The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1906-12-04

in one or two other places because Of
their efficiency as workers. To shut
them out from the public schools is q
wicked absurdity when there are no
/ first class colleges in the land, includ-
ing the universities and colleges of
California, which do not gladly well
come Japanese students and on which
/ Japanese students do not reflect credit.
We have as much to learn from Japan
| as Japan has to learn from us, and no
nation is fit to teach unless it is also
willing to learn. Throughout Japan
Americans are we'll treated, and any
/ failure on the part of Americans at
home to treat the Japanese with like
courtesy and consideration is by just
SO much a confession Of inferiority in
our civilization.
Our nation fronts on the Pacific just
as 1t fronts on the Atlantic We hope
to play constantly growing part In
the great ocean Of the orient We
commercial development in our deal
ings with Asia, and it is out of the
question that we should permanently
have such development unless we free
~ and gladly extend to other nations
the same measure Of justice and good
treatment which we expect to receive
in return. It is only a very small body
of our citizens that act badly. Where
the federal government has power it
will deal summarily with any such.
Where the several states have power
I earnestly ask that they also deal
wisely and promptly with such con-
duct or else this small body of wrong
doors may bring shame upon the great
| mass Of their innocent and right
thinking felloWs-that is, upon our ma
ton as whole Good manners should
be an international no less than an
Individual attribute. ask fair treat
ment for the Japanese as I would ask
fair treatment for Germans or English
men, Frenchmen, Russians or Italians.
! 1 ask it as due to humanity and civil
llzation. I ask it as due to ourselves,
because we must act uprightly toward
all men.
NaturaIize Japanese.
recommend to the congress that an
act be passed specifically providing for
| the naturalization of Japanese who
come here intending to become Amer
lean citizens. One Of the great en-
barrassments attending the perform
| ance Of our international obligations is
the fact that the statutes of the United
States are entirely inadequate. They
| fail to give to the national government
sufficiently ample power through Unit
ed States courts and by the use Of the
army and navy to protect aliens in the
| rights secured to them under solemn
treaties which are the law of the land.
! l therefore earnestly recommend that
the criminal and civil statutes of the
United States be so amended and add
| ed to as to enable the president. acting
! for the United States government,
which is responsible in our internatiea-
al relations, to enforce the rights 81
aliens under treaties. Even as the
law now is something can be done by
the federal government toward this
end. and in the matter now before me
affecting the Japanese everything that
it Is in my power to do will be done,
and all Of the forces, military and
| civil, Of the United States which may
| lawfully employ will be so employed.
| There should. however be no particle
Of doubt as to the power of the nation
| al government completely to perform
and enforce it's own obligations to 9TH
er nations. The mob of a single city
may at any time perform acts of law
less violence against some class of for
eigners which would plunge us into
! war. That city by itself would be
| powerless to make defense against the
| foreign power thus assaulted, and II
| independent Of this government it
would never venture to perform or
permit the performance of the acts
complained Of The entire power and
the whole duty to protect the offending
city or the offending community lie
in the hands of the United States gov
| eminent. 1t is unthinkable that we
should continue policy under which
given locality may be allowed to COM
NIT crime against friendly nation
and the United States government lim-
tied not to preventing the commission
of the crime. but in the last resort to
defending the people who have CON-
.mitted it against the consequences of
their own wrongdoing. III.