The rule of cloture operates in this way. When the debate has continued for some time and any member believes that the majority have heard enough, he introduces a motion that "The question be now put;" and if this is passed, all debate is stopped, and the presiding officer must immediately call for a vote on the question which has been under debate. What has been called "Senatorial courtesy" has heretofore prevented the passage of a rule of cloture in the Senate, but Mr. Mason thinks that the transaction of public business is of more importance than any exaggerated courtesy among the Senators. * * * * * We spoke last week about the invasion of Hawaii by the Japanese. It seems that the immigrants, turned back from Honolulu, have made up their minds to go to California; and it is said that they are trying to reach San Francisco by way of British Columbia. It is doubtful if they will be any more welcome here than they were in Hawaii, and it is probable that means will be found to prevent them from landing, if they come in large numbers. We did this with the Chinese, and there is little doubt that we will do the same with the Japanese, if they begin to trouble us. There is at this moment a little trouble about the Chinese, and that you may understand it fully, we will go over the whole matter. In the early days of emigration to California, those days when the wonderful discoveries of gold were attracting adventurous spirits, the Chinese were among the first to go there. At first they were welcomed and kindly treated, but after a while it was found that Chinamen would work for less wages than white men, and therefore obtained employment when the white men were left in idleness. From this the pioneers came to distrust John Chinaman, and then to dislike him. In 1877 there was a serious anti-Chinese riot in California, and five Chinamen were killed by the mob. The rioting and the feeling against the Chinese became so serious that California at last asked Congress to interfere. The result of this trouble was that a Chinese Embassy was established here for the protection of the Chinamen, and our Government took steps to prevent their coming into this country in such numbers. In 1882 the question came up again, and a bill was passed by Congress, forbidding Chinamen to enter this country for twenty years. President Arthur vetoed this bill, on the ground that it did not agree with our treaty with China. A new bill was then passed, stopping immigration for ten years, and this Mr. Arthur signed. By this bill it became a crime, for which people could be imprisoned, to bring a Chinaman into the country. In 1892, when the ten years covered by the bill had passed, a fresh bill called "The Chinese Exclusion Bill" was put through Congress, and made a law.