Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-07-06
CHINAMAN'S FRIEND.
BEN HARRIs0N'S VOTES ON THB ANTI
CHINESE IMMIGRATION ACT.
How tho "Rriends Of American Labor" Voted on q
Vital QusstiOn-HarlsOn for the Chinese
10 the Last
81. Louis r public

10 the Last
81. Louis public.
1t is on the books that for the ensuing
four months Republican orators through
out the country will put forward Ben
Harrison as the great ''friend Of American
Labor" The people will be told that 1t
would be a terrible thing to reduce the
war taxes on the nscessaries OF life, and
that it would be a glorious effort OF
craftsmanship if the taxes on whisky were
removed. Mr.. Harrison will, almost to
certainty, make protection to American
labor the leading issue of his canvass, and,
in consequence, it is but proper that his
votes while United States Senator should
be analysed.
Protection from the invasion of hordes
of cooley laborers was all that the Ameri-
can workmen asked for while Mr. Harrl-
son was in the United States Senate. In
order to explain Mr.. Hsrrison's attitude
the Congressional Record will have to be In
troduced in evidence.
Senator HMrison's inst vote as friend
of American labor" as he will be called
for the next few months, was cast IN the
United States Senate March 8, 1882 A
bill had been introduced by Senator Miller
of California to prohibit the importation OF
sill Chinese labor into this country. Sena-
tor Hosr of Massachusetts,, who is also
''friend Of American labOr"-during Presi-
Dental campaigns-was the chief opponent
of the bill and the great friend AID adyo-
cate in the Senate of Chinese labor. The
bill aimed to prohibit the importation OF
all C inese labor, and Senator Hoar began
his fight by trying to admit skilled Chi
nese labor into this country. Mr.. 'Hoar
offered the following amendment to the
bill prohibiting Chinese labor and apply
ing exclusively TO it:
Provided, That this bill shall not apply
to any skilled laborer who shall establish
that he comes to this country without any
contract by which his labor is the property
of any person other than himself,
Senator Farley, of California Dem. }, an
opponent Of Chinese labor in any form,
said of this amendment:
81 apprehtnd that if the amendment is
adopted they will all come here as skilled
laborers and be able TO prove that they
bad no contract with anybody, and they
could prove it by their own testimony"
The roll was called on the amendment
and it vas beaten out of sight, the far
Western Republican Senators voting with
the Democrats. Seventeen votes were cast
for the amendment and tweDty-seyen
against. The seventeen votes in favor OF
admitting skilled Chinese labor TO this |
country were all cast by Republicans,
among them the following great 'pTotcc-
tors OF American labor" a. they call them
selves: Aldrich, Allison, Dawes, Edmunds,
Frye, Hale, HARRISON, Hoar, Ingalls,,
Malone and Morrill,. The Democrats voted
solidly in the negative, and the amendment
was 20 offensive that even Warner Miller,
of New York, Joined the Democrats In
voting 10.
These proceedings can be found in full
on page l,7l6. volume Il, part OF the
Congressional Record for 1892 on file in all
the public Libraries of ST. Louis.
Beaten in his attempt to give free swing |
to skilled Chinese labor in the United
States, its champion, Senator Hoar, tried
again the same plan, only in other words,
few moments later. He offered the fol- |
lowing amendment to the bill, which, IT |
must be remembered, applied only to Chi
nese labor.
Provided any labOrer who shall receive
a certificate from the United States consul
at the port where he shall embark that he |
ia an a. tisan coming to this country at his
own expense and of his own free will, and
has established the fact to the satisfaction |
OF such consul, shall not be affected by this |
bill.
These same Republican friends of
American labor" as they now call them
selves, rallied again to the rescue OF Chi
uese artisans, but they were beaten by
vote of 10 to "a. Among the - RepublI-
cans who voted to admit the Chinese arti- |
SLAMS to this country were Allison, Dawes,
Frye, Hale, HARRISON, Hoar, Iugalls,
Malone and Morrill,, as before. The Dem
ocrats voted solidly against the proposition.
These proceedings are TO be found on page |
I'M Of the Congressional Record of 1882
The laboriug men of Indiana, no doubt, |
had heard of Hsrrison's vote in the inter
est of cooley labor, aud when the bill came
before the Senate next day he was absent, |
and when the bill was passed he lodged. |
His friends, Senators Aldrich, Allison,
Dawes, Edmunds, Frye, Hosr, Ingalls, and
Morrill, voted against the bill, while a
cold Democratic vote was cast in its favor,
the bill being passed by vote of 90 ayes
and Is noes. See Congressional Record, |
page 1853, volume as given above.
The question then came up on the mo- |
ton to pass the bill prohibiting Chinese |
immigration tor twenty years over the
Presidents veto. This required a two
thirds vote, ind thirty-two Senators voted |
for it, nearly all of whom were Democrats. |
Nineteen Senators, enough to kill the bill |
voted in the negative. These nineteen |
were Senators Aldrich, Anthony Blair,
Davis, of Illinois, Dawes, Frye, HAIR
RISON, Hawley, Hosr, Ingalls,, Kellogg, |
Mcmillan. Mitchell, Morrill,, Plat,
Plumb. Rollins, Sawyer, Sswell, Sherman,
Window. That killed the bill. These
proceedings can be found on pages 2,6l6. |
2.6l7, vol. Is, part 3, of the Congressional
Record, on file at nearly all public libra
rles.
After the bill had been killed, as de-
scribed, the House of Representatives
passed smother bill on the subject, which
reached the Senate. Its vital sections read
"a follows:
From and after the expiration of ninety
days next after the pssssgs OF this act,
and until the expiration OF ten yesrs next
after the passage of this act. the coming
Of Chinese laborers to the United States
be and the same is hereby suspended;
and during such suspension it shall not be
lawful for any Chinese laborer to come,
or having 10 come after the expiration of
said ninety days, to remain within the
United States.
The bill was long one, end its fourteenth
asotion nroyided.