The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-05-23
CHINESE EXCLUSION BILL.
Rev. DR.. CIyner Denounced 1t Unsparing-
ly Yesterday.


ly Yesterday.
Rev. DIR. Clymer of Pine street M. E. |
church, delivered an address on the Chi
nese exclusion law in America at the |
church to a large congregation last !
evening in which he denounced the law
unsparingly:
The Chinese exclusion bill which has
just passed Congress andg received the
signature of the President, is a disgrace
TO our nation, an insult to China, and
violation of the fundamental principles
OF republican form of government"
said Dr.. Clymer. '"rhe chief odium of
this bill is in the requirement that every
Chinese laborer now having a right to
residence in the United States, under our
laws, must obtain from the collector of
internal revenue in the district of his
residence, q certificate of such fact with
in year; and ii, after the expiration of
that time he be not able to obtain such
q certificate, he may be arrested, sub
Jected to Imprisonment for a specified
period and then sent out of the country.
The new law also provides that Chinese
laborers who come to the United States
from Canada, shall be treated as if they
came direct to an American port.
1--WE do not wonder that the diplomat
ic representative of the Chinese Empire
has protested against this exclusion law.
~ 1t is in the last degree insulting to
China and unjust to the Chinese people.
(2.) 1t is oppressive to those already resi-
dent in the United States, in that it de-
prives them of the protection promised
them in the treaty formulated and rati-
fifaH ssI,. ,Iarai,t Il
priyes Chinese citizens Of the right of
bail in ha5ed corpus cases, violation of
the central principle of American democ-
racy. a. 1t requires the registration of
Chinese laborers under
Conditions Which are Practically Impos-
sible.
The Chinese are required to prove that
they are lawfully entitled to residence in
this country, by white witnesses, who
have known them at least ten years, and
can testify that residence here was legally
acquired. This is impossible in nineteen
cases out of twenty. The execution of
this law will demand the expulsion from
the United States of most of the Chinese
now in this country, regardless of cost to
them, or the sacrifice of justice and
humanity. What an unprincipled dis
elimination against one OF the many ma
tions OF the earth. What an outrageous
violation of treaty obligations between
two great nations, one Christian and the
other heather.
II have no doubt if the Chinese gov
eminent had been approached on the
basis of honorable diplomacy, to say
nothing Of a Christian spirit, changes
II b.,1-< Ia L /
tween the nations that would have put
wise and humane restriction on immi-
grafton from China, or possibly pro-
hibited it in the interest of good govern
ment Certainly we have a perfect right, |
under the law of self-protection in be- |
half of liberty and civilization, to regu-
late immigration. 1t has been unlawful |
for Chinese laborers to come to this |
country since 1882, and there has been |
no general complaint that this law of |
1882 did not fulfill it's purpose, and now
to strengthen it by a new law imposing |
ignominious conditions upon resident |
Cinnamon, to pass bill which is as
Inhuman and .Uncivilized
as the anti Catholic laws in Ireland is a
wrong that cannot be explained away.
IN my judgment this unwarranted, |
hasty and unjust legislation against the
Chinese is a piece ofEpusillanimous poll
tics, and indicates, on the part of our
President and Congress, a lack of conf |
dence in the philanthropic principles of
republicanism.
The fact is, the two great political
parties have run over each other in
scrambling for the presidential vote; and
this Ubiquitous bill is political sop
thrown to the political tricksters of the
Pacific states. 1t is the old pro-slavery
goddess compromise with wrong.
The great reasons for the passage OF
this bill are that the Chinese are so numer-
GUS, that if allowed to come here, as other
they would overrun the
country and break down our republican
form of government; that they only
only come here to earn money and send
it out of the country, and then send them
selves out What palpable contradic-
tons. They will overrun the country;'
they do not stay in the country Stats
tica] facts show that there only 10000
Cinnamon in the United States, that they
earn $17,000,000, spend $15 100000 here.
and send $2,000,0 900 to China
This bill has been passed in spite of
earnest and honorable protests from
statesmen in both House and Senate.
Aye, the conscience of the nation in all
the ecclesiastical and moral organiza-
tons in the land have protested against
it, The Methodist Episcopal general
numbering 500repres entative
men, now in session in Omaha, repre-
senting a constituency of 100000 of
people have unanimously declared
against it as Ubiquitous and unjust.''
Parliamentary Drill.