feeling on the Pacific coast made it necessary in 1876 for both great parties to insert anti Chinese planks • in their platforms. A bill to restrict Chinese immigration was passed in 1879, but was vetoed by President Hayes be cause it violated the Treaty of 1868. In 1880 a new treaty was negotiated with China, under which the United States was to regulate, but not to prohibit absolutely the entrance of Chi nese. The limitation was to apply to Chinese laborers only. An act of 1882 suspended the immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. This act was amended in 1888 to prohibit the return of Chinamen once here who went back to China. A treaty pending with China at this time was denied ratification by the latter be cause of the amendment. In 1892 the Act of 1882 expired and a new law was passed con tinuing the exclusion for a further period of 10 years.In 1902 an act was passed con tinuing existing legislation until further en actment should be made and extending the exclusion laws to the island possessions and forbidding the migration to the mainland or to other island groups of Chinese domiciled in one group. See CHINESE IMMIGRATION.
Railroad and Commerce • Regulation.— It was during President Cleveland's first ad ministration, 1887, that the first great measure looking to the regulation of railroad and com mercial interests was passed — the Interstate Commerce Act (see COMMERCE, INTERSTATE) ; this was amended in 1893 by the Elkins Act, which omitted the penalty of imprisonment. The original act was amended in a drastic way in 1910, the Elkins Act being left in force. The amendment is known as the Mann-Elkins Amendment to the Act to Regulate Commerce. It contains 24 sections, which specify the com panies and organizations subject to the Act, and forbidding discrimination, rebates and preferences of all kinds. For a summary of HS provisions see RAILWAYS—GOVERNMENT REGULATION or. An Interstate Commerce Court was established in 1910 to hear appeals from decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission. See INTERSTATE COMMERCE COM MISSION; UNITED STATES COMMERCE COURT; TRUSTS.
Formation of Other Parties.— It was at about this time, which seems to have been one of great political initiative, that (1888) two new Labor parties appeared, Union Labor and United Labor; and in the next presidential elec tion (1892) the Socialist Labor party and People's party or were born. The Populists demanded the free and unlimited coinage of silver; national ownership of all public means of communication and trans portation; a graduated income tax; popular election of United States Senators; and, it is interesting to note, the adoption of the initia tive and referendum (q.v.). Many of these
measures have since been brought into promi nence by the Socialists or have been adopted into the platforms of one or both of the greater parties. The Populists were also pioneers in denouncing the imperialistic policy of the gov ernment in 1900. In 1892 they polled over a mil lion votes and in the two following elections fused with the Democrats (See IMPERIAL ISM). To indicate still further the political restlessness of this period we may recall the fact in 1896 there were seven parties in the field• and, in 1900, eight. The Socialists had now divided, or increased, into two parties, of which the new one was to prove the strong er. In the election of 1900 it polled nearly three times as many votes as the Socialist Labor party; by 1908 it had 30 times as many votes. In 1912 it was again 30 times greater than the older party, but in 1916 it received almost 50 times as many votes, although it polled only 59 per cent of its 1912 vote and the Socialist Labor party only 32 per cent.
The This question was brought to the front during Arthur's administration in 1882. The clamor against the exorbitant rates had been so vociferous that the President ap pointed a commission to report on conditions. The commission, manifestly partisan in its per sonnel, was expected to (stand pat' and report against lowering the tariff ; but they astounded the country by recommending a 20 per cent re duction through the entire list. Congress, however, calmly ordered an increase of 10 per cent and there the subject rested, if the country didn't, until the famous °Tariff Message') of President Cleveland in 1887. The burden of this message was that the existing tariff was the cause of burdensome taxation which could be relieved only by a reduction of the duties on raw materials, especially wool. ' The resulting Mills Bill failed to pass the Republican Senate but, in 1890, under Presi dent Harrison, the McKinley Act was passed which raised, instead of lowered, the duties on most articles. In 1894, under President Cleveland's second administration, the Wilson Bill became law, its principal feature being free admission of wool. In 1897, under Presi dent McKinley, came the Dingley Act; the duty was again imposed on wool and other rates were advanced. In 1909, under President Taft, the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act was passed with no general lowering of the tariff wall. A tariff board was created not only to secure in formation on the maximum and minimum pro visions of successive tariff bills .but upon the relative costs of production at home and abroad.