Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-02
GLAD TIDINGS.
The Chinese Exclusion Bill
Becomes a Law,
SIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT.
A Message Reviewing the History of
the Conditions Leading to the
Measure.

gress to-day:
have this day approved the House
bill supplementary to an act entitled
<'An Act to Execute Certain Treaty Stip-
ulations Relating to China" approved
the 9th day of May, 1882.
It seems to me that some suggestions
and recommendations may properly ac-
company my approval of the bill. Its
object is to more effectually accomplish,
by legislation, the exclusion from this
country of Chinese laborers. The exper-
iment of blending the social habits and
mutual race idiosyncracies of the Chinese
laboring class with those of the great
body of the people of the United States
has been proved by the experience of
twenty years, and ever since the Burlin-
game treaty of 1868, to be in every sense
unwise, impolitic and injurious to both
nations. With the lapse of time the ne
cessity for its abandonment has grown in
force until those having in charge the
government of the two countries have
resolved to modify and sufficiently abro-
gate all those features of prior conven-
tional arrangements which permitted the
coming of Chinese laborers to the United
States.
VIOLATION OF PRIOR CoNvENTIoNALITIEs.
On modification of prior conventions
the treaty of November II, 1880, was con-
cluded, whereby in the first article there
Of, it was agreed that the United States
should at will, regulate, limit or suspend
the coming of Chinese laborers to the
United States, but not absolutely pro-
hibit it, and under this article and act of
Congress, approved May 6, 1882, and
amended July 5. 1884, suspended for
ten years the coming of Chinese labor.
ers to the United States, and regulated
the going and coming of such Chinese
laborers as were at that time in the
United States.
1t was, however, soon made evident
that the mercenary greed of parties who
were trading in labor of this class of the
Chinese population, were proving
too strong for the just execution of
the law, and that virtual defeat of
the object and intent of both the law and
the treaty, was being fraudu lently accom-
plished by false pretense and perjury,
contrary to the expressed will of both
governments. To such an ex-
tent has the successful vio-
iation of the treaty and laws
enacted for its execution progressed that
the courts in the Pacific States have been
for some time past overwhelmed by the
examination of cases of Chinese laborers
who are charged with having entered our
ports under fraudulent certificates of re-
turn, or who seek to establish by per.
jury the claim of prior residence.
Such demonstration of the inopera-
tive and inefficient condition of the treaty
and law has produced deep-seated and
increasing discomfort among the people
OF the United States, and especially with
those resident on the Pacific Coast. This
has induced me to omit no effort to find
an effectual remedy for the evils COM
planned OF, and to answer the earnest
popular demand for the absolute exclu-
sion OF Chinese laborers, having objects
and purposes unlike our own and wholly
disconnected with American citizenship.
THE SITUATION UNDERSTOOD BY CHINA.
Aided by the presence in this country
OF the able and intelligent diplomatic and
consular officers of the Chinese Govern
ment and representations made from
time to time by our Minister in China
under instructions of the Department of
State, the actual condition of public SEN
timent, and the status of affairs in the
United States has been fully known to
the Government Of China. The necessity
for remedy has been fully appreciated
by that Government, and in August, 1886,
our Minister at Pekin, received from the
Chinese Foreign Office a communication
announcing that China of her own accord
proposed to establish system of strict
and absolute prohibition of her laborers,
under heavy penalties, from coming to
the United States, likewise to prohibit
the return tothe United States of any
laborer who had at any time been back
to China, in order that Tin the words of
the communication "Chinese laborers
may be gradually reduced in number
and the causes of danger averted and
Lives preserved"
This view of the Chinese Government,
completely in harmony with that of the
United States, was by my direction
speedily formulated in treaty drafted
between the two nations, embodying the
propositions presented by the Chinese
Foreign Office.
HISTORY OF THE REJECTED TREATY.
The deliberations, frequent oral dis
cussions and correspondence on the gen.
eral questions that ensued have been
fully communicated by me to the Senate
during the present session, and as con-
tained in Senate Executive Documents,
Parts l and l, and in Senate Executive
Document No. 272, which may be prop.
erly referred to as containing a complete
history of the transaction. It is thus
easy to learn how the joint desires and
the unequivocal mutual understanding
OF the two governments were brought in
to articulated form in the treaty, which
after mutual exhibition of the plenary
powers from the respective governments,
was signed and concluded by the pleni-
potentiaries of the United States and
China, at this capital, March 18th last.
being submitted for the advice and con.
sent OF the Senate, it's confirmation was
made on the 9TH day of May last, &C.
companied by the. amendments which
that body engrafted upon it. On the 10Th
day of the same month the Chinese Min
lister, who was plenipotentiary of his
government in the negotiation and con-
clusion Of the treaty, in note to the Sec
retary of the State, gave his approval of
these amendments. "as they did not
alter the terms of the treaty." and the
amendments were at once telegraphed to
China, whether the original treaty had
previously been sent Immediately after
its signature on March 10Th.
THE SUPPLEMENTARY BILL.
On the 18th day of the last month I
approved Senate bill, No. 8 .3O3. to pro-
hibit the coming Of Chinese laborers to
the United States This hill woc in