Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-01
.rAp1NESr rMnfreR1rrnr.

Those who have professed to be ap-
prehensive that after the close Of the
war there would be a great rush OF
japanese to the United States may be
expected to now renew their demand for
restrictive legislation with redOubled
vlgor. The agitation for this has al
ready begun in California and 1t will
not be surprising II It shall become
greatly intensified between now and the
meeting Of congress, so as to attract
the attention Of the entire country to
the question of excluding Japanese.
The demand that this be done has
some support now outside Of California,
but we venture to think that the very
general judgment is that we cannot
apply to Japan the policy we have been
applying to the Chinese, with the result
Of creating a movement hostile to our
trade interests which forced a modiflca-
ton of the harsh methods of our immi-
grafton authorities. Those who talk Of
japanese exclusion should reflect that
japan is a very different country from
NllLd anu uluel ntItdlltI Dt dthlI Nliu
as a world power of the first magnitude,
capable of enforcing fair treatment from
other nations. Japan has attained a
position that entities her to claim equal
ity among the family Of nations and
we may be sure she will make the claim
and insist upon its being respected. IT,
therefore, we should discriminate
against her people she would not hesi-
tate, strong as her present friendship is
for the United States, to resent It and
persistence in the discrimination would
inevitably result in making her an
enemy. That would be fatal to our
commercial interests and hopes in Asia
where from now on the influence of
Japan will be greater than that of any
other country.
1t is of course possible that japanese
immigration will increase somewhat It
is said that from 1000 to 1900 are now
entering this country every month. But
it is not likely that this immigration will
become so large as to be source of
anxiety or trouble. In the development
Of her industries and commerce Japan
will have use at home for her people
and then new fields for their enterprise
and industry will be opened in Corea
and Manchuria-flelds quite as inviting
for those people as the United States.
The Japanese prefer to remain in or
near their own country and with the
ODDOrfunitfeS TINT will nouy no oman 70
them 1t is not at all probable that there
viii be any very great exodus from
Japan. Moreover the japanese will now
have greater pride than ever in their
native land and therefore will desire
to remain there. The number of those
people now in the United States is not
more than 100000, the immigration of
years They are now entering the coun-
try, according to reports, at the rate
of from 10000 to $1,000 year. There
is certainly nothing in this to alarm
anybody.
At all events II is safe to say that
there will be no legislation for the ex-
clusion of Japanese. We shall not ap-
ply to the leading power of ASIA
power whose friendship is most neces-
sary to us, the policy of discrimination
which we are applying to China. To
do so would be to invite and assure dis
aster to our interests in that quarter of
the world. Japan must be treated as
an equal II we would not have her an
enemy.