Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-05-25
FOSTER ANSWERS LABOR
W Union signal outleisss His A',l'ads-
Ills Immigration nili.

The Vermont Union signal the organ OF
organized labor in the state, recently 'eh,
plAined that Congressman y, J, Foster hAa
Ignored a request 10 answer certain gnes'
lions regarding matters In which union labor
men are interested In answer 10 lhls
charge Mr.. Poster says that there u not
word % truth In IL, He declares that he
has always replied promptly and fully 70
every ono who has written him, lie con
linuesi
with reference 10 the charge that ] am
eager 10 opsn the door 10 Chinese labofers'
beg leave 20 say that ! have been ehdeA'.
oring, through my hill which ] introduced
early In the session, 10 carry out the ideas
Of President Roosevelt as embodied In EMS
annual message 10 congress We are soi
opinion that certain changes IN the law
could make Il practically impossible for the
Chinese laborcrs 10 enter this country eA'
cent by being smuggled In, ON the other
hand, we want Chinese merchants and stu
dents admitted 20 this country without I'M
dorgong unnecessary indigniiies' We want
them TO help 10 make marke, for our
goods. Al this l. In the direct Interest Of
labor. II has been demonstrated that We
have been selling annually about $4,000
600 worth Of cotton goods In China for the
past year or two, that now almost no orders
are being received,
II received some resolutions and petitions
from cigarmakers 81 our state asking me 20
vote against the Philippine tariff bill,
could not conscieniiously comply, and ] did
not. Here, again. l was supporting Prcsi'
dent Rooseyelt's policy. We all Eel, that
there was no danger 10 any American inter
est
There Is growing sentiment that the
United States must conduct itself with
some consistency toward our dependencies.
We must treat the Philippines as We treat
Porto Rico and the Hawaiian islands. II
we cannot do this without injuring our In
dusiries, then we must get rid Of the Is
lands.
Congressman Fosters Chinese immigra.
ton bill prohibits the immigration Of Chi
ncse laborers and says that that term shall
be construed TO mean both skilled and
unskilled manual laborers, including Chi
nese employed in mining, fishing, huckster
ing. peddlng, laundering, or those engaged
In taking drying, or otherwise preserving
shell or other fish for home consumption or
expectation; IL protects laborers now legal
| ly living In the United States, and provides
that In any arrest hearing, or trial the
Chinese laborer accused OF Illegally coming
into the country shall be entitled TO all the
rights and privileges provided by the laws
and constitution, or enjoyed by the citizens
or subjects Of the most favored nation; II
gives the Chinese seeking entry the right OF
appeal from the immigration officials TO the
United States courts; and II affrms that all
Chinese persons not excluded under the act
shall enjoy for the protection OF their per-
sons and property all the rights Of travel
ers from the most favored nations, except
the right OF naturalization II also estab-
fishes the status Of the Chinese coming TO
this country with a defniieness which the
Chinese government has been very reason
able in desiring.
The outlook. in commenting on Mr.. Eos
ter's bill says:
UNLESS considerable public pressure Is
brought to bear upon individual congress.
men, there is too much danger that the ex.
celent Foster bill to regulate Chinese i'm.
migration will be defeated by the hostility
OF certain political influences Of the Pacific
coast, and by some Of the labor organiza.
tions. This bill clearly and, in our iudg.
ment, admirably draws a much.needed dis
tinction between the Chinese laborer and
the Chinese merchant, traveller. or student.
II is useless to talk about the revival Of
our trade with China or the education Of
Chinese as engineers, army and naval Off.
GERS, merchants, and statesmen in the
United States until the Foster bill or q sim.
liar one is passed.