HAYES, Rutherford B. (1822-1893). Message to the House of Representatives, Vetoing the Bill entitled “An Act to Restrict the Immigration of Chinese to the United States.” March 1, 1879. [Washington, 1879].

8vo. (Ink on inscription slightly bled.) Modern cloth-backed boards, with original printed wrappers bound in; slipcase.

INSCRIBED BY RUTHERFORD B. HAYES at head of front wrapper in purple ink: “With Compliments / RB Hayes.”

In 1879, advocates of immigration restriction succeeded in introducing and passing legislation in Congress to limit the number of Chinese arriving to fifteen per ship or vessel. Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes vetoed the bill because it violated U.S. treaty agreements with China. Nevertheless, it was still an important victory for advocates of exclusion. Democrats, led by supporters in the West, advocated for all-out exclusion of Chinese immigrants. Although Republicans were largely sympathetic to western concerns, they were committed to a platform of free immigration. In order to placate the western states without offending China, President Hayes sought a revision of the Burlingame-Seward Treaty in which China agreed to limit immigration to the United States. In 1880, the Hayes Administration appointed U.S. diplomat James G. Angell to negotiate a new treaty with China. The resulting Angell Treaty permitted the United States to restrict, but not completely prohibit, Chinese immigration. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which, per the terms of the Angell Treaty, suspended the immigration of Chinese laborers (skilled or unskilled) for a period of 10 years. The Act also required every Chinese person traveling in or out of the country to carry a certificate identifying his or her status as a laborer, scholar, diplomat, or merchant. The 1882 Act was the first in American history to place broad restrictions on immigration.

Property from the Patrick Atkinson Collection, Minneapolis, Minnesota

HAYES, Rutherford B. (1822-1893). Message to the House of Representatives, Vetoing the Bill entitled “An Act to Restrict the Immigration of Chinese to the United States.” March 1, 1879. [Washington, 1879].