New-York tribune., 1905-04-16
JAPANESE IMMIGRATION.
Increment on Pacific Coast for Its
Restriction.

ca, E7rancfsco Ao-il 5-Within the last three
months agitation has begun in this State against
unrestricted immigration Of japanese laborers'
largely on the same grounds that were urged
twenty-five years ago for the RESTRICTION OF
chinese immigrants. This agitation has been
carried on in a very temperate way ana II mas
been confined mainly to the press and the labor
uriors The san Francisco Chronicle began
the agitation. basing its reason for il upon the
l.ras fats that the influx Of contract labor
coolies of an alien race which is non-assimlatlVe
and cannot legally be naturalized. is serlors
menace not only 70 business prosperity bGt ~
social welfare. The labor unions were qhicN {"
tal,e ND the matter because they have Gl7ea-y
begun TO feel the competition OF these ASIAI1~'
who are eager 10 work for Tar less lIlsG AI'I
skilled American artisan viii accept The Cali
fornia Legislature last month adopted Feso-
lutions declaring against unrestricted immigra-
tion Of japanese, and called upon the national
government for protection against the iEnu1
Of The most undesirable class Of the Mika7-9H
subjects The points brought out In these feSo-
lutions were that the japanese lahorers No"
crowding into this State by way Of Ha"an or
directly from Japan are undesirable Immigrants
because OF their poverty and habits; that they
cannot become citizens. and they show no de-
sire 10 assimIlate with the American people;
that the great majority Of them are contract
labOrerS, hlreo 10 come OFSA ASAS ~S- S@-'@---
wages, and that the contractors who import
them are thus able TO furnish men for fruit
picking. clearing land. working on the railroads.
etc al prices far below those demanded even
by the poorer classes OF Italians, Greeks ana
Portuguese; that the japanese establish no
homes here, and that they go back to Japan
with their earnings as the Chinese return to
China; that labor troubles in Hawaii have
thrown into idleness large numbers OF japanese
Who are eager 10 come 10 California because OF
the high wages; that Congress should take action
against this immigration as it did against
Chinese immigration, because the japanese
eoolie is as deadly a competitor against the
American laboreF as the Chinese coolie.
Those who declare that this agitation is not
idle and that the fears Of a great influx Of
Japanese are not groundless point for con-
arnation 10 the statistics OF immigration In
1850 there we're only eighty-si1 japanese in
California, but this number soon began TO swell,
and now Il is estimated that there are no less
than thirty-hve thousand in the State and one
hundred thousand IN the country. For the fiscal
year 10000 1.3s1 came IN from japan; fo-
lSOl-'O2 l,916; for 19O2-'O2 2,739. and for 1903
sO4 l266, making total of 6.O02. OF whom 1S9
we're women In this period seven thousand
Japanese coolies came here from Hawaii where
they had lived few months and gained small
knowledge OF English and OF American ways
The japanese, say his critics Is far more cum
ming than the Chinese as he tries In every way
20 avoid antagoniZing American customs and
laws he gambles fully as much as the Chinese.
hut be carries On his gaming Tar more quietly.