How we cite our quotes: (Section)
Quote #1
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. (Sec.1)
This is the very first line of the act. The important word there is "endangers." Any time you're using a danger word like that, it's going to provoke fear. The act is taking it as a given that Chinese laborers are a danger, and thus, fear is given to be a rational response.
Quote #2
That for the purpose of properly identifying Chinese laborers who were in the United States. (Sec.4)
This section details the papers that the Chinese are supposed to carry to identify themselves. If that sounds ominous, it should. This provision shows how frightened the lawmakers were about the Chinese, but you can also see the fear that must have existed in the Chinese immigrants. Many were extremely poor folks, and now they're expected to have certificates that are valuable enough to kill or die for.
Quote #3
That any person who shall knowingly and falsely alter or substitute any name for the name written in such certificate or forge any such certificate, or knowingly utter any forged or fraudulent certificate, or falsely personate any person named in any such certificate, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor; and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not exceeding $1,000, and imprisoned in a penitentiary for a term of not more than five years. (Sec.7)
This is a stiff penalty. The lawmakers realized that in the creation of the certificates identifying legal Chinese labor, they'd just created a black market for the things. You could grab an existing one and alter it, or you could forge one entirely. In 1882, $1000 was a lot of money. In 2013, that would have been nearly $22,000. If that doesn't sound like much, remember that anyone trading in these kinds of things weren't exactly rich to begin with. (Source)