Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-04-11
CONGRESS.

today, the senate considered the Chi.
nese exclusion measure for nearly
three hours. The principal speech Of
the session was made by Mr.. Fairbanks
of Indiana, In support OF the bill. He
analysed its provisions and demon.
strated that they were not in contra.
vention OF our treaty with China, and
discussed at length the right Of con.
gress to enact exclusion legislation.
He maintained that 1t was cardinal
principle OF this government to protect
its labor against such low priced labor
as would come to the United States
from China.
House-The Chinese exclusion bill
was under consideration in the house
throughout the day. general debate
being closed. Without exception the
speeches were favorable to rigid ex-
cusion and expressed the feeling OF
repugnance to the Chinese. Mr.. Kahn,
of California, the author Of the bill,
was gratifled during the day at reach
ing an understanding by which most
of the amendments proposed by the
Pacific coast people Will be accepted
by the committee. This probably will
lead to the withdrawal of the minority
bill and the passage of the majority
measure. The only amendment at is
sue is on the sailor cause. and this by
agreement is to be submitted to vote.
Washington, April 7--Senate.-Con.
siderable time was consumed by the
senate today in discussion Of the
conference report on the bill to reduce
war revenue taxes. AS passed by the
senate the tax on transactions in So
called bucket shops was retained. The
conferees struck out that provision, it
being explained that the house would
not consent to its retention. Berry, of
Arkansas; Bacon, of Georgia, and Pet
tus, Of Alabama. insisted that the SEN
ate should demand the retention Of the
tax. Aldrich, of Rhode Island; Allison,
Of Iowa, and Spooner of Wisconsin,
while they were in favor Of the tax,
explained that it could not be retained
without endangering the entire meas
ure. The conference report was final
~ adopted by SO to 20.
Simmons, of North Carolina, eX-
planned briefly why he should support
the Chinese exclusion bill, although he
frankly said he would do so with some
reluctance.
House.-The house passed the Chin.
csc exclusion bill, after incorporating
in It several amendments which in.
creased the drastic character of the
measure. The principal one not only
excludes Chinese by birth and descent.
but all Chinese of mixed blood. The
chief struggle was over an amend
ment to prohibit the employment OF
Chinese sailors on American ships. An
| amendment covering this proposition
was at first ruled out on point OF
order, but subsequently was modified
| to evade the rulings and was adopted,
| 100 to "A. AS passed, the bill prac-
| tically re-enacts all the existing eXclu.
sion laws and incorporates with them
| the exinsting treaty regulations. 1t ex
| tends these exclusion laws to the Phil
| ippines and other possessions of the
! United States, and forbids Chinese la.
borers in our colonial possessions com.
| ing into this country. The Philippine
commission, by the terms of the bill,
| is directed to adopt proper measures
for the enforcement of the provisions
of the bill in the Philippines.
| Washington, April S.-Senate-A
| vigorous protest was made in the sen.
ate today by Cullom, of Illinois, against
| the passage of the Chinese exclusion
| bill in it's present form. Coming from
| the chairman of the committee on
foreign relations, the protest made a
deep impression in the senate. Gull
lon, while expressing himself as in
favor of the exclusion OF Chinese la
borers, said that many of the provi-
sions OF the pending measure were in
contravention of our treaty obligations
with China. He declared that the Unit
ed States could not afford to ignore
its solemn treaty, although he con-
ceded the authority of congress to en-
act the proposed law If it saw fit to
do so. Patterson, of Colorado, and
| Perkins, of California, supported the
| pending bill, maintaining that in no
way did it contravene existing treat
les, as by the convention of 1894 China
agreed that Chinese laborers should
be excluded from this country. The
bill was drastic in it's provisions, they
admitted. but no more so than was
necessary to eliminate the possibility
of fraud.
House-The first day Of the debate
on the Cuban reciprocity BILL which
opened in the house today, was disap-
pointing from spectacular stand
point. There were no sensational
clashes after the debate was actually
begun, and none of the bitterness
which was expected to crop out on the
| floor came to the surface. The vote,
1T to 80, on the motion to go into
! committee of the whole to consider
| the bill, however, developed the lines
of cleavage and showed that the DEM
ocrats are quite as much divided on
the question as is the majority. In the
| division, which is regarded as prac-
| tically test vote on the bill, ia re-
publicans and GO democrats voted for
the motion and Al democrats and 80
republicans against it. The vote was
! in reality more embarrassing to the
| democrats than to the republicans, as
| the members of the minority had call
| ed a conference for tonight. at which
| they desired to get together on a
course of action. The vote forced the
| hands of the democrats as individuals
| before the caucus.
Washington, April 9.-Throughout
today's session of the senate the
| Chinese exclusion bill was under con-
! sideration. Gallinger, of New Hamp-
shire. and Dillingham;, Of Vermont, op-
posed the bill, and Turner, of Wash.
ington. supported it. Gallinger urged
that the pending bill was unnecessary.
| unjust and un-American, and was
| clearly in contravention of our treaty
obligations with China. In an extend
ed address Turner appealed to the
senate to pass the proposed bill, not
merely for the protection of the PEG.
| pie of the Pacific, states but to pre-.
vent the entire body polite from being
contaminated by the Chinese. Dill.
bingham advocated the re-enactment
of the present Geary law. He declared