The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-21
SCORES ROOSEVELT
AND METCALF
Board of Education Makes
Hot Retort to Message
UNFOLDING the Japanese
STANDS BY POSITION

The Board OF Education, which has
grown exceedingly FESTIVE under the
lash applied to it by President Roose-
Welt and by former Secretary of Labor
and Commerce Victor Metcalf relative to
the Japanese embroglio, retaliated yes
terday by severely criticising the Pres
ident and scoring Secretary Metcalf as
a meddlfng politician who misrepre-
scented facts to ingratiate himself
with the chief executive of the nation.
The invectives uttered against Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Metcalf, under the
official sanction of the board, were in
the form of letter written by Gilmore
c. Leff1ngwell, secretary of the board,
in reply to Miss Flora B. Harris. a mis-
sionary at Toxic, Japan. who is credit
ed with being one of the American
mouthpieces OF the Japanese Govern
ment.
The missionary. in a communication
of more than 1900 words, stated that
she, as Californian, was grieved to
hear that the local school board had
shown a provincial spirit in shutting
out the Japanese school children from
the public schools. She praised the
morality of the Japanese and con-
demned the action of the local edu-
Gators. In reply Secretary Leffingwell
said that the Japanese children had
not been excluded from the schools, but
merely segregated under section 1862
of the State school laws. It was fur
Their recited that none of the treaty
rights had been violated and that the
Japanese children were given compe-
tent teachers in the Oriental School
and in every way treated as well as
the American children.
ROOSEVELT IN ERROR
In reference to Miss Harris state
ment that the Japanese children had
been excluded from the schools, the
board replies:
The Japanese have not been excluded from the
fact that no less parsonage than the President
Of the United States has employed a similar as
notwithstanding the wholly unfair report made
of the entire school incident by the Secretary of
calf the declaration that the japanese have been
excluded from schools L. an
The following is the criticism Of the
President and of Secretary Metcalf
sanctioned by the board:
The fact that the President of the United
samptons and framing against Ioys people
scathing criticism regarding matter which
is purely one OF local concern nee does not In the
after all, doubtless the best judges Of their
own immediate needs and welfare. Neither do
the misleading deductions and recommends tions
of a politician high in authority, when voiced
through document which plainly sought the
light of favor and not Of truth. impress the peo-
pie Of this locality with any sense of doubt as
to their rights as free-born Americans or as to
the justice Of the stand they have taken. With
out the intervention Of misinformed or preju-
diced public men California would deeply have
appreciated an opportunity to exercise the funda-
mental right to deal with this subject alone and
unaided in which event Japan might have
spared herself much of the concern that has re-
suited from the work of meddlers
BOARD WILL STAND PAT
its position. and whether the President of the
United States has been led into error and now
applies emphatic language to the people Of this
State, or whether ambitious secretaries distort
plain facts and shape documents that may per-
haps be formidable. in political sense. the
school authorities of this city. acting under a
State law and without prejudice, will doubtless
adhere to the very reasonable stand that has
been taken.
President Altman of the board, in
speaking of the letter written in reply
to Miss Harris, says:
We have thrown the gauntlet down to Mr..
Metcalf. who has msinformed the President.
We shall not recede from our position which is
one of Justice to the Japanese and to ourselves.
II it had not been for outside interference the
incident would have been forgotten by this time.