EVER since Congress passed the Chinese Restriction Act, the
Christian Statesman has been in great tribulation, because of the
great wrong committed by the nation in that piece of legislation. Now
in this article we propose no discussion of the righteousness or
unrighteousness of that act of Congress, or whether it was just or
unjust in itself. Our controversy is with the Christian Statesman, on its
own published propositions, all of which are editorial utterances, and
therefore stand as authoritative principles of National Reform.
By act of Congress the importation, or emigration, of Chinese
laborers was prohibited for a period of ten years. This act the
Christian Statesman denounced at the time. In its issue of Sept. 25,
1884, among "the gravest of moral evils, evils which threaten the very
life of the nation," "injustice to the Chinese" is named. In its issue of
Oct. 23, 1884, it says that "the un-christian Chinese policy of the two
great parties is part of the indictment which the better conscience of
the country is charging upon them." Again, in its issue of Oct. 2, 1884,
we read:–
"The two leading political parties have vied with each other in
displaying their readiness to exclude the Chinamen from our
shores, and have declared for the policy of exclusion, in their
respective platforms. This policy, on the other hand, is felt by large
numbers of Christian men to be in violation of the natural rights of
men, as well as contrary to the spirit and teachings of the religion of
Jesus, and increases the dissatisfaction with which, on other
grounds, these parties and their platforms are regarded."
But what do the Statesman and the National Reform Party
propose instead of this? We read:–
"We may not shut the door in the face of any one who wishes to
come and dwell with us. No nation has the right to do this, even for
the preservation of religious character." "Make all men welcome to
our shores, but give all men to understand that this is a Christian
nation; and that believing that without Christianity we perish, we
must maintain by all right means our Christian character. Inscribe
this character on our Constitution. . . Enforce upon all that come
among us the laws of Christian morality."
Let us analyze this position and see wherein it differs from the
position of the political parties which it condemns. By the term "laws
of Christian morality," the Statesman means the ten commandments.
With this definition then it says, "Enforce upon all that comes among
us the ten commandments." Now "enforce," according to Webster,
means "to force; to constrain; to compel; to execute with vigor."
Therefore the Statesman says: "Force, compel, all that come among
us to keep the ten commandments." "Execute with vigor the ten
commandments upon all that come among us." But the second
commandment forbids men to make, to bow down to, or to serve,
