The Washington herald., 1906-10-29
From the Nev Yors Sun.

From the Neg Yors Sun.
The fight waged by organized labor
against the japanese on the Pacific Coast.
II Hawaii and Alaska, which has now
developed into an international matter,
has been Of about ten years duration and
OF a scope much broader than the pres
ent difficulty over the exclusion Of Jap
anesc children from San Francisco's
schools Indicates. The japanese govern
nent doubtless has been advised before
this time Of the character OF the labor
against it's citizens. but has
awaited this last manifestation before
taking action.
a Law passed by the legislature Of Cali
fornia five years ago providing for the
schools Is the only legislative act that the
organized labor party has been able TO
invoke 10 its fight. The rest Of the cam
paign has been carried on unaidcd.
Before the entrance Of the Japanese into
the labor field Of California and the
northern Coast States began to be serious
ly felt. their presence in the cane fle.as
OF Hawaii and the fish-packing plants Of
Alaska was taken by white laboTers as
menace. In Hawaii the labor situation
became acute last year, when in one in
stance the japanese field hands on a plan
tauon on Oahu became so Incensed at the
effort OF organized labor 10 Gust them
from their work that a week Of riOting
followed and the militia from Honolulu
had TO be hurried to the scene.
Most Of the sugar plantations In Hawaii
are worked on the subcoDtTact system.
The contractors, hired directly by the
owners TO cultivate and cut the cane. par
eel out their acres TO japanese subcon-
tractors. each Of whom Is the head Of a
gang, very much after the order OF the
padrOne system IN the Southern States.
This system. begun about ten years ago.
has proved so profitable that now ali
the great plantations IN the islanus are
worked by japanese, to the exclusion Of
other laboTers, and the immigration Of
japanese coolies has been yearly greater.
save during the period Of the Russo
japanese war.
PadrOne system In Use.
In the fish canneries Of Alaska and the
Columbia River region OF Washington the
japanese padrone system OF Hawaii has
been Of late years successfully duplicated
Several thousands of japanese are nov
employed In manual labor Of the lowest
order involved in cleaning cutting. ana
paosing the salmon. Their wages are
paiG by the subcontractor and are lower
than the wages formerly demanded by
white labor. The number Of white labor
ers employed IN the hsh-packing plants
has steadily decreased.
In California the japanese labor first
sought the fruit fields, and it is in L..e
work Of cutting, drying, and packing
fruit that the u1OrganiZed, ununlOnized
Jap has the most strongly intrenehed
himself. In this fed ll.e padrone sys-
TEN is not in use: the manager Of the
fruit ranches deals directly with the in
dividual Jap labOrer az a lower wage
than that demanded by white iaborers
In the raisin-picking district through
out the san Joaquin valley region, in the
citrus belt Of Southern California and
in the apple country along the foothills
the japanese have been growing more
numerous each year. Yet the labor field
has not been monopolized by the Nip
ponese, as is demonstrated each year
when the ranch owners are hard put 20
II 70 get lab0rers OF any color to pick
their fruit
The ether fields Of unskiIed labor in
vaded BY the Japanese are those Of sec
uon WORK on the railroads. clam and
aooione digging along the coast. and
mouse service. In the latter occupation
the japanese have been engaging IN
greater numbers yearly. Most of the
japanese house servants are young men
who attend school between. meal times
ans sit up over their books every night.
As class they have been found more
efficient than the average Swedish or
German girl from the employment Office.
The japanese house servants usually ask
smaller pay than that given other sarv-
ants, out Of consideration for the fact
that they are absent from their duties
certain hours Of each day. The average
pa OF Jap boy IS from SIS TO SIS
month; the girl from the employment
agency gets $50 and more.
Invasion of the Cities.
IN the cities the men from the Orient
own nonunion restaurants. they run non
union barber shops and even do nonurion
carpentry work and jobbing. In San
Francisco from time to time the unions
have boycotted the Jap restaurants. nut
sandwich men in front 10 ward of GUS
tom. and even resorted in some instances
20 violence. The Japs are not recognized
as eligible to Join tho unions, nor would
they do 50 if they could. each individual
being. as matter Of fact, the member OF
some far older and far more powerful
trade union in his own land
The organized labor protest against Tho
brown men In California began FIRST IN
the fruit Industry. and there il is SIM
the strongest. No attempt to reason the
japanese out Of work at q nonunion
wage has ever been made and tbe only
recourse has been intimidation. In Fros-
no. one CT the greatest fruit conters Of
California, there have been frequeDl
armed clashes between the whites and Inc
Japs. resulting from an attempt on tho
part Of the white IabOrers 10 drive The
little fellows out Of town. One Jananesc
was beaten to death there last fall and
no arrests were made.
As San Francisco grew to be the strong
est union town in tho United states there
followed unioniziBs OF the Ieslslqturc
of California. The Union Labor. partv an
peared IN san Francisco politics eigb,
years ago. with the election Of Scbuitz
as mayor. and has remained in tbs. field
sending delegates to the Legislature and
setting the lead for other toNns through
out the State in making organized labor
4 factor in politics.