The record-union., 1893-05-23
MISTAKEN IDEAS.

Clergymen at the East are reviving the
exploded doctrine that the United States
is a refuge, the doors of which cannot be
guarded, and entrance through which
cannot even be limited-that is to say, all
foreign people have right to come in
whether we wish it or not.
1t might be well for these gentlemen of
the cloth to extend their argument to the
inquiry when and how did foreigners
gain this inalienable right?" One of these
preachers on Sunday presented this view
OF the matter: This is a Christian ma
tion. Christianity teaches that all men,
Of whatever nationality, have right to
come to us. We cannot exclude them.
Congress has not the power to do so; it is
our duty to receive them and teach them
Christianity"
The error of this argument is in the as
sumption that this is a Christian nation
in the sense in which the preacher con-
siders it. On the contrary, it is not
Christian nation in a religious sense. 1t
is Christian in so far as it is not a pagan
nation, that it is tolerant, and that it rec
ognizes by its laws those great moral
principles that Christianity and many
other religions teach. But it is no part
of the duty of the Government to go into
the missionary field. or to. make this the
arena in which to work the salvation of
the souls OF heathen or any other classes.
The doctrine of the right of aliens to
enter our gates was exploded long ago;
in fact, it never had any large measure of
recognition. From the foundation of the
Republic to this time we have asserted
determine who may be permitted to come
among us; when we abandon that right.
and concede that those not of the Nation
have a right to enter the national house
hold, we will abandon free and independ-
ent government; we will turn over the
law-making power to foreign princes and
potentates, and yield the one thing that of
all others makes and preserves us a free
people, that is, the right to say of whom
the State shall be composed.
Another error into which the Eastern
sentimentalists fall, is that registration
adds to the exclusion policy. The truth
is that the Chinese exclusion laws
are practically as they were some
years ago; they have not been made
more severe than when the most noted
Act was passed some four years ago.
What the Registration Act seeks to do is
TO fix the identity of those entitled by the
laws to remain in the country, and to pre-
vent evasion of the Restriction Act by
such Identification. In reality, it is an
Act to make more certain the right Of
those who are under the law entitled to
reside in the United States, and thus in
dicate more clearly those who in viola
ton of the law enter and seek to remain
despite its mandates.
American citizens do not deem it a
hardship nor ignominious, that in order
to determine more clearly their rights
Ll6N DGSb register. Iu0 tight 10 NOkS IN
this State can only be exercised after a
registration that goes so far as to record
the hight, weight, color of eyes and hair,
and the character of visible physical
marks and peculiarities.
1t is argued that the Restriction Act is
a discriminating measure, inasmuch as
it is aimed at the people of but one
nationality. But, as a matter of fact, no
other nationality is restricted in immi-
grafton; if certain classes of any other
people were declared ineligible to reside
here, a method Of segregating and identi-
flying those who might reside with US
from those inhibited would be proper
and should not be deemed offensive.
Whether the policy OF exclusion is
wise. or whether it is error-so long as it
is national policy those who seek to
eyade it, and who enter and remain in
defiance of it, cannot be considered other
Than lawless. and they have no right