The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-08-16
COncessiOnaires of Pike Attrac
ton Protest Against Employ
men, of Maidens at Pavilion.
APPEAL. TO FAIR MANAGEMENT.
Imperial Commissioner General
Saws Servers Of National
Drink at Gardens Ar.
Refined.

1rteir.cins strife in which The World $
Fair management has been implicated as
third party. has broken out In the Jap
anese colony at the Worlds Fair. And the
whole merry war revolves about the
| Geisha ard tea girls st the Fair.
| The principals TO the dispute are the
| concessipnairea OF Fair Japan. on the
| Pike. party Of the frs, part, and the In
| perial Japanese Commits sion TO The World S
| Fair. party OF the second part. Both sides
| have appealed to the Exposition manage
| nent as the party OF the third part.
The cssus bel,i. which promises to bring
| on international compiica tons. arises
over the presence OF Japanese tea girls in
! the tea pavilions on the japanese rese--
walton. The Pike concession makes the
| demand Of the Exposition management
that these girls be deported from the Fair
grounds and that q strict policy OF e1-
clusion be maintained toward any .Japa-
nese girls except those having their habi-
tat on the Pike
This demand is made on tine ground tha.
under its contract with the Exposition
management the Fair japanese concession
has the sole and exclusive right 10 employ
japanese tea or Geisha girls on the entire
Exposition site. The managers are stand
ing on this exclusive right. and wish the
Exposition 10 support them.
The officials Of the Exposition. according
TO the statement OF an official of the
japanese Commission. are supporting the
concession. a. a request has been made Of
the commission by the Exposition man
agement that they withdraw the sixteen
native girls who are now serving tea in
the two teahouses on the reservation Of
the Japanese Government at the Fair.
DOES NOT PLAN TO YIELD.
The commission. however. does not pro-
pose to sccede to this request without
making a fight. Yesterdays long com
munication was forwarded by Commits
sioner General SeiichI Tegima to President
Francis. in which a vigorous protest was
made against the request
Secretary Stevens yesterday admitted
that communication had been received
from Mr.. Tegma. addressed to President
Francis. but stated that he did not know
its contents.
He professed ignorance OF the dispute
between the Fair Japan concession and
the Japanese Commission. also as to
whether the Exposition had requested the
commission to withdraw its japanese
girls.
When asked II the Exposition in the
event OF a refusal from the commission
to accede to surh request could :orce
them TO do 70, he replied that that raised
an interesting question. which he was not
prepared TO answer.
Director OF Concessions Gregg answered
all questions relative TO the matter with
the statement that it would net be right
for him to say anything about the mat
ter
One of the japanese Commissioners.
however. stated the contention Of the
commission in the case. lie said: When
We were invited TO participate and ac-
! cepted. we requested that the Exposition
management notify us when any Japan
csc show or concession at ire Far was
! contemplated or to be let. We were also
given to understa nd that The details of our
| participafin in the Fair would be left to
our Commis ssioner General.
We were never notified OF the letting
! Of the Fair Japan concession, and conse-
I auently went ahead TO arrange to show
/ as a part OF our ma stional life. and for the
! exploitation Of our great tea industries.
| two typical japanese teahouses. Great
TO serve tea to obtain only the most re-
spectabe and refined girls. and most of
them are the daughters OF educated and
respectable parents. They are not Geisha
| girls. Our tea girls are necessary to our
! typical japanese teahouses. as IN Japan
| only women are employed 10 serve toa."