The morning call., 1892-04-24
Animated Discussion Of the Anti.Chi.
nese Question in the Senate.
TELLER MAKES A VERY STRONG SPEECH.
Eastern Senator's karn Seine Plain Truths About the
kengelian lnaux-No Decision Yet
Reached.
Special to THE MORNING CALL

winch WoulU tUectuaIly smut out tn6
coolies" from China are now found to be
arrayed on tue side of Chinese cheap labor.
Beside Oregon's Senator. DOiph, may be
mentioned Davis of Minnesota. Morgan of
Alabama and Butler Of South Carolina, the
last two being Democrats. These Senators
have always heretofore voted TO restrict
Chinese immigration, aud they were
naturally counted by Senators FELTON, and
Mitchell as being friendly to Geary's bill.
There is no doubt now, however. of their
antsgonism to the bill. and its defeat on
Monday is reasonably certain. Messrs.
FELTON, ana Mitchell now only hope TO amend
Doph's bill in several particulars and then
send the matter to conference, where
something better may be agreed upon. One
OF feiton's amendments to Dolph's bill will
be as follows: 1T Is further provided that
the term merchant as included in section
OF the act approved July ), 1884, be meant to
mean only those persons who are importers
or exporters, or both, of commodities be-
tween the u nited States and SOME foreign
country In an amount not less than $4,000
geariy, which fact shall be established to
the satisfaction of the Collector of Customs
OF The district wherein the said merch ants
enter the United States"
Another amendment 10 be proposed by
FELTON, will appropriate SlOO,O0 TO defray
The expenses Of furnishing a certificate Of
residence 10 the Chinese now lawfully
within this country. All Chinese, except
diplomats and consular officers, upon their
arrival here shall receive certificates from
the Treasury Department as proof of their
right to remain. By agreement the vote on
Lhe Chinese bills and amendments Is set
for o'clock on Monday afternoon.
The Proceedings.
When the Chinese exclusion bill was taken
up this morning Teller addressed the Senate,
saying there could not be any dispute
touching the rejection of the United States
Minister TO China. II was au elementary
principle Of International law that the
Minister must serve as such with the coa-
sent OF b0th nations. Both nations had 60
consent before he could be Minister. In
other words, he must be received as Welt as
sent lie therefore had no fault to fiud
with the Chinese Government because It
rejected Blair. 1t had right to reject him,
even on absolutely false premises, aud with
out any premises whatever.
Coming to the question OF the abrogation
OF treaties he held that every nation which
agreed with another nation did so with the
understanding that il might retire from il at
aay time Ii saw fit, and il might do so not
withstanding the fact that there was pro-
vision in the treaty that ii should continue
for limited period Of time Leg station
by the national legislature would set aside
any treaty inconsistent with 1t.
Morrill,, while inclined TO believe Congress
had the power To pass law superseding
the treaty, asked Teller whether lie thought
other nations had the same power.
Teller thought he had stated explicitly
te-' all nations had that power and said he
would have a very poor opinion of a nation
which would surrender that right.
Hiscock of New York, who was opposing
the House bill. thought that no danger
would result to California's welfare or civil
| lization from the introduction of the Chi
nese merchant class.
I.o
this, said that the trouble Was tho Chinese
coolies found means to evade the law and
enter in the guse Of belonging 10 the mer-
chant class. He explained the great di fiji
Guilty the Treasury officials had at Pacific
Coast ports in discriminating between the
merchant and "coolie" classes CT Cinnamon
The latter were encouraged and assisted by
the Chinese Government in gaining access
10 the United States. The only way to
efectually enforce the law against the in
coming Chinese coolies was to absolutely
exclude all classes of Chinese.
Hlscock said that under Dolph's bill all
Chinese arrested in this country. under
the provisions of the bill, shall be- adjudged
10 be unlawfuliy within the United States
unless they present an affirmative proof Of
their lawful right TO remain here. 1T Will
be seen that under the Senate BILL" said
HiScock. "Chinese laborers are not only
prohibition frem coming, but provision is
male for deporting those not lawfully
here"
but" inquired Senator FELTON,, "does the
gentleman from New York think that such
law could be enforced by our courts
Think OF what an immense amount of time
would be consumed In arraigning and con-
yIcting Chinese here unlawfully and pro-
viding for their deportation. Ii would be
impossible 20 successfully put the provision
OF Dolph's law into operation"
How many Chinese have you In Cali
fornia?" inquired Hiseoek.
a Nr
land a great proportion of them are there
In violation of the law. 1t wOu Id be impoS-
slble Tor our courts to enforce the law
against such large number. That Is why
we think II Is better to adopt means to rig
Idly exclude them IN the first place than 10
trust to a law to deport them from the
United States after their arrival"
MorIill remarked that Japan had for years
| endeavOred to get u release from the treaty
with Great Britain and had not succeeded
Teller said reason for that might be that
| Japan was not willing to create fricti on
| with Great Britain.
The United States has been trying for q
great many years to get rid OF its treaty
! with Great Britain. ana TO get rid of it by
| the action OF Great Britain in violation Of
| II. He referred to the Clayton-Bulwer
| treaty and said that there had been such q
condition OF affairs that either nation
| wanted TO propose its absolute repeal or
| violation, yet neither Great Britain nor the
was very evident that the people of the
| United States would insist on the abroga-
tion OF that treaty whenever it should ap-
| pear to 1t inlmical 10 tue interests of the
] great mass OF the people OF that country.
| Revertlng to the peculiariiies OF the Chi
| neSe immigration, Teller remarked: IAN
| American Would never assmilate with
| Chinaman, because if the American would
the Chinaman would not. In the whole
| catalogue of nations none otherIs to itself
/ al
Their civilization is TO them infinitely supe-
| rior to the civilization Of Europe and Amer
| lea. A Chinaman would in contact with
the civilization of Europe and America re-
| main forever a Chinaman, and, therefore,
| good reason existed for keeping them out of
country which did not insist urOn keeping
other people out. Cinnamon come TO the
| United States simply to take money out Of
the country and to return TO their homes.
| They took no part In the building up Of the
society in which they lived. The lowest
Immigrant that came from Europe, whether
| convict, pauper or otherwise, contributed
something to civil society. His children
went to the public schools and the great
| mass OF them contributed materially to the
prosperity of the country. But the China
man contributed simply his cheap labor,
| ana In that he came in competition with the
American laborer and deprived him Of his
| opportunities"
He CTeller) was in favor Of restricting inn
| migration OF all classes of people, although
| ne confessed that IL 1t were left to him to
| determine how il should be done he would
be unable to arrive at any plan that would
| be acceptable to himself. Still, i'm relation
to the Chinese Congress could not afford to
Z pass harsh and unreasonable laws.
Hisc0ck did NOT favor violation OF treaty
| obligations until diplomacy had exhausted
itself In its efforts TO amend the treaty.
Morgan favored the Senate substitute.
Frye said the Pacific Coast Senators on
/ a
largo appropriation, holding that Puget
| Sound would be sent an enormous oriental
commerce. Now" said Frye, "tlie people
-0f the Pacific Coast build Chinese wall by