copiously debated. There
seemed to be a general concurrence that such immigration was not
desirable, and that Chinese coolies should be absolutely excluded.
A treaty was negotiated providing for such exclusion, but, as there
was a long dely by the Chinese government in ratifying it, and the
coolies still continued to come, bills were introduced in Congress
prohibiting, under severe penalties, the immigration of all Chinese
laborers. Before the bill became a law the treaty was ratified.
Now, both by treaty and by law, such immigrants are excluded, but
in spite of law and treaty they still come in lessening numbers,
and it does not appear how they can be entirely excluded. I have
been in favor of the exclusion of Chinese laborers when practically
they are slaves, but have sought to moderate the legislation
proposed, so as not to disturb our friendly relations with China,
or to exclude educated Chinamen engaged in commercial pursuits.

On the 18th of April I made a speech on a bill for the admission
of Dakota, as a state, into the Union. That territory had more
than the usual population of a new state, but its admission had
been postponed, year after year, by the action of the Democratic
party. This speech led to a long debate between Mr. Vest and myself
on the election in Louisiana in 1876. It is not an unusual occurrence
to change the subject of discussion in the Senate where debate is
unlimited. I made a long review of the events in Louisiana, mainly
in reply to a question put by Mr. Vest as follows:

"I have never understood, and the people of this country have never
been able to understand, why Packard was not elected governor with
a larger number of votes than Hayes received for President. But
Packard was thrown out and sent as consul to Liverpool, and Hayes
was sworn in as President of the United States."

To this I replied that the returning board was invested with the
power to pass upon the election of electors and they did perform
that duty, but the question of the election of a governor and a
legislature of Louisiana could only be passed upon by the legislature
itself, each house being the judge of its own elections, and the
two houses, when organized, had the sole and exclusive power to
pass upon the election of a governor. This condition of affairs
led to a controversy which endangered the public peace and involved
the use of United States troops to prevent civil war. President
Hayes thereupon ha