Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-07-10
SENATOR
FULTON
SPEAKS
Leaves No Doubt as to His
PO itlOn on the Chinese
Labor Question

A Baker City dispatch Of July 4tl
says
Perfect weather and vast crowds Of
people greeted United States Senator
Fulton at the celebration of the Fourth
this morning. A grand parade with Z
cowboy brigade preceded the guest Of
honor to Rust g Grove. Mayor johns
was president Of the day. The remark
able feature Of Senator Fulton's ad
dress was his reference to the Chinese
question. He said:
"All history teaches us that no ma
tion will long endure after it has ceased
to respect and dignity labor. THE
downfall Of the Roman Republic and
the decline and fall of the empire that
followed it were due primarily to the
degradation of labor. 1t was the Ro
man custom to sell into slavery all
prisoners Of war. As result all aven.
ues Of labor were filed with slaves and
free laborers were crowded out OF
forced into association in employment
with slaves. The standard Of compen.
sation was fixed by the price Of the
slaves wage. As result the free la
borers were not only degraded in their
own and in popular estimation TO the
level Of the slaves, but they were large
ly deprived Of a market for their work
and were forced TO live in idleness
and reduced to penury and want. They
fiocked to the cities and became Of me-
cessity a marketable quantity at cleo
tions, thereby completing their own
degradation and contributing TO the
corruption and ultimate destruction of
the state.
"The laboring class is the founda-
tion of organized government, and in
proportion as it is prosperous. content
cd and happy, uneorrupted and incor-
ruptible government is sound and Sc.
cure. Whenever we shall place our
laboring people in direct competition
with lower class Of labor we produce
a condition the tendency of which will
be TO degrade our laboring people to
the level Of their competitors socially
and otherwise.
81 am, therefore, compelled TO dis
sent earnestly and emphatically from
what seems TO me to be a growing dis.
position in tho minds Of many TO mod
ify, IL not to remove the present re.
strictions provided by statute against
the immigration Of Chinese laborers.
Ip speaking thus, / have more partic-
ularly in mind the remarks recently
made in public address by Secretary
Taft; not so much that which he ac.
tually said as the spirit in which he
said II and the Interpretation widely
placed thereon by the Eastern press,
namely, that the condition Of the labor
market in our own country and the
necessity Of preserving credit relations
commercially with China justify, even
demand the admission annually of a
limited number Of Chinese laborers.
"To any such policy cannot give
adherence or support. We want the
trade of the Orient, and will gladly
support any just and reasonable policy
seemingly necessary TO secure ii or
fair portion Of il. We do not want
that trade, however, if we must pur-
chase it at the expense of the dignity,
the quality or the prosperity of our own
people 1 am willing to go to
The limit Of liberality in facilitating
The admission Of the strictly CONNER
sial and student class Of the Chinese,
but the line must be strictly drawn
md maintained against the admission
If every inferior laboring class.'