The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-11-22
GEARY MADE CHAIRMAN
OF THE CONVENTION

GEARY MADE CHAIRMAN
OF THE CONVENTION
Author of Chinese Exclusion Law
Tells Why It Should Be
Re-enacted.
After the conclusion of Mayor Phelan's
address nominations for temporary chair
man were declared to be in order. Mayor
Snyder of Los Angeles was placed in
/ nomination. Thomas Geary, author OF
| the exclusion act, was named and the
nomination was received with cheers
Mayor Snyder in Withdrawing his name
! said there was only one man who should
preside over the body and that man was
| Tom Geary. This announcement was also
greeted with hearty applause. A repre-
! sentative of the Stonecutters' Union
! nominated Mayor Phelan, but the latter
gracefully declined in favor of Mr.. Geary
Upon motion the nominations were de-
clared closed and Mr.. Geary was selected
temporary chairman by reclamation. Mr..
Geary took the platform amid enthu-
Siastic cheering and was introduced to the
assemblage by Mayor Phelan.
Mr.. Geary's address of acceptance fol-
lows:
FeIIow-citizens of California: 1 am deeply
grateful to you for the honor you have shown
me. feel that it would be idle for me to at
tempt in words to thank you or to show my ap-
upon me-
This convention, meeting at this peculiar
time, is to my mind the most potent instru-
ment that could have been chosen to manifest
TO the people of the East that the story that
question of Asiatic immigration is at least
erroneous, If not absolutely false. These peo-
pie have been deceived to think we have under
gone change Because for several years the
State has been saved and freed from a need
less agitation of this question was not evidence
that We had undergone a change of sentiment
but that arnreciafod hat he evil
We had been complaining of being RENE
died. and we were satisfied California
the East that she is as loyal she ever was
TO her laboring population. and determined
as ever TO protect them (cheers), not only by
preventing the introduction of the products
of the cheap man. but will prevent the intro
duction Of the cheap man himself. (Renewed
cheers.)
1t is not necessary, in my opinion, to naka a
speech upon this question TO this conventionsbr
TO any assemblage of Californians. From the
experience of the past we know the lesson too
Wen to need its repetition to US. But to the
the experience that has been ours. we owe ia
them duty that we shall give to them the
lesson, that they may be warned in time to
avoid the danger that we have been combating
for years. We owe 1t to those people that we
shall place before them a fair reasonable can
o1u, te emp statement OF what we know
ABOUT TINS race during the time it has sojourned
in our midst. There is no room here and this
is no place for abuse or yituperation. We must
recognize conditions as we find them. Through
out the Eastern States we shall find in many
sections bitter opponents of this class of legis-
/ latlQn and those people honestly believe that
they are right and we are wrong and we must
labor with them and convince them of their err
ror before we can have their assistance and
support. (Applause.) We shall find there or
ganized combinations anxious to defeat ex-
clusion from selfish motives. With them we
can 90 nothing But they, happily, represent
but small portion of the people of the United
states. because L believe throughout all sec
tons OF the East there is that careful regard
Tor the rights Of American labor that Won 1eed
put snow them that this exclusion is necessary
Our position the Chinese question some of
/ these people would represent as being purely
peculiar TO California There never was a
greater error. Our experience has heen the nv
perience OF every other portion of the earth
where the Chinese have gone in numbers Aus
passed exclusion laws as we have All of i az
republics to the south of us have comnIainad
about the presence Of these people In the sanoa
year that the act which is now about to ex
pre- was passed far-away Brazil passed a law
upon the same lines. All classes of peop1e in
all chimes, recognize the undesira bility of the
AsIatic as citizen or a laborer
we are not, in my opinion, going to have an
easy contest, no matter how easy it may be
mace TO appear now. We must prepare for
the greatest battle, in my opinion we have
ever had, in order to preserve the advantages
which we now possess, because conditfons +S -
have presented themselves have aItered liz 1ts
situation during the past year and give excuse
combat: 1 have no fear but what the California
delegation in Congress to-day is as effectiI,e
ana as earnest and will do as able work for
/ "a
past; but we must help 1t is not fair to exnact
them to do it all. And on this convention will
ueNvlte tne work OF aiding our representatives
Last night over the wires came really the
nnIst promise OF substantial assistance that we
nave ever received in this campaign the prom
Use that the distinguished President Of the
United states great applause) would recon-
mend TO Congress that the bars be NOT Iet
down, but, If needs be, made higher (Applause
ana ana cneers ror the President ana cries of Good
Your Mayor spoke about the commercial as
poets OF this difficulty which we must meet
AN, am not pessimist in the matter Of trade
expansion, but from the knowledge I have Of
the chinese people and Chinese industry can
not unite with these people who fancy that in
ne future emma Is TO be great market for
American products. Before any people can he
great customers they must have something Ia
up IN the conservatism of centuries, unwilling
20 develop her own material advantages offers
this argument will be used and most sibstanN
TALLY, that In order that our Commences NAV
nave expansion we must make concessions to
the Cnlnese; IN other words, for commerce we
must betray the happiness and the welfare of
the white American laborer. Commerce at thai
price costs too much. We will have our share
of the commerce of China. but we will GET ~
without sacrificing the happiness or welfare of
one single white American toiIer in This iend
(Applause.) Labor has no opposition To tbe
expansion of commerce. No people in this
country are more interested in enlareine The
trade OF the United States than tbe ,5an nh, ehe
toll in field and farm, in factory and in shon
and create the things which are tovbe the in,
/ exchange.
Every market opened for the product Of fhe
American factory or farm is an increase of the
advantage to the American laborer in its pro-
duction. So when these people try to make
US understand or believe that there must he
an antagonism between labor and Commerce
they mistake the fundamental principle that
without labor there can be no commerce
We have followed an industrial policy for
many years which had its cornerstone the
protection Of American labor in the firm he
lief that II protected long enough against the
products of cheap labor the world over we
would reach such state of efficiency that
even with paying better wages, with greater
advantages to our labor we would find so much
greater productive ability that we could over