance Had it come to
this, that high public Office
had been prostituted for Democratic
electioneering purposesf If not, what
other reasons existed for thrusting the
bill on Congress in such an untimely
way. If the vote was thrust upon the
Senate now he would vote for the bill
because he was not going to act on the
assumption that the pending bill was
not an electioneering question.
Morgan questioned the sincerity Of
the Pacific Slope as to the exclusion of
Cinnamon, and remarked that the sen :
timent for their exclusion was far from
universal.
The statement was challenged by
Mitchell, who said, somewhat excitedly,
there was not one word of truth in it,
from beginning to end.
Morgan repeated that the plutocracy
of the Pacific Slope was in favor of re-
tanning Chinese laborers.
Mitchell remarked that the question
had been submitted to the vote of the
people OF California few years ago,
and he asked whether the Senator from
Alabama would have the candor and
honor to state to the Senate the result
of the vote.
Morgan reiorted in an indignant
manner that the word honesty" was
an order which the Senator from
1ippancy. On the point of honesty he
(Morgan) had as good a record as the
Senator from Oregon.
Mitchell explained that he meant
political honesty"
Morgan "A politically dishonest man
cannot be trusted with my pocket book.
l do not make such distinction. ana
never made it.
Mitchell-The Senator may make his
own application.
The debate being closed, the Senate
proceeded to vote on the passage of the
bill. The vote was unanimous-yeas
81, nays 0. There being no quorum
voting, there was a call OF the Senate
when thirty-nine Senators, exactly a
quorum. answered.
Hoar said he had been present whe a
the vote was taken yesterday and to
day, but had refrained from voting for
reasons stated by the Senator from
Ohio (Sherman). Sherman had also
withheld his vote on both occasions.
1t was agreed by unanimous consent
that the vote should be taken 'o-mor.
row at 1 o'clock. and then the Senate
adjourned.