The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-06-15
Shall Japenese Be Excludedl

Mr.. p. Young, the managing editor
OF the San Francisco Chronicle, de-
clares in an interview that the Japan
ese are a menace to the United States,
and that their immigration to this
country should be prohibited. The
entire California deleagtion in Con-
gress, we are further told, is in favor
of,excluding these people as the Chi
nese are excluded.
Sometimes when an American wants
to talk about his country, he says
that America alone could hold all the
people of the world without being
full, or that Texas is capable offfeed-
ing all that tread the globe. But on
other occasions we are informed when
people flock to our shores that the
country Is in danger.
Well, perhaps it is. But to some
it will appear that Americas greatest
foes!are not the japanese, but they
who Abelong to our own household.
TheyJapanese may not be perfect, but
IL we found as much honesty among
our officials as may be found among
the officials of Japan, there would be
occasion for rejoicing. The great OBJ
lection to the Japanese appears to be
that they assimilate our ideas alto
gether too well. DO they find that
Americans are often given to dishon-
esty in trade? They can beat the
Americans at their own game. Ma
turally, they are not popular. We
hear much also about the dishonesty
of the japanese in their own country.
But it should not be forgotten that
the japanese does not play dishonest
when dealing with his nation. Wit
against wit, he may play, but the in
terest Of the whole Is to him para
mount. And it Is of this loyalty to
his nation that in battle after battle
he has shown such good stuff in him
that he would not finch. Consider
those charges on the Notifications of
Port Arthur. Probably no troops Of
any European land would have made
such charges. Their commanders
would never have thought of ordering
them. Yet the Japanese went to their
deaths without murmer, because
they believed that the charges, though
they might be unsuccessful, would
st II further weaken the Russian garri-
son.
With such people as these we have
got to reckon. 1t was easy enough
to say to the Chinese, keep out. "
The Chinese nation was weak. But
Japan Is strong. Moreover, it is prob
able that after the present war Is con
cluded Japan will take measures to
reform the army system OF China.
China and Japan united might be in
vincible against the world. Though
the Chinese does not want to fight, he
is capable of fighting when he is com
PEELED. America should not forget
that to deal unfairly with the japanese
will make one of the great powers of
the world an enemy. This may mean
later powerful and united opposi-
tion ON the part Of combined Japan
and China. What this opposition
might mean one may not predict with
confidence. 1t might mean even more.
At present the japanese are friend
ly. They are more than friendly.
Toward America they look with a
strong feeling of reverence. Why
should we seek to change this feel
lnRT Whatever Japanese VICES may
be, the japanese are also people pos
sessing many virtues, and some of
these virtues are rare ones. AmHri-
cans have much to learn from the Ori-
eat. And to exclude the japanese
from our shores would result In injury
to both countries.
There are those who believe that a
nation may be built up only by injur-
ing other nations. This policy has
been tried and 1t has failed. Every
injury inflicted upon foreign land
has resulted in injury to the home
country. The world is governed by
a few great natural laws We may
not live~in accordance with these laws,
but no manor nation can break them.
A man or nation may try to do
80, but the laws will break them.
Only by justice may men or the ma
tions live. America should think long
and earnestly before deciding to dis
pense with Justice. And no nation
Is just when 1t resorts to barbarian
methods, such as an act excluding
the Japanese from our shores would