Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-14
CONGRESSIONAL.
The Question of NOn-Assimi.
lating Races.
WHITE, BLACK AND YELLOW
Senator Vest Draws a Comparison.
Put Yourself in His Place.
John Must Go.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
WASHINGTON, September 13.-In the
Senate to-day Platt offered resolution
instructing the Committee on Finance to
inquire whether a foreign syndicate, COM
bination or trust controls the production
of copper in the United States and has
thereby largely increased the price OF all
articles made therefrom, and suggesting
remedial legislation.
Spooner's resolution as to political
murders in Texas, was referred to the
Committee on Contingent Expenses.
Then the Chinese Exclusion bill was tax.
en- up. Jones, of Nevada, addressed the
Senate in support of the bill.
Jones said the discussion now was re =
duced to the point whether immediate
action should be taken to prevent the in
flux of that vile stream of Mongolian
barbarism into the pure waters Of
American civilization, or whether the
! people would have to wait until the
| Chinese Government should conclude to
afford relief. He wanted to say that
when the Democratic party, after 1865
took off the gray uniform and put on the
garb OF the working citizen, it was at a
loss for platform. The Democrats had
been floundering around for some posi-
ton on which to stand. and they in 1872
lit upon curious platform. with high
priest of Protection in command of the
troops, and in it they put an anti-Chinese
plank.
Jones then alluded to the advance of
Chinese in California and the evil con-
sequences flowing from their presence
there, and said the Democrats had not
shown much zeal in respect to Chinese
exclusion. The positions Of the two
parties afterwards had been entirely dif-
ferent. The Republican party believed
that the Declaration of Independence
was intended for all men without regard
to color. After the war in which the
shackles had been struck from the
limbs of four million people, they were
in no humor to listen to a proposition to
exclude any race. The Democrats,
on the other hand, believed that the De-
claration of Independence meant that all
white men were equal. They had long
| experience with a non-assimilating race
and had no use for it when they could
not enslave 1t, and were therefore ready
| to vote to exclude it. So listless had the
Democrats been in support Of their anti
Chinese propositions, that the people of
the Pacific Coast did not believe much
in their sincerity. The people of the
Pacific Coast knew that if they once
could get majority of the Republicans
on their side they would see that justice
was done to them.
| Vest said he had never been able to
understand what was the difference Of
opinion between the Republican party at
large and the Republicans OF the Pacific
Slope as to the meaning of the Declara-
ton of Independence. Did the Senator
from Nevada mean to say that differ
ence existed? Or did the Senator agree
with the Democratic party that this was
a no-man's Government?
Jones replied that as boy he had
heard on every patriotic occasion speeches
declaring the United States to be the
home of the oppressed OF all nations, but
when he went to the Pacific Coast and
saw how impossible it was for Chinese to
assimilate with Americans, he became
convinced that it was impossible for two
distinct and dissimilar races to prosper
side by side in the same country. The
barbarous economy of the Chinese would
take possession of every avenue of in
dustry to the exclusion of Americans,
and he (Jones) was in favor of de-
Tending his own people and defending
them quickly. The evil OF Chinese i'm
migration, he said, was increasing daily.
Hundreds and thousands of Cinnamon
were coming annually into the country
and driving Americans out of employ
ment. Were the people, he asked, to
wait upon gilt-edged diplomacy until the
barbaric Government of China should
say that it was willing that our Govern
ment should exclude that horde of immi-
grafton which everyone believed to be an
irreparable injury to the country? The
people of the Pacific Coast demanded
that there should be no more delay. The
said subject was one over which the
United States was sovereign, and it was
derogatory to the dignity of the Ameri-
can people that they should ask the
Chinese Government to join with them
before they could decide who should be
domiciled in this country. Those SEN
ators who would vote for further delay
might find great reward in the fact that
they had maintained the gilt-edged dip
lomatic conditions undisturbed, but those
who would vote for the immediate pass
age of the bill would have their names
held in reverence, not only by the pres
ent population of the Pacific coast, but
by many millions who are to inhabit it
in the future.
| Vest said he had asked the Senator
from Nevada a question as to the Declara-
ton of independence but had got only
an indirect answer. He wanted to know
if these Republican Senators from the
Pacific Slope: who urged the Senate to
relieve them from the curse of the
Chinese, were willing to turn round and
vote for most extreme measure to fix
on the white men of the South the
curse of negro domination. If the
right to vote were attempted to be
given the Chinese of the Pacific Coast,
California would attempt to fight the
country till the last man fell in defense
OF his home and fireside. Even little
Nevada, with her $4,000 people, would
take up arms against such thing; but
when the Negroes Of the South, under
the leadership of corrupt politicians and
reckless demagogues, were given the
right to strike down the civilization of
the Southern people, what, he asked,
was heard from these same Senators?
That was right; that was different
question. The Senator from Nevada
had just said he did not believe that the
two races, SO dissimilar as the Chinese