CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



169 



wants to exclude from naturalization the in- 

 genious, the laborious, the patient, and the 

 intelligent Asiatic from China or Japan. If 

 the Hottentot is fit to he a naturalized citizen 

 of this country, is not the intelligent China- 

 man or Japanese ? Sir, if we believe in human 

 rights, in equality, why attempt to make this 

 distinction? That is the only object, I sup- 

 pose, which the Senator from California had 

 in his amendment, although it goes further 

 and makes a distinction against every unnatu- 

 ralized person, though of the Caucasian race 

 and from Europe." 



The Presiding Officer: "The question is on 

 the amendment to the amendment." 



The question being taken, resulted as fol- 

 lows : 



YEAS Messrs. Boreman, Caldwell, Cole, Corbett, 

 Cragin, Flanagan, Frelinghuysen, Gilbert, Morton, 

 Nye, Scott, Sherman, Spencer, West, and Wilson 



NAYS Messrs. Ames, Anthony, Blair, Brownlow, 

 Carpenter, Clayton, Davis of West Virginia, Fenton, 

 Ferry of Connecticut, Goldthwaite, Hamlin, Hill, 

 Hitchcock, Johnston, Kelly, Logan, Morrill of Ver- 

 mont, Norwood, Osborn, Patterson, Kamsey, Eice, 

 Eobertson, Saulsbury, Sawyer, Schurz, Stevenson, 

 Stockton, Sumner, Thurman, Tipton, Trumbull, 

 Vickers, and Wright 34. 



ABSENT Messrs-. Alcorn, Bayard, Buckingham, 

 Cameron, Casserly, Chandler, Conkling, Cooper, 

 Davis of Kentucky, Edmunds, Ferry of Michigan, 

 Hamilton of Maryland, Hamilton of Texas, Harlan, 

 Howe, Kellogg, Lewis, Morrill of Maine, Pomeroy, 

 Pool, Pratt, Sprague, Stewart, and Windom 24. 



So the amendment to the amendment was 

 rejected. 



Mr. Cole: "I now offer a new proviso to 

 that section, upon which I call for the yeas 

 and nays:" 



Provided, That this section shall not be construed 

 to alter or affect the laws of the United States con- 

 cerning naturalization. 



The question being taken by yeas and nays, 

 resulted yeas 15, nays 34. 



So the amendment to the amendment was 

 rejected. 



Mr. Corbett: "I now move to amend the 

 amendment of the Senator from Massachusetts 

 by adding to the fifth section the following 

 proviso : " 



Provided, That this section shall not be held to 

 authorize the naturalization of Chinese. 



Mr. Stevenson, of Kentucky, said: "Mr. 

 President, I have voted against every amend- 

 ment but one to this bill, because I thought 

 they tended to embarrass the great subject of 

 amnesty, the success of which I have had so 

 much at heart. I have been greatly surprised 

 at the votes of certain Senators upon this floor 

 upon the various amendments by which it has 

 been sought to defeat the removal of political 

 disabilities. It does seem to me that their 

 speeches are not in accord with their votes. 



"But I utterly deny the constitutionality of 

 the civil rights bill, or this proposed amend- 

 ment of the Senator from Massachusetts. The 

 Supreme Court of the United States will soon 



decide upon the validity of the first, and I can 

 but hope that the latter will never become a 

 law. If Congress proposes to strike down 

 every vestige of local self-government which 

 the Constitution guarantees the States, then it 

 had better at once proclaim its absolute cen- 

 tralism. If a right is exercised by Congress, 

 as proposed by this bill, to dictate to the peo- 

 ple of the States the qualification of judges 

 and jurors in State courts; nay, more, that 

 the Federal Government shall, through United 

 States courts, coerce social equality between 

 the races in public schools, in hotels, in thea- 

 tres, in railways, and other modes of public 

 conveyance, then all local self-government is 

 at an end, and the people of the several States 

 are the mere slaves of the Federal Govern- 

 ment. If this amendment prevail, I should 

 be glad to know what right of the States is 

 left." 



The question being taken resulted yeas 13, 

 nays 32. 



So the amendment to the amendment was 

 rejected. 



The Presiding Officer: "The question now 

 recurs on the amendment of the Senator from 

 Massachusetts." 



Mr. Robertson, of South Carolina, said: 

 "Mr. President, I hope this amendment will 

 not prevail. I think it is unwise for the hon- 

 orable Senator from Massachusetts to attempt 

 to attach his amendment to this bill which 

 requires a two-thirds vote to become a law. 

 I have advocated the equal rights of all citi- 

 zens since the reconstruction acts have been 

 passed. In 1868 I did it at the expense of 

 every social tie I had in my State. I am still 

 ready and willing to vote for the Senator's 

 proposition as a separate measure, but not 

 to attach it to this bill. The Senator's propo- 

 sition cornes up first in the order of business 

 after we shall have disposed of this measure. 

 I have told him in person that I will stay 

 with him as long as any Senator on this floor 

 will stay to pass a measure giving equal rights 

 to all citizens of the United States." 



The Vice-President : "The question is on 

 the amendment of the Senator from Massa- 

 chusetts (Mr. Sumner), on which question the 

 yeas and nays have been ordered." 



The Chief Clerk announced the result of the 

 roll-call as follows : 



YEAS Messrs. Ames, Anthony, Brownlow, Cam- 

 eron, Chandler, Clayton, Conkling, Cragin, Fen- 

 ton, Ferry of Michigan, Frelinghuysen, Gilbert, 

 Hamlin, Harlan, Morrill of Vermont, Morton, 

 Osborn, Patterson, Pomeroy, Ramsey, Eice, Sher- 

 man, Spencer, Sumner, West, Wilson, Windom, and 

 Wright 28. 



NAYS Messrs. Blair, Boreman, Carpenter, Cole, 

 Corbett, Davis of West Virginia, Ferry of Connect- 

 icut, Goldthwaite.Hamilton of Texas,^ Hill, Hitch- 

 cock, Johnston, Kelly, Logan, Morrill of Maine, 

 Norwood, Pool, Eobertson, Saulsbury, Sawyer, 

 Schurz, Scott, Stevenson, Stockton, Thurman, Tip- 

 ton, Trumbull, and Vickers 28. 



ABSENT Messrs. Alcorn, Bayard, Buckingham, 

 Caldwell, Casserly, Cooper, Davis of Kentucky, Ed- 



