The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1906-12-22
IN HARD LUCK
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| CONTINUED from Page One.)
cit was this very agitation in Cali
fornia and Pacific Coast states said a
prominent resident of Honolulu here
today, "that led to the imposition OF
| restrictions on emigration by the Jap
| anese authorities. We noticed it then
| because the restriction shut off the
supply of labor for the plantations and
made it necessary for us to secure
| Portuguese laborers. They claim to
| have constitutional form of govern
| ment over there, with legislative
branch, but it is nevertheless fact
| that the japanese authorities can con-
| troll the movement of these laboFers
when they wish to do so. People of
Hawaii remember well how the num-
ber of japanese passengers on the
steamers from the Orient was sudden
" cut off and then how the number
was gradually increased, months after
the agitation in California had died
away. First they began to come by
ffties on the big steamers. Then each
boat would bring one hundred; then
80 and so on till the restrictions at
Toxic seemed to have been removed
altogether
The President and Secretary Root
undoubtedly have assurance that some
thing like this is to be repeated for
the purpose of quieting the agitation
on the Pacific Coast. 1t IS generally
recognized here that that agitation is
much deeper than appears on the sur
face even and that the problem is a
much graver one than providing school
facilities for the 80 japanese children
of school age in San Francisco.
4 of flo
Coast troubles viii apparently be
found in these prospective restrictions,
although the japanese government is
not likely to act precipitately. Pub
lie continent in Japan is so aggressive,
that the Ministry is not likely to do
anything which could now be inter
preted as an intention to accede to the
demands of the United States. 1t is
a pretty safe prediction, however, that
the steerage quarters of the Pacific lin
ers running from Japan to San Fran
cisco and Seattle will soon cease to be
crowded with japanese laborers. The
supply from Hawaii may continue for
a while, because of the large number
of Japanese in Hawaii. But the mi
grafton will gradually dwindle. All
this will come about unless something
happens in this country to infiame the
Japanese people. The program will
surely not be announced from the
White House or from the State De-
partment, but Will be executed none
the less steadily.
There viii probably be further trou
BILE, because this is regarded as only a |
temporary expedient. The protest of |
and the exciting incidents |
of the last two months with reference |
to the Japanese may be effective for |
year or for two years. No one can |
forecast how long or how short a time
it will be before the migration is re-
sumed. Probably the administration
will try to defer it till after the next
presidential election, lest the wrath of
the Californians turns that state over
to the Democratic column, as politi-
clans in Washington say would have
happened last November had the
knowledge of President Roosevelt s
message prevailed up and down the big
Pacific Coast state. Possibly most of
the Californians in Congress will not
&c as troubled, il assured that the agi
-ation for exclusion viii not flame forth
again until after President Roosevelt s
successor is chosen. Their own tenure.
'or another two years, would not likely I
1e affected, providing, of course, they
an command a denomination.
ERNEST q WALKER