The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-07-18
CHINESE VOTERS IN INDIANA.
Why Ben Harrison Voted for the Natural
izatiou of Chinese.


ization of Chinese.
Alta California
1t is perfectly easy for Mr.. Harrison and the
republican leaders to be Fright" now on the
Chinese question. But they were wrong and
withheld their help when it was needed TO
make an effective settlement. 1t is useless to
argue now that this was done through ignor-
ance Of the question for there had been album
dant enlightenment. Senators Bayard and
Thurman and their democratic colleagues
and the party leaders in the house were salts
fed by the information which this coast fur
nished. They did not question the truthful
ness OF the representations made by honorable
republicans like Senator Miller, or by leading
democrats like Senator Farley. Farley did
not have to sit up nights with Voorhees,, the
democratic senator from Indiana. But Miller
found himself unable TO satisfy Harrison,
though they were brother Hoosiers had cam
paigned on the same fields and taken ague in
the same marshes, and belonged to the same
party. Even the republican senator from Wis
consin admitted, while visiting California, that
he was converted to the anti-Chinese
side by Farley. But Mr.. Harrison was obdu-
rate, and carried his stubbornness to the ex-
tent, as we have shown, of voting to leave the
door open 70 Chinese naturalization. For him
the apology has been made here that he be-
ieved the law already excluded Chinese from
citizenship, But there must have been deeper
ICdSoH lldH hllht IOT III was SHOWN 10 MIN Dy
senator's Of his own party that naturaliza-
ton had been granted to Chinese, that the
courts differed upon, the .patter of. law in
yolved, and therefore it'6as necessary ts guide
them all by the exercise of the undOubted right
of congress to say who shall not be naturalized,
as well as who may be.
We are in possession of certain facts which
we wish TO impress upon the people of this
state. They show that Mr. Harrison must
have hppu OrOSslv ioDOront Of pnliff-
cal events occurring within stones throw of
his house, or he must have known of them
and desired to avoid antagOniZing his personal
and political friends and associates who were
responsible, and who had defantly and offens-
lively taken a position that would have been
very unpleasant if not disastrous for them if
Mr.. Harrison had seemed to rebuke them.
The Indiana October election of 1880 placed
Mr.. Harrison in the federal senate. 1t was
holly contested battle, and the issue hung in
doubt down to the last hour. Elkins and
Dorsey exhausted every expedient, worked
every intrigue, and it is not too much to
say, committed every crime that is possible
under our election system. There were not
many Chinese in indianapolis, but the laun-
drymen who were there had been granted first
papers, and that year they were taken by re-
publican lawyer, personal friend of Mr.. Har-
rson, and their final naturalization papers
were issued to them. They were then marched
by this same republican lawyer TO the polling
place In the Eleventh ward on Massachusetts
ave-, within a square and half of Mr. Harri-
sons law office, and there these Chinese laun-
drymen voted the republican ticket, over the
protests of the democratic challengers.
We can furnish the name of the gentleman
who challenged one of them, and was told by
the republican politicians present TO mind his
own business. He retorted that they were
doing something they would live to regret;
whereupon they jeered and insulted him.
The affair was the political sensation of the
day, and it was hardly possible that any one
in Indianapolis who kept posted in current
events could have been ignorant of it. Mr..
Harrson's personal and political friends boldly
asserted the right OF Chinese naturalization
and acted up to their convictions, and
so far as we know, Mr.. Harrison is the only
mann who ever sat in the federal senate having
behind him, in part, Chinese constituency.
This incident goes far 10 account for his instant
and enduring and energetic opposition to the
restriction act OF 1882. Indeed an unprejudieed
survey of his senatorial record discloses the
somewhat remarkable fact that the only hearty
exertion made during his six years service was
upon that occasion and against that bill.
In the phrase of the day he stood in with his
Indianapolis friends, who would have been put
in hole if he had rebuked them in the matter
of Chinese naturalization.