The California state legislature elected the Republican Miller as one of the state's two Senators in 1881. He was an outspoken proponent of several bills to limit the influx and influence of Chinese immigrants. He expressed his sentiments during passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act:

"One complete man, the product of free institutions and high civilization, is worth more to the world than hundreds of barbarians. Upon what other theory can we justify the almost complete extermination of the Indians, the original possessor of all these States? I believe that one such man as Newton, or Franklin, or Lincoln, glorifies the creator of the world and benefits mankind more than all the Chinese who have lived, struggled and died on the banks of the Hoang Ho."
— 13 Cong. Rec. 1,487 (1882).

[–] dil@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

Upon what other theory can we justify the almost complete extermination of the Indians, the original possessor of all these States?

This is such an weird thing to say in his position.

It's definitely acknowledging that what happened was mega-fucked, or at least would be without proper justification.

But it's so wild to me to be open about your moral philosophy being based on cope.

My best guess would be that it was Very Bad to suggest that the folks who paved the way for their lives were anything but saints? There's a YouTube video (innuendo studios maybe?) that talks about conservatives viewing individual people as good or bad vs viewing actions as good or bad (which leads to e.g. "the only moral abortion is my abortion"). Under that lens, Good People do Good Things, and the people who genocided the native americans were Good People, therefore there must exist a reason that it was a Good Thing?

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