Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-12-20
METCALF REPORT
President Sends to Congress Special
Message Dealing with japanese
Question In San Francisco.
ADVOCATES An AGE LIMIT
Smaller ChiIAren Should Ne Admitt-
ed to SCHOOLS and Large Ones
Excluded-No Violence WiA
BE Permitted.

i
BE Permitted.
Washington, Dec. 1S.-The presi
dent Tuesday sent to congress a spe
cial message transmitting the report
of Secretary Metcalf on the results
Of his investigation Of the Japanese
question at San Francisco. Follow.
ing is the communication Of the pres
ident:
To the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives:
enclose herewith for your inform
alton the final report made to me per-
sonally by Secretary Metcalf on the
situation affecting the japanese in
San Francisco. The report deals
with three matters Of controversy
first. the exclusion Of the Japanese
children from the San Francisco
schools; second, the boycotting Of
Japanese restaurants, and, third, acts
Of violence committed against the
Japanese.
As to the first matter, l call your
especial attention to the very small
number Of Japanese children who at
tend school, to the testimony as to
the brightness, cleanliness, and good
behavior Of these japanese children
in the schools, and to the fact that,
owing to their being scattered
throughout the city, the requirement
for them all to 60 to one special
school is impossible Of fulfilment and
means that they can not have school
facilities. Let me point out further
that there would be no objection
whatever to excluding from the
schools any Japanese on the score Of
age. It is obviously not desirable
that young men should go to school
with children. The only point is the
exclusion of the children themselves.
The number Of Japanese children at
tending the public schools In San
Francisco was very small. The gov
eminent has already directed that
suit be brought to test the constitu.
tionality Of the act in question; but
my very earnest hope is that such
suit will not be necessary, and that
as a matter of comfy the citizens OF
San Francisco will refuse to deprive
these young Japanese children Of
education and will permit them to
60 to the schools.
The question as to the violence
against the Japanese is most admir-
ably put up by Secretary Metcalf,
and have nothing to add to his
statement. am entirely confident
that, as Secretary Metcah says, the
overwhelming sentiment Of the state
Of California Is for law and order
and for the protection Of the Japanese
in their persons and property. Both
the chief Of police and the acting
mayor Of San Francisco assured Sec
rotary Metcalf that everything pos
sible would be done to protect the
Japanese in the city. authorized
and directed Secretary Metcalf to
state that II there was failure to pro-
tect persons and property, then the
entire power Of the federal govern
ment within the limits Of the consti-
tuition would be used promptly and
vigorously to enforce the observance
Of our treaty, the supreme law OF
the land, which treaty guaranteed to
Japanese resident 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 l could lawfully en-
ploy. would be employed. l call
especial attention to the concluding
sentence Of Secretary Metcalfs re-
port Of November 26, 1906.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The concluding sentence Of Secre-
tary Metcalrs report to which the
president refers is as follows:
"All considerations which may
move a nation, every consideration
Of duty in the preservation Of our
treaty obligations, every considera'
ton prompted BY 50 years or more Of
close friendship with the Empire Of
Japan, would unite in demanding, 1t
seems to me, Of the United States
government and all its people, the
fullest protection and the highest con-