Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-19
declared himself in the Senate in favor of

and his party associates to the Chinese
bill, which had been vetoed by President
Arthur, was that Chinese labor was
cheap and profitable, and contractors,
manufacturers and mine owners, who
had controlled the Republican party,
wanted it. 1t was not because General
Harrison and his associates believed the
bill violation to the existing treaty that
they opposed it. but because they be-
lieved Chinese labor should have the
right to come to this country. not only to
labor, but to vote, to hold Office and gov
ern as we'll as be governed. General Har-
rison no W said, as further excuse, that he
did not understand the question at the
time, but that he had since learned all
about it and was all right now. Of all
subterfuges this was the shallowest.
During the campaign General Harrison
might declare from the stump that the
standard of labor must be maintained,
but nobody could find that during the
Chinese debate in the Senate he had ever
spoken a word of sympathy for the wage
workers of America.
Coming down to consideration of the
pending bill, he advocated its passage,
criticised the Senate for having amended
the treaty, and declared if the House
| had passed the bill as it came from the
Senate the country would have been left
without any law on the subject.
NOT A PARTY QUESTION.
Dingley, of Maine, inquired how it was
that the Democratic party had not acted
upon the question of Chinese immigra-
ton when it had control of both Houses
during the 46th Congress.
Bynum replied that he had investi-
gated the record Sarcastic laughter on
the Republican side) and the question
had not been brought up by any Repre-
sentative of the Pacific Slope during that
| Congress.
Dingley replied it had been. Page, Of
| California, had introduced a bill upon
the subject, but the bill had never been
acted upon by either the House or the
Senate.
Cannon, OF Illinois, said the treaty
with China negotiated by Evarts, as
Secretary OF State, was confirmed in the
fall of 1880 when Democratic Congress
was in existence. Evasion Of that treaty
arose from the fact that from the date
of the ratification of the treaty until
March, 1882, there had been no legis-
lation to carry out its provisions. A Dem
ocratic Congress never atte npted to
write any legislation on the statute books
to enforce the treaty.
FELTON,, of California, said facts would
not admit the Chinese question to be a
party question. The people of the Pa
cific Coast, regardless of party, opposed
the incoming of Chinese. The people of
the Pacific Coast had knocked at the
doors of tho Senate for years, asking for
relief, without receiving a response,
the reason being that the people
of the East had not been edu-
Gated up to the question. He did not be.
| lieve there would be a dissenting vote
upon the bill, because the people had
more knowledge upon the Chinese ques-
ton now than they had before. He
favored the bill, though in his opinion it
did not go far enough, and but for fear of
delay in passage. he would decidedly
amend it.
OWEN ATTEMPTS TO ANSWER BYNUM.
Owen, of Indiana, replied to what he
characterized a special address to the
voters of Indiana, made by his colleague,
and denied the charges made by that
gentlemen as to the record of the Repub-
lican party and it's standard bearer, Gen
eral Harrison, upon the Chinese ques-
ton. In reply to one OF Bynum's IS
charges, to the effect that in 1880
several Chinese had been natural
lied in Indianapolis and had voted
the Republican ticket, presumably
with the knowledge of General Har-
rison, he read a telegram just received
from General Harrison's law partner,
denying that he had ever heard of such
thing. In regard to another charge,
that General Harrison had read before a
literary society paper in which he ad-
vocated the free and unrestricted immi-
grafton of Chinese, he said, General
Harrison over his own signature had de-
MED having done any such thing. His
colleague in closing his speech said every
Democrat could cast his vote for this bill
without swallowing his words or stultity-
ing his record. In reply to that he would
call attentiho to Dingley's statement that
during the Forty-sixth Congress, which
was Democratic in both branches, the
Democratic party had taken no action
upon the Chinese question. The gentle.
mans speech sought to impress the
public mind with the thought that the
Republican party was in favor of the
importation of Chinese labor because it
was cheap and pauper labor. The party
that was born of certain great moral
necessities, which had saved the greatest
and grandest nation the sun ever shone
upon, which had given liberty to 4,00O,-
600 slaves, which passed the Homestead
act that gave to the poor man home
in the West, which built up the pro.
tective system in this country until the
wage workers in the land were the best
paid, best fed and best housed, and
most intelligent and prosperous of any
wage-workers in the world, was not the
party in favor of the importation of
Chinese or any other sort of pauper la
Dor. The gentleman had charged that
General Harrison had voted against
every bill to rertrict or control
Chinese immigration. He denied the
charge that General Harrison had op-
posed the Chinese bill, but the basis of his
opposition had been that it was a viola
ton Of treaty obligations. While General
Harrison had taken that position and
stood by it manfully, he had not indi-
Gated by any act or word that he was in
favor of Chinese immigration. General
Harrison had said he stood for the honor
of his Government and contended the
treaty should be enforced in letter and
spirit until by proper action it should be
abrogated. General Harrison was not in
favor of Chinese immigration, but against
it; he was in favor of maintaining the
Governments honor. The life, the
kIo IL ob oe