The new age., 1906-12-22
A SPECIAL MESSAGE
President Sends Communication
to Congress on Jap Question.


been transmitted to both houses of Con
gress by the President:
Il inclose herewith for your informa
| t1on the final report made to me per
Sonally by Secretary Metcalf on the sit
| uatton affecting the japanese in Sal
francisco. The report deals with thre
matters of controVersy-first the eX
clusion of the Japanese children from
the San Francisco schools; second, tn
ooycotting Of Japanese restaurants, and
third, acts of violence committed
against the Japanese
AS to the first matter, l call you
especial attention to the very small
dumber of Japanese children who at
tend school, to the testimony as tt
the brightness. cleanliness and good be
navior of these Japanese children in the
schools, and to the fact that, owing tC
their being scattered throughout the
city, the requirement for them all e
go to one special school is Impossible
Of fulfillment and means that they can
not have school facilities Let me point
out further that there would be no OBJ
lection whatever to excluding from the
schools any Japanese on the score OF
age. 1t is obviously not desirable that
young men should go to school with
children The only point is the eXclu-
sion of the children themselves. The
number of Japanese children attending
the public schools in San Francisco was
very small The government has al
ready directed that suit be brought to
TEST Ine Ol IiIG ACT III
question; but my very earnest hope is
that such suit will not be necessary,
md that as matter OF comfy the cltl-
zens of San Francisco will refuse to de-
prive these young japanese children OF
education and will permit them to go to
the schools.
The question as to the violence
against the Japanese is most admirably
put by Secretary Metcalf, and L have
nothing to add to his statement. am
entirely confident that as Secretary
Metcalf says, the overwhelming sentl-
ment of the state of California is for
the Japanese in their persons and prop
erty. Both the chief of police and the
acting mayor of San Francisco assured
Secretary Metcalf that everything pos
sible would be done to protect the Jap
anese in the city. l authorized and di-
rected Secretary Metcalf to state that
if there was failure to protect persons
md property, then the entire power of
the Federal government within the linn
It's of the constitution would be used
promptly and vigorously to enforce the
observance of our treaty, the supreme
law of the land, which treaty guaran-
teed to Japanese residents everywhere in
the Union full and perfect protection
for their persons and property and TO
this end everything in my power would
be done, and all the forces of the United
States, both civil and military, which
could lawfully employ would be en-
lloyed. / call especial attention to the
sentence. Of secretary y ), Met.
> Secretary Metcalfs report is adj
dressed to the President under date of
November 26 last. and in part is as fol-
ows:
In my previous report I said moth
ng as to the causes leading up to the
action of the school board in passing
he resolution of October II, and the
children, residents of the city of San
Francisco, desiring to attend the public
schools of that city. A report on this
natter will now be made.
1T seems that for several years the
BOARD of education of San Francisco had
,een considering the advisability of es-
separate schools for Chinese,
Japanese and Corean children, and on
Nay 6, 1905, passed the following reso-
ution:
Resolved. That the board of educa-
ion is determined in it's efforts to eff
ect the establishment of separate
schools for Chinese and Japanese pupils,
lot only for the purpose of relieving the
at present prevailing in our
schools, but also for the higher, end
n any position where their youthful inn
'ressions may be affected bys -ssociation
With pupils of the Mongoliar face.'
And on October ! the ard passed |
he following resolution:
" Resolved, That in accordance with |
rticle Y. section 1862 of the school |
aw of California. principals are hereby |
irected to send all Chinese, Japanese
r COrean children to the Oriental pub
ic school. situated on the south. side
# Clay street, between Powell and Ma |
on streets, on and after Monday, Oc- |
ober 10, 1906
THE action of the board in the pass
ge of the resolutions of May 8. 1905 |
nd october II, 1906, was undoubtedly |
argelY influenced by the activity of |
eague, an organization formed for the |
urpose of securing enactment by the !
ongress of the United States of a law |
xtending the provisions of the exist
ng Chinese exclusion act so as to eX-
lude Japanese and Coreans.
The number of schools in San Fran
lsco prior to Anril Is was 76. Of this |
lumber 2S primary or grammar schools
nd two high schools were destroyed by |
ire, and one high school was destroyed |
Y earthquake. leaving As schools. Since
.pril IS, 2T temporary structures have |
cen erected, making the total number
I School buildings at the present time
The Oriental school, the school set
part for the Chinese, Japanese and Co
can children, is in the burned section.
here is only one Japanese student at
ending this school at the present time,
nd there are no Japanese children at
ending any of the other public schools.
visited the Oriental school in com
any with the Japanese consul and
ound it to compare favorably with
lany of the new temporary structures
rected in the city The course of in
tructlon is exactly the same as at the
ther public schools, and competent
eachers are assigned for duty in this
chool Nearly all of the pupils at
ending this school have to be taught
he English language
Il found the sentiment in the state
cry strong against Japanese young
zen attending the primary grades Many
the people were outspoken in their
of this course saving
nat they would take exactly the same
tand against American young men of
lmllar ages attending the primary
radeS. l am frank to saw that this
pJecton seems to me a most reasonable
ne. All of the political parties in the
,ate nave inserted in their platforms
lahks IN favor of Japanese and Co
ean exclusion, and on March Z, 1905. the
tate legislature passed q Joint resolu-
on urging that action be taken by
'eaty or otherwise to limit and dimin-
m the further immigration of Japan
Sc laborers into the United States.
Ihe press of San Francisco pretty ]
enerally upholds the action of the
oard or education. OF the attitude of
he more violent and radical newspapers
Is unnecessary to speak further than
; say that their tone is the usual tone {
hostility to 'Mongol hordes,' and the
urden of their claim is that japanese
re no better than Chinese, and that {
ne same reasons which dictated the ex-
usion of the Chinese call for the ex-
usion of the Japanese as well. {
The temper and tone of the more !
'nservatiye newspapers may better be I