The experiment of blending the social habits and mutual race
idiosyncrasies of the Chinese laboring classes with those of the great
body of the people of the United States has been proved by the
experience of twenty years, and ever since the Burlingame treaty of
1868, to be in every sense unwise, impolitic, and injurious to both
nations. With the lapse of time the necessity for its abandonment has
grown in force, until those having in charge the Government of the
respective countries have resolved to modify and sufficiently abrogate
all those features of prior Conventional arrangements which permitted
the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States.
In modification of prior conventions the treaty of November 17, 1880,
was concluded, whereby, in the first article thereof, it was agreed that
the United States should at will regulate, limit, or suspend the coming
of Chinese laborers to the United States, but not absolutely prohibit
it; and under this article an act of Congress, approved on May 6, 1882
(see 22 U.S. Statutes at Large, p. 58), and amended July 5, 1884 (23
U.S. Statutes at Large, p. 115), suspended for ten years the coming of
Chinese laborers to the United States, and regulated the going and
coming of such Chinese laborers as were at that time in the United
States.
It was, however, soon made evident that the mercenary greed of the
parties who were trading in the labor of this class of the Chinese
population was proving too strong for the just execution of the law, and
that the virtual defeat of the object and intent of both law and treaty
was being fraudulently accomplished by false pretense and perjury,
contrary to the expressed will of both Governments.
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