Colonel Ingersoll is against the Chinese Exclusion Act. He calls it “barbarous, contrary to the spirit and genius of American institutions”. He sustains his opinion by saying the US is an asylum for the oppressed nations and for all races.
Thomas Geary supports the Chinese Exclusion Act. He sustains it by saying that it was justified by the circumstances and that the treaty is in accordance with the treaties made between the US and China.
Colonel Ingersoll says that the US is losing the trade of China with this treaty, besides it goes against the US tradition of being an asylum for oppressed nations.
Colonel Ingersoll defends that China is an important trade partner and this is an interest for the US. On the contrary, Geary defends that the US needs to protect American labor from Chinese competition and because of that, the Act is excusable.