Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-11-02

sentatyes by Mr. Scott, the head OF the
anthracite coal ring aud Clevcland's trusted
! heuchman. for the exclusion Of all Ch'nese
| from the United States is an ll-cunsidered
measure for accomplishing n highly laudAbe
object. The original biil, as introduced in
| the house was written on state department
! paper, and Is said 10 have been penned In
! Secretary BaVard's Office, ana afterward sub
mitted To Cleveland before its intrOduc ton,
/ scott had nothing to do with IL eXcep To act
as Its sponsor. The executive has no official
! information that the Chinese government has
rejected the recent treaty, the only infOrfna-
ton being through cable message from
! London in the newspapers IL would be quite
awkward II the bill should he passed and IL
afterwards be discovered that China approx
ed and ccepted the treaty. The text of the
Scott ii is AS follows:
Re Il enacted, etc., That from and after the
passage OF this act IL shall be unlawful for
any Chinese laborer who shall at any time
heretofore have been, or Who may now or
hereafter be resident within the United
States, and " no shall have departed or shall
depart therefrom and shall not have returned
before the passage OF This act, TO return to
or remain IN the Uuited States.
Sc. 2. That no certificates OF identity pro-
vlded for In the fourth and fifth sections of
the act 10 which this Is a supplement shall
hereafter be issued, aud everv certificate here
tofore issued in pursuance thereof is hereby
declared void aud of no effect, and the Chi.
nese laborer claiming admission by yrture
thereof stall no. DO permitted to enter the
United Stales.
Sec 3. That all the duties prescribed, liza
bilities aud forfeitures imposed aud the pow
ers conferred by the second tenth, eleventh
and twelfth sections OF the act to when this
Is supplement are hereby extended aud
made aplcable To the provisions OF this act
Sec T. That all such part or parts OF the
act TO which this Is a supplement- as are in.
consistent herewith are hereby revealed.
The measure is silent as To Chinese mer-
chants, travellers and, IN fact, any other class
than laborers. So far as ii goes, IL aims To
accomplish what everF American, iudepend.
emily of his political 1iiliations desires
10 see accomplished. The ridiculous
haste with which the bill was formu ated and
rushed through the house under the admins
tration whip, shows that il is intended To be
n bid for votes for Cleveland Oh the Pacific
coast
The bill went 10 the senate at once, and
here the wind was taken out OF the presi-
dents sails 10y the fact that Senator George,
a democrat from NJ ssissppi opposed it on
the ground that 1t was viola
ton OF the treaty now existing with China
and was supported by Senator Butler. OF
South Carolina n democrat. Senator Sher-
man, the republican leader on the floor OF
the senate, favored the bill, and In the dis
cussion on Senator Georges point, showed
c0nclusively that congress had the undoubt-
ell right 10 pass the bill, which Is, In effect
an abrogatiOn OF the treaty.
One point or interest was clearly brought
out by the senate debate-and that is, that
the democratic party is responsible for first
bringing Chinese labor To our shores IL
was a democratic governor, MRcD1ugal, OF
California, southerncr by birth, aud man
who represented aud cherished the senu
menis Of his section, who invited the Chinese
To come; who preferred them before Irishmen
or Germans or Engishmeu; who said I'm a
public message TO his legislature that the
Chinese were the most desirable class of i'm
migrants that Cal fornia could have; and IL
was a democratic assembly in California
which, for the announcement of Chinese
immigration, had proposed, aud with the
full party strength had passed, bill to le-
galiZe labor contracts made abroad, which
bill. but for the anii-demOcratic votes in the
state senate, would have brought in un.
counted thousands of Ceestials TO work at
from So TO ST. per month in competition with
American labOrers whose average wages at
the time were about 500. - Oieio co. Bad.