lowed him into the barber-shop and commenced to entreat and earnestly to request that Mulligan would give up those letters which BLAINÉ had addressed to Warren Fisher. Mulligan declined to do it. Mr. FRYE. The letters were not read in any barber-shop. ... It was in his room, I believe; but he made this entreaty. The witness said, "with tears in his eyes, almost, if not quite, on his knees; "if you do not deliver those letters to me, I am ruined and my family disgraced.'"... Mr. BLAINE said: Mr. BLAINE said: "Would you like a political office?" Mulligan replied he did not like politics, and did not care about it. Mr. BLAINE then asked how he would like a foreign consulship? He said he would not like it; and after that BLAINE said: "Let me see the letters to peruse them." The witness objected, but he said finally, upon a pledge of honor from Mr. BLAINE that he would return the letters, they were given him to read. He read them. over once or twice, and returned them to the witness. . . In a short time Mr. BLAINE followed him into his room, and this scene occurred between the parties without any witnesses: Mr. BLAINE again endeavored to get possession of the letters... The witness says that Mr. BLAINE said: "I want to reread those letters again, and I want to have them for that purpose." ...and the witness said that on a like pledge of honor to return them to him he delivered these letters over a second time to Mr. BLAINE to read and return them; and when Mr. BLAINE had read them and kept them a short time he refused to deliver them. The witness became excited, demanded his letters, and followed Mr. BLAINE into the room of Mr. Atkins on the floor below, and there demanded his letters from Mr. BLAINE; and he not only demanded his letters, but he demanded the private memorandum which the witness himself had made to use on his examination before the committee to refresh his memory. This was taken by Mr. BLAINE, and this also he refused to deliver... 202. THE BLAND-ALLISON ACT The following act, passed February 28, 1878, represented a compromise with the advocates of the restoration of the silver dollar under the free coinage of silver. The free coinage of all silver brought to the mint was avoided, by this act authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase silver bullion monthly to be coined into silver dollars. President Hayes vetoed the bill but it was passed over his veto. Statutes at Large of the United States, Vol. 20, p. 25. BE it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be coined, at the several mints of the United States, silver dollars of the weight of four hundred and twelve and a half grains Troy of standard silver, as provided in the act of January eighteenth, eighteen hundred thirtyseven, on which shall be the devices and superscriptions provided by said act; which coins together with all silver dollars heretofore coined by the United States, of like weight and fineness, shall be a legal tender, at their nominal value, for all debts and dues public and private, except where otherwise expressly stipulated in the contract. And the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to purchase, from time to time, silver bullion, at the market price thereof, not less than two million dollars worth per month, nor more than four million dollars worth per month, and cause the same to be coined monthly, as fast as so purchased, into such dollars; . . Provided, That the amount of money at any one time invested in such silver bullion, exclusive of such resulting coin, shall not exceed five million dollars: And provided further, That nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize the payment. in silver of certificates of deposit issued under the provisions of section two hundred and fifty-four of the Revised Statutes... 203. THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT Inspired by labor agitation against the competition of Chinese labor, Congress, in 1879, had passed a Chinese Exclusion Bill which was vetoed by President Hayes as a violation of our treaty with China. A modification of the Chinese Treaty was negotiated in 1880; under it an exclusion act passed Congress only to be vetoed by President Arthur, April 4, 1882. A new act meeting his objections was passed and received his assent May 6, 1882. Statutes at Large of the United States, Vol. 22, part 1, pp. 58–61. May 6, 1882. CHAP. 126. An act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese. WHEREAS, in the opinion of the Government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof: Therefore, Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration of said ninety days, to remain within the United States. SEC. 2. That the master of any vessel who shall knowingly bring within the United States on such vessel, and land or permit to be landed, any Chinese laborer, from any foreign port or place, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars for each and every such Chinese laborer so brought, and may be also imprisoned for a term not exceeding one year. SEC. 3. That the two foregoing sections shall not apply to Chinese laborers who were in the United States on the seventeenth day of November, eighteen hundred and eighty, or who shall have come into the same before the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and who shall produce to such master before going on board such vessel, and shall produce to the collector of the port in the United States at which such vessel shall arrive, the evidence hereinafter in this act required of his being one of the laborers in this section mentioned; nor shall the two foregoing sections apply to the case of any master whose vessel, being bound to a port not within the United States, shall come within the jurisdiction of the United States by reason of being in distress or in stress of weather, or touching at any port of the United States on its voyage to any foreign port or place: Provided, That all Chinese laborers brought on such vessel shall depart with the vessel on leaving port. SEC. 4. That for the purpose of properly identifying Chinese laborers who were in the United States on the seventeenth day of November, eighteen hundred and eighty, or who shall have come into the same before the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and in order to furnish them with the proper evidence of their right to go from and come to the United States of their free will and accord, as provided by the treaty between the United States and China dated November seventeenth, eighteen hundred and eighty, the collector of customs of the district from which any such Chinese laborer shall depart from the United States shall, in person or by deputy, go on board each vessel having on board any such Chinese laborer and cleared or about to sail from his district for a foreign port, and on such vessel make a list of all such Chinese laborers, which shall be entered in registry-books to be kept for that purpose, in which shall be stated the name, age, occupation, last place of residence, physical marks or peculiarities, and all facts necessary for the identification of each of such Chinese laborers, which books shall be safely kept in the customhouse; and every such Chinese laborer so departing from the United States shall be entitled to, and shall receive, free of any charge or cost upon application there for, from the collector or his deputy, at the time such list is taken, a certificate, signed by the collector or his deputy and attested by his seal of office, in such form as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, which certificate shall contain a statement of the name, age, occupation, last place of residence, personal description, and facts of identification of the Chinese laborer to whom the certificate is issued, corresponding with the said list and registry in all particulars... SEC. 6. That in order to the faithful execution of articles one and two of the treaty in this act before mentioned, every Chinese person other than a laborer who may be entitled by said treaty and this act to come within the United States, and who shall be about to come to the United States, shall be identified as so entitled by the Chinese Government in each case, such identity to be evidenced by a certificate issued under the authority of said government, which certificate shall be in the English language or (if not in the English language) accompanied by a translation into English, stating such right to come, and which certificate shall state the name, title, or official rank, if any, the age, height, and all physical peculiarities, former and present occupation or profession, and place of residence in China of the person to whom the certificate is issued and that such person is entitled conformably to the treaty in this act mentioned to come within the United States. Such certificate shall be prima-facie evidence of the fact set forth therein, and shall be produced to the collector of customs, or his deputy, of the port in the district of the United States at which the person named therein shall arrive. SEC. 12. That no Chinese person shall be permitted to enter the United States by land without producing to the proper officer of customs the certificate in this act required of Chinese persons seeking to land from a vessel. And any Chinese person found unlawfully within the United States shall be caused to be removed there from to the country from whence he came, by direction of the President of the United States, and at the cost of the United States, after being brought before some justice, judge, or commissioner of a court of the United States and found to be one not lawfully entitled to be or remain in the United States. SEC. 13. That this act shall not apply to diplomatic and other officers of the Chinese Government traveling upon the business of that government, whose credentials shall be taken as equivalent to the certificate in this act mentioned, and shall exempt them and their body and household servants from the provisions of this act as to other Chinese persons. SEC. 14. That hereafter no State court or court of the United States shall admit Chinese to citizenship; and all laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed. SEC. 15. That the words "Chinese laborers", whenever used in this act, shall be construed to mean both skilled and unskilled laborers and Chinese employed in mining. Approved, May 6, 1882. 204. THE PENDLETON ACT Approved January 16, 1883, it marks the definite adoption of the civil service principle in the Federal government. Statutes at Large of the United States, Vol. 22, part 2, pp. 403407. BE it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is authorized to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, three persons, not more than two of whom shall be adherents of the same party, as Civil Service Commissioners, and said three commissioners shall constitute the United States Civil Service Commission... SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty of said commissioners: FIRST. To aid the President, as he may request, in preparing suitable rules for carrying this act into effect,.. |