The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1905-08-17
THE INVASION OF
THE Willy JAPS
JAPANESE are swarming into the
United States in greater numbers

ID United States in greater numbers
than the Chinese came before the
passage of the Exclusion Law. This un-
expected form of the "yellow peril" is
even more dangerous than the other,
and it's effects are felt not only by the
workingmen, but by merchants, clothing
and shoe manufacturers, and nearly all
the trades. The "alien contract" law
does not, it seems, exclude the willy
Japanese. Every steamer from the
Orient has large cargo of these i'm
poverished and diseased laborers. Many
of them are paupers, and some of them
are believed to be criminals.
The Japanese population OF California
has increased within the last four and
half years from 10, Isl to about 10000,
of which about $1,000 are in San Fran
cisco, and compose what is locally known
as "Little Japan" The population in
the Northwest has insceased at the rate
of about twenty-five per cent year.
The Eastern States have also received
proportionate increase, and larger num-
bers have swarmed to the rice and sugar
fields OF Louisiana and the Southwest.
There is an increasing demand for cheap
Japanese labor in those States, and they
are also finding their way into the cotton
fields and factories, competing with the
| nooro in tho f;aldc ,pd tho uyor,,op ,nd
children in the factories. A large num-
Der of the Japanese are agriculturists,
and are imported for farmers, contract
ing to labor for ST day, and even less.
The reason that a large number stop
at the Hawaiian Islands is that labor
conditions are more satisfactory there
than on the Pacific Coast. Employment
is more certain, especially as the natives
do not like work and the Japanese work
cheaper than the natives, being paid 70
or Is cents a day. However, they make
the islands their way station to some
thing better. 1t is a recruiting station,
and when the contractors in San Fran
cisco can find an opening they are
brought over in cargoes to supply the
demand.
In addition, large numbers find their
way to Mexico and South America under
contract to work in the silver mines,
coal mines and on the rubber planta-
tons. The Oriental Importation Com
pany, conducted by Japanese, with
agents at several Mexican ports, i'm
ports large numbers, which are passed
through San Francisco, Sin transit y
That is, they are billed through, and the
immigration officers see that they do not
stop over. They are under contract,
generally for a year, at IS cents day.
They soon find that gathering india
rubber in Peru, or delving in mines in
Mexico, is not what the agents repre-
sented, and many Of them break their
bondage and find their way back to Cal
ifornia. OF the number who thus enter
there is, of course, no record. Where
such cases are reported, the Japanese
government, through it's consuls, returns
the runaways. It is the policy Of the
government to force these laborers to
abide by their contracts, on the ground
that as the government consented to
their immigration it is virtually respon-
sible to the contractors. Moreover, the
government does not desire the return
of this refuse element.
The total arrivals of Japanese since
1900 estimating the last half of 1904
is $1,000. Of this number about IS ,OOC
stopped at the Hawaiian Islands. The
remainder came to San Francisco.
OF the 1882 Japanese arriving in the
United States during the fiscal year Of
1904, 3, 1865 could neither read nor write
and 6, 493 had less than $50 each. AND
of this total number, 1882 are between
the ages of fourteen and forty five
years. Thus, it will be seen that nearly
half of the immigrants are virtually
paupers by their own showing, and nc
doubt in many instances this required
!, $50 was transferred from hand to hand
in order to pass inspection. The number
. who can neither read nor write in thei]
provincial dialect shows an amazing
percentage of illiteracy. There were
only 1915 females in the lot, and mos
of these were for immoral purposes
There is large and increasing industry
in the importation of Japanese womer
for the San Francisco slave market, anc
also for other Oriental colonies, owing
| to the great difficulty in smuggling
) Chinese women through.
The Asiatics, unlike other nationali.
ties, colonize upon their arrival in thu
United States, and thus maintain theil
national traits and habits of thought
They do not forget their nationality
though they may affect European dress
, customs and learn English. This is onl,
policy with the great majority, ant
learning English qualities them the bet.
ter to compete with the white peopl,
whose country they have invaded. The,
. absorb a large amount of our revenues
= and this is mostly sent back to thei
homes, to the detriment of our working
IL II