Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
The questions arising in connection with Chinese immigration stand by
themselves. The conditions in China are such that the entire Chinese
coolie class, that is, the class of Chinese laborers, skilled and
unskilled, legitimately come under the head of undesirable immigrants
to this country, because of their numbers, the low wages for which they
work, and their low standard of living. Not only is it to the interest
of this country to keep them out, but the Chinese authorities do not
desire that they should be admitted. At present their entrance is
prohibited by laws amply adequate to accomplish this purpose. These
laws have been, are being, and will be, thoroughly enforced. The
violations of them are so few in number as to be infinitesimal and can
be entirely disregarded. This is no serious proposal to alter the
immigration law as regards the Chinese laborer, skilled or unskilled,
and there is no excuse for any man feeling or affecting to feel the
slightest alarm on the subject.
But in the effort to carry out the policy of excluding Chinese
laborers, Chinese coolies, grave injustice and wrong have been done by
this Nation to the people of China, and therefore ultimately to this
Nation itself. Chinese students, business and professional men of all
kinds--not only merchants, but bankers, doctors, manufacturers,
professors, travelers, and the like--should be encouraged to come here,
and treated on precisely the same footing that we treat students,
business men, travelers, and the like of other nations. Our laws and
treaties should be framed, not so as to put these people in the
excepted classes, but to state that we will admit all Chinese, except
Chinese of the coolie class, Chinese skilled or unskilled laborers.
There would not be the least danger that any such provision would
result in any relaxation of the law about laborers. These will, under
all conditions, be kept out absolutely. But it will be more easy to see
that both justice and courtesy are shown, as they ought to be shown, to
other Chinese, if the law or treaty is framed as above suggested.
Examinations should be completed at the port of departure from China.
For this purpose there should be provided a more adequate Consular
Service in China than we now have. The appropriations both for the
offices of the Consuls and for the office forces in the consulates
should be increased.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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