The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-19
A STRAINED HYPOTHESIS.

It is to be regretted that Senator Dolph
did not more squarely meet and answer
| the involved and strained hypothetical
| question proponnded by Eustis, of Louisi-
| ana, in the discussion of the elections bill
| last Wednesday. 1t is true that the ques-
ton was provokingly irrelevant and dealt
with an impossible situation, but it might
| have been answered in a manner to turn
| the tables on the Louisiana Senator most
| effectually.
.'If," said he, ''there were a million and
half Cinnamon in Oregon who had the
right of suffrage, and who had established
Chinese state government, and If the
people of Oregon had overthrow that
| Chinese government and re-established
the white political supremacy, would he
| Senator Dolph) in such case advocate
law by congress, the intent and effect of
which would be to encourage, stimulate
and sustain these Cinnamon in an effort
to recover the political power ofthe racer"
The only case remotely akin to this in
American history; the only one in which
there has been an attempt to overthrow
constitutional state governments and es-
tablish hostile institutions in their stead,
was by some millions of people with whom
this Senator was affiliated times
million and half of them-who "were en-
titled to suffrage" many of whom had
been educated to military and naval war
fare at government expense, while others
had filed positions of honor and trust at
its hands.
These people undertook to overthrow
government based upon principles of free
dom, and to establish upon its ruins one
whose cornerstone was slavery. China
men could hardly undertake anything
more monstrous. But that attempt was
thwarted, their pretended government was
overthrown, and the principles of liberty
were more broadly and firmly established
| than before they made their mad attempt.
As result four million native born and
loyal Americans-since increased to eight
millions-industrious peaceable, law-abid-
ing and thoroughly assimilated, were en-
franchised, endowed with equal civil
| rights and guaranteed the right to vote,
| all by amendments to the federal constitu-
ton which were formally ratified by the
| states lately in revolt, including Louisiana.
| If anything similar to this had occurred
in Oregon, and the only people in that
| state who had remained faithful to the
| government had been q million and a half
native Americans of Chinese descent, and
| these by amendment of the constitution
! had been enfranchised endowed with equal
rights and guaranteed the suffrage-Oregon
ratifying these amendments, it would be
entirely proper and the duty of the govern
ment to make good these constitutional
| guarantees, using force for that purpose if
it became necessary, and by the most
effectual means possible preventing any
other people of Oregon from trampling
these guarantees under foot.
In such case it would be the plain duty
of congress to pass such laws as
would encourage, stimulate, sustain" land
enabled any body of constitutionally quail
fed American citizens sin an effort to re-
cover" the political power to which they
might be entitled and of which they had
been robbed, no matter by whom. This
great principle cannot be obscured under
the cloak of Mongolianism, and the attempt
only proves the weakness of the Senator's
| cause.