The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-11
House Loses Its Head on Chi
nese Exclusion Bill

House has passed should by any possible
chance become law, then China ought TO
exclude everything American from its
territory-American individuals, Amerf-
can trade, American everything Why.
1t is sought to so hamper as to virtually
prohibit young Chinaman from paying
his way and securing an education in an
American college or university. AS for
the high business class of Chinese, the
House bill deals with them as lepers,
even though they seek to visit this coun-
try for a brief period in the interest of
commerce.
Legislation running riot? This is mad
ness of the popular branch!''
II all the Democrats in the House had
voted against a purely Republican party
proposition based upon the purely Re-
publican partisan policy of reciprocity"
the Republican Cuban sugar bill, which
the leaders of that party had everywhere
proclaimed the hope of passing without
Democratic aid, they would have been
thrown out of the House upon Republican
motion to go into committee of the whole
therefore we should have been spared the
spectacle of the Democratic minority
divided disorganized, leaderless, some of
its members loudly aiding a purely Re-
publican partisan measure and demanding
the roll-call against their colleagues who
refused to surrender to transparent Re-
publican trick.
That is the politics of the extraordinary
party disorganization displayed when the
Cuban sugar bill was called up. Many
Republican members voted directly
against their party measure, and did so
with the full understanding and consent
CT their leaders, who desired to help them
in their DISTRICTS the leaders counting
with perfect certainty upon a sufficient
amount of Democratic support of Rcpub-
hcan tactics to carry their OWE partisan
purposes. Not content with voting with
Republicans in favor of their bin on a
simple division, Democrats actually de.
manded the call of the roll and thereby
whipped in Republicans to the support of
Republicanism.
truly that was most novel position
for Democrats to occupy at the very out
set of the discussion of bill which is
wholly at variance with the second most
vital principle of Democracy, namely, only
so much or so little taxation as may be
essential to the maintenance of the gov
eminent. Reciprocity" is not Democratic,
and it Is beyond the power of few DEM
ocratic Congressman to make 1t so. "Reci-
rrocity" Is Republican,
lie oil
be our individual views as TO the pro-
posed twenty per cent concession on Gu
Car raw sugar and however much we
may resent the insolence and avarice of
the beet sugar trust. Party principle Is
che thing; expediency of the moment is
another.
oh, for an hour of Joe Bailey in the
House." cried a southern Democratic
member as mary of his party colleagues
wei voting with the Republican major
ity on the slIpar proposition.
A few hours later a conference of the
Democratic members decided that Demo-
Gratis should all vote as one and try to
defeat the Republican measure which
some of them had gone so far to promote.
Those few hours had sufficed to bring
Democrats to the Democratic party view.
The purpose of the Democrats who vot-
ed against consideration of the sugar bill
was to force the Republicans to grant
concessions on cotton bagging, wire,
nails, and so on-articles now heavily
taxed to the oppression of the farmers of
the country, especially to the farmers OF
the South, who are worse handicapped
than those of any other section of the
country. These Democrats are in favor
of helping Cuba, but they are unwilling
to neglect their own people. And their
people, the cotton planters, for example,
might have secured relief If their COL
leagues, mostly Southern Democrats, had
voted against the Republican motion to
consider a Republican measure.
If the worst comes to the worst and no
relief from any form of Dingleyism can
be obtained for any of the American peo-
pie, then good Democrats may vote for
the sugar bill because of their entire
friendllness toward Cuba. But why
should Democrats in Congress go out of
their way to aid Republicans? Why
make of themselves cats to draw wormy
chestnuts out of a very hot fire for Re-
publican partisan uses?
LUCIEN JULIEN WALKER.