196 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



the high stand-point the Senator has been talk- 

 ing about here to-night at all, but it is simply 

 a question of expediency, a question of policy. 

 It seerns to me there has been a sad confusion 

 of ideas all through this discussion, and that 

 the true point has been obscured by things 

 which have no application to it at all." 



Mr. Sumner: "Mr. President, that is a very 

 sad confusion of ideas that shall be willing to 

 recognize a difference between the statutes of 

 this land and the Constitution of the United 

 States and the Declaration of Independence. 

 I insist upon their harmony. I strive to bring 

 them into concord. Senators seek to make 

 discord, and then say that there is a confusion 

 of ideas. Surely there is a confusion of ideas 

 when any Senator is willing to recognize the 

 word ' white ' in a statute." 



Mr. Morton : " Will the Senator allow me 

 one more question ? " 



Mr. Sumner: "Certainly." 



Mr. Morton : " The Senator admitted to-day, 

 expressly, that under the Constitution of tlie 

 United States we had a perfect right to ex- 

 clude Chinamen and everybody else ; and with 

 that admission, and now with the admission 

 that Chinamen have no natural or moral right 

 to demand naturalization, .why does he talk 

 about a conflict between the statutes and the 

 Constitution ? Is it not a confusion of terms ? " 



Mr. Sumner : " I beg to say no ; it is not a 

 confusion of terms. The confusion is in that 

 idea which would keep up discord. I wish 

 concord concord between the statutes of the 

 land and the Declaration of Independence." 



Mr. Howe, of Wisconsin, said : " I move to 

 amend the amendment by adding the following 

 proviso: 



Provided, That nothing in this or any other act of 

 Congress shall be so construed as to authorize the 

 naturalization of any person born in a pagan coun- 

 try, unless with his oath of allegiance_ the applicant 

 shall take and file an oath abjuring his belief in all 

 forms of paganism." 



The amendment to the amendment was re- 

 jected. 



The President pro tempore : " The question 

 recurs on the amendment of the Senator from 

 Massachusetts." 



The question being taken, resulted as fol- 

 lows: 



YEAS Messrs. Fenton, Fowler, Harris, Howe, Mc- 

 Donald, Morrill of Vermont, Pomeroy, Bice.Bob- 

 ertson, Eoss, Spencer, Sprague, Sumner, and Trum- 

 bull 14. 



NATS Messrs. Bayard, Boreman, Chandler, Conk- 

 ling, Corbett, Cragin. Davis, Drake. Edmunds, Gil- 

 bert, Hamilton of Maryland, Hamlin, Harlan, Mc- 

 Creery, Morton, Nye, Osborn, Eamsey, Saulsbury, 

 Scott, Stewart, Stockton, Thayer, Thurman, Tipton, 

 Vickers, Warner, Willey, "Williams, and Wilson 30. 



ABSENT Messrs. Abbott, Ames, Anthony, Brown- 

 low, Buckingham, Cameron, Carpenter, Casserly, 

 Cattell, Cole, Ferry, Flanagan, Hamilton of Texas, 

 Howard, Howell, Johnston, Kellogg, Lewis, Morrill 

 of Maine, Norton, Patterson, Pool, Pratt, Bevels, 

 Sawyer, Schurz, Sherman, and Yates 28. 



So the amendment was rejected. 



Mr. Warner, of Alabama, said: "Now, I 



presume there is but little objection to extend- 

 ing the naturalization laws to the alien Afri- 

 cans within this country. I offer an amend- 

 ment to that effect : 



And le it further enacted, That the naturalization 

 laws are hereby extended to aliens of African nativ- 

 ity and to persons of African descent. 



The question being taken, resulted as fol- 

 lows: 



YEAS Messrs. Chandler, Drake, Gilbert, Harris, 

 Kellogg, McDonald, Morton, Osborn, Pomeroy, Eice, 

 Eobert'son ? Eoss, Scott, Spencer, Sprague, Sumner, 

 Thayer, Tipton, Trumbull, "Warner, and Willey 21. 



NATS Messrs. Bayard, Boreman, Conkling, Cor- 

 bett, Cragin, Davis, Edmunds, Hamilton of Mary- 

 land, Hamlin, Howe, McCreery, Nye, Eamsey, Sauls- 

 bury, Stewart. Stockton, Thurman, Vickers, Wil- 

 liams, and Wilson 20. 



ABSENT-^-Messrs. Abbott, Ames, Anthony, Brown- 

 low, Buckingham, Cameron, Carpenter, Casserly, 

 Cattell. Cole, Fenton, Ferry, I lanagan, Fowler, Ham- 

 ilton or Texas, Harlan, Howard, Howell, Johnston, 

 Lewis, Morrill of Maine, Morrill of Vermont, Norton, 

 Patterson, Pool, Pratt, Bevels, Sawyer, Schurz, Sher- 

 man, and Yates 31. 



So the amendment was agreed to. 



The bill was reported to the Senate as 

 amended. 



The President pro tempore : ''The question 

 is on concurring in the amendment made as in 

 Committee of the Whole." 



The amendment was concurred in. 



Mr. Sumner: "I renew my proposition to 

 strike out the word ' white.' " 



The President pro tempore: "It has not 

 been offered in the Senate, but it was offered 

 in Committee of the Whole. The amendment 

 will be read." 



The Chief Clerk read the amendment, as 

 fol}ows : 



And be it further enacted, That all acts of Congress 

 relating to naturalization be, and the same are hereby, 

 amended by striking out the word "white " wherever 

 it occurs ; so that in naturalization there shall be no 

 distinction of race or color. 



The question being taken resulted yeas 12, 

 nays 26, as follows : 



YEAS Messrs. Fenton, Fowler, Howe, McDonald, 

 Morrill of Vermont, Osborn. Pomeroy, Eice, Eob- 

 ertson, Sprague, Sumner, and Trumbull 12. 



NATS Messrs. Bayard, Boreman, Chandler, Conk- 

 ling, Corbett, Cragin, Drake, Hamilton of Maryland, 

 Hamlin, Harlan, .McCreery, Morton, Nye, Eamsay, 

 Saulsbury, Scottj Stewart, Stockton^ Thayer, Thur- 

 man, Tipton, Vickers, Warner, Willey, Williams, 

 and Wilson 26. 



ABSENT Messrs. Abbott, Ames, Anthony, Brown- 

 low, Buckingham, Cameron, Carpenter, Casserly, 

 Cattell, Cole ? Davis, Edmunds ; Ferry, Flanagan, 

 Gilbert, Hamilton of Texas. Hams, Howard, Howell, 

 Johnston, Kellogrg, Lewis, Morrill of Maine, Norton, 

 Patterson, Pool, Pratt, Eevels, Eoss, Sawyer, Schurz, 

 Sherman, Spencer, and Yates 34. 



So the amendment was rejected. 



Mr. Trumbull: "I move to amend the 

 amendment that was adopted on the motion 

 of the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Warner) by 

 adding the words ' or persons born in the 

 Chinese empire ; ' so as to make it read : 



That the naturalization laws are hereby extended 

 to aliens of African nativity, and to persons of Afri- 



