, 1891-07-28
NOW II IS HE JAPs.
California said to BE Threatened with n
Flood of Cheap Lsbor from Japan.

California Said to BE Threatened with n
Flood of Cheap labor from Japan.
There are over 5000 japanese in San
Francisco at the present time, and prob
ably there are 5000 more scattered
through the state. In five years, at the
rate at which the japanese are arriving,
there will be about 10000 japanese in
California
THE japanese question is going to be
the great problem of the future, said
Lyman |. Mowry the other day. 1T
will be n far harder problem to solve
than the Chinese question. To regulate
the latter there are special laws, but in
the case of the former the immigration
is unrestricted. Some people say that
the japanese is the more desirable Of
the two classes of people; that the Jap
anese assimilates and adopts our habits
and customs. While that may be the case,
the Chinese has the more intelligence
and makes a far superior servant If
wa must nave cheap labor, to the exclu-
sion of Americans, the Chinese laborer
is more desirable than the japanese.
1.-THE Chinese are going home all the
time and very few are returning. There
are, therefore, none for hire in the vine
yards and orchards of the state. The big
vineyardists and orchardists must have
cheap labor, and japanese are coming in
to fill the bill. 1t is these 4, 900 and 5000
acre fruit farms that bring the cheap
labor to the exclusion of the American.
If these large ranches were cut up into
small holdings and farmed by American
citizens then the labor question would
be solved, because each settler would be
able to farm his own plot. 1t is these
holders of large tracts OF land that have
overrun the country with cheap labor
at is not, however, in the matter Of
farm work alone that the Japanese will
enter into competition with the Ameri-
can. They are expert carpenters, boot
makers. tailors and cabinetmakers. In
Japan they earn about fifty cents n day,
and as they will eat almost anything it
does not cost much for them to live, con-
sequently they will be glad to work in
San Francisco for a slight advance on
what they receive in Yokohama. Japan
has hordes of poor people whose sole am
biton is TO raise enough money TO reach
America.
"When | was in Japan the so called
cholera was raging. 1t was not cholera;
it was starvation. The poor people were
living on raw fish and rotten cabbage.
Several of them | saw cut open, and
was not an ounce of matter in
their stomachs. In proof that it was
starvation, not n white or rich man died
of the disease. In proof that Chinese
are superior to the japanese | will tell
you what | saw in Yokohama. In all
the go downs and warehouses the Jap
anese are employed, but the overseer is
n Chinese. Nine time out of ten
n Chinese is the cashier in the stores. !
only tell you this to show you that while
the Chinese question was bad enough,
the japanese one will be far worse.
There are over 5000 japanese in San
Francisco, and, judging from the man
ner in which they are flocking to Hawaii,
there will be at least 10000 here in FIVE
years. There are II 900 Chinese in Hawaii,
it took twenty years for them to
grow to that number. In FIVE yeas 1S, coo
Japanese nave landed in Honolulu. Once
get well started toward San Fran
they will come in droves."
81 consider the japanese question a
serious question" said Collector Phelps,
The japanese are coming in ever in
creasing numbers, and just how to stop
them | don't know. In tine course of an
other twelve months l think the question
will have grown to as grave proportions
as was ever the Chinese. We are doing
the best we can, but even that best does
not amonnt to much. The whole matter
$ giving me a great deal of worry. |
.hought | had the Chinese well under
control and that was going TO have Il
est, but here crops upthe Japanese ques-
ion, and L suppose it will take me a yesr
straighten it out."-San Francisco
Report,