The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-26
CHINESE EXCLUSION HEARING.
Californian Urges Adoption OF the
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Kahn Bill, Now Before the House.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.-When the for
eign affairs committee OF the House to-day
resumed its hearings on the subject Of the
re-enactment of the law prohibiting the
coming into this country of Chinese, 1T was
informed that if it had not been under
stood fully by the people of the Pacific
coast in the last national campaign that the
Chinese would be excluded by Republican
administration and by a Republican Con-
gress CALIFORNIA; electoral vote would
have been cast for Mr.. Bryan. This state
ment was made by E. j. Livernash, assist
ant manager of the San Francisco. Cal.
Examiner. He appeared before the COM
mittee in support of the Kahn bill for the
exclusion of the Chinese, which, it ap-
peared in the course of his statement, he
had a part in preparing. In the course of
his argument Mr.. Livernash particularly
supported the section of the proposed act
which prohibits the coming of Chinese into
this country from the Philippines or other
irsular possessions of the United States
He referred to the flood of petitions which
had been poured upon Congress in favor of
a more liberal treatment of the Chinese and
declared that for Congress TO listen to such
petitions would be simply to assist the
Europeans and cause us to lose sight of the
commercial future of the islands as an
American possession.
Mr.. Livernash insisted that the people of
California in this matter were pleading not
only for privilege, but for a right The
people Of the Pacific coast were particularly
interested because they loked toward China
and toward the Chinese in the Philippines
with apprehension and suspicion. In reply
to an inquiry as to how any domiciled resi-
dent in the Philippines or in Alaska for
instance could prevented Lon
in the United States, Mr.. Livernash Incl
dentally stated that if there was an English
crown colony under the American flag ii
was Alaska There, he asserted, the rights
OF American citizens were invaded con-
tlnually and protests against such a con-
dition were of no avail.
Mr.. Livernash contended that the meas
ure under consideration was a restatement
or the living provisions of the existing law.
and he was opposed to the enactment of an
entrely new law. He insisted that no
risks ought to be taken by making changes
In the present law because of the great
mass of court decisions based upon exist
ing law While he was, he said, in favor
of the extension of the existing treaty be-
tween the United States and China, which
will expire in 1904 he regarded the effort to
limit the operation of the proposed exclu-
sion law TO the interval between the expira-
ton OF the existing law and a treaty as a
ruse OF the opponents of Chinese exclusion.
lie insisted that China could not complain
with propriety of the re-enactment of the
exclusion law, because she had not come
into the present proceedings with clean
hands. Among all nations of the earth
China was the treaty breaker of treaty
breakers. He urged that there was moth
Ing in the pending measure from which the
most delicate conscience could finch. In
conclusion Mr.. Livernash asserted that the
breaking down of the Chinese exclusion
law was urged particularly by the Canad-
ian Pacific Railroad and the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company. He strongly urged
the committee not to accept as disinter-
ested the eX parte statements of these cor
porations. which, he said, were financially
interested in the immigration of Chinese.
Samuel Gompers, president of the Amer
lean Federation Of Labor, in a brief state
ment TO the committee, said that the labor
interests OF the country did not insist upon
any action by Congress which in any way
would reflect on the honor. good name or
dignity of the United States. Herman Gut
stadt, one of the representatives Of the Pa
cifc coast anti-Chinese committee, said
that the Chinese did come into competition
with the American skilled labor nOtwith-
standing the popular impression TO the con-
trary. In cigar-making, in shoemaking and
in the manufacture of ladies' furnishing
goods the Chinese had undermined white
labor.
The committee adjourned until 1890 a. m.
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