The morning call., 1893-06-19
The Minister Says He Has COnspired
With the Six Companies and
Should Be lnpeaciled.

wise become overwhelming. With 400 00O-
600 Chinese at our doors, we cannot safely
open them very wide. Were these laws
referred to the people of California they
would be almost unanimously sustained
"Ihere are some surprising exceptions.
Rev. Mr.. w endte preached in OPPOSITION
TO the Geary law a few weeks since, but
his sermon was sufficiently answered bv
the journals that reported it. Last Sunday
DIR. Mclean took for his subject 'Bots on
the EScutcheoD,' and named tw0--the
Geary law and the Sunday opening of the
Worlds Fair. With regard to the former,
he is briefly reported as follows:
He condemned the Geary law as cowardy
and violation OF treaty obligations with
China. The latter was a nation which had been
OF lnestimable service TO the United States, and
without whom California would not have been
what she Is.
81 may nterject that without whom she
might have been more than she is.
Itwas proper for the United States to ex-
clude bad classes OF immigrants from whatever
country they came, but it was not just To ex-
clude whole nation indiscrimnatey, and the
country dos not dare to do the same thing
with Great Britain, Italy or Austria.
This is a surprising position, if he is
correctly reported. 1t looks as il he had
blundeIed in common with the generality
OF the Eastern press and pllpit in attribut-
ing to the Geary law the faults of the
Scott law, if faults they are. To
iemFuy ldultS anu uelectS IN tne Scott act
the Geary law was passed. 1t said, in eff
feet. to the resident Chinese, we recog-
niZe you as being here under the law. and
entitled to remain. but we want no more of
your cOuntrymen. Now. 90 before certain
officers appointed for the purpose and
make registration. This will give YOU
evidence of the highest character that you
are entitled to remain, to enjoy the pro-
lection of the laws of the State and nation
and to go and come unrestricted in the pur-
suit of your business and your pleasure
At the same time it will enable the Gov
eminent to detect ard prevent fraudulent
entries in the future-now impossible be-
cause of the impossibIlity of distinguish
ing between those who are lawfully here
and those who might fraudulently steal in
across the borders of British Coum bia or
Mexico. Right here is the front of the
offending of the Geary act. Says Judge
Evans: 'Ihe underlying element and
essence of all the argument against the en-
forcement of the Geary act is desire on
the part of those opposing il to leave a
loophole for further importation of China
men,"
After quoting from the expressions of the
Eastern press in condemnation of the
Geary act and in favor of free Chinese i'm
migration the speaker continued:
II class all who so hold as foes to Ameri-
can labor, and at their head l place the
President of tho United States, because he
is chleHy lnStrumental IN pracucally an
nulling the law. Had he stood firm and
said emphatically to the Chinese You
must obey the law or suffer its penalty,
very few would have failed to register
There would not have been, as now,
hundred thousand Chinese legally liable
to arrest and deportatiOn, but in violation
of his oath of office he cOnspired with the
Six Companies to defeat the law. He
acted upon the presumption that the law
was unconstitutional, which he had no
warrant to do. 1t was the law, and it was
his business to execute 1t, regardless of its
character or cOnstituti0nality. 1t was con-
Stltutonal until declared unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court. which the court
has not done, but affirmed its constitution
allty instead. Ii he deemed it bad law
Mr.. Cleveland would have done we'll to
have adopted the sententious remark of
General Grant. The best way to make a
bad law odious is to enforce it. He would
thus have escaped the attitude in which
he now stands. as the supreme law
breaker of the United States, and liable
to Impeachment therefor, before the bar
of the Senate, if the House does its duty
on the assembling of Congress. 1t is not
the Presidents duty to determine whether
law is good or bad, constitutional or un-
constitutional. but just simply to enforce
1t, leaving the rest to the courts and legis-
latve bodies.
His example of disregard and defiance
OF aW must work infinite mischief, by
lending countenance and announcement
TO the lawless and arachistic elements of
our population. Every law-abding citi-
zen stands shocked and appalled, at the
course OF the President. 1t is an un-
paralleled exercise of arbitrary perogative.
Not even Kaiser William would dare to so
trlhe with the laws of Germany.
But what is there so cruel and cow
ardly' and unjust and brutal in the
Geary law? 1t Is not readily apparent to
my poor comprehension. Fell0w-cltlZens.
it Is just what you and | ana every other
voter has to do before he can cast ballot.
Our name and residence must appear on
the Great Register or We cannot vote.
Now, what is there so sacred
about Chinaman that it is cruel hard
ship to require him to register anu
thereby show his right to permanent resi-
dence and protection? II the State has
the right TO determine the conditions
upon which a citizen may vote, surely
the United States has the right
to determine the condition upon
which the Chinese or any other
foreigners may remain among Us and enjoy
the equal protection of our laws. Natur-
ally and justly, violation of the law in the
one case results in precluding the citizen
from voting; in the other it results in de-
pOrtation; very mild punishment for
DEFIANCE of law IS 10 send the law-breaker
nome without expense TO himself. 1t IS
notthe purpose of the law to deport the CHI
nese lawfully here. That is the penalty.
The purpose is to protect them in the en-
Joyment of their rights, prevent others
from coming. and detect them il they steal
in. That tho United States Government
has not exceeded its constitutional pre-
r6gative i'll the adoption of the Scott ex-
cluSion act and the Geary registration act
has been determined by the Supreme
Court.
.'The legislation thus indicated is designed
to keep out Chinese laborers; and what
are they? Coolies, slaves. The Six Com
panieS are simply slave-traders. Their de-
fiance of the law grows out of the fact that
it will destroy their nefarious business. Ii
is because the great mass of Chinese labor
ers among rs are not free men that the
Six Companies has power to prevent them
from registering.
american labor cannot compete with
this class Of labor. 1t is a deadly foe. IT,
has cast blight over the whole Pacific
Coast. With vast natural advantages in
our favor, the development OF our resources
and the increase of our population has been
notably slower than of the young common
wealths east of the Rocky Mountains. The
presence OF the Chinese has deferred the
coming OF desirable white labor. They
have done nothing that could not have
been better done by white men, who would
have added permanently and greatly to the
wealth of the State instead of sending it
away to China. The population of Califor-
h0yr y n 4 &