Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-05
WOULD BAR JAPANESE
McKinlay Declares Them Worse
Than the Chinese.
FEELING IN CALIFORNIA
Says Sentiment is the Same Through
out the State. ~
PRESIDENTS VIEW CRITICISED
Indignant outbursts From Represent
atives From the State Of the
Golden Gate.
PRESIDENTS VIEW CRITICISED

MChlnlay OIL CduIOTHid udd 10 Ssty " d
Star reporter concerning that part of the
Presidents message which has to do with
the Japanese problem In the educational
system Of San Francisco.
1.-THE President has undoubtedly been
misinformed," said Mr.. McKinlay. Il have
lived for twenty-five years on the. Pacific
coast. I have been to Japan and know
the situation backward and forward. For
four years I was assistant district attor-
ney and my work had to do almost en-
tirely with the enforcement Of the ex-
clusion law. constantly came In contact
with the Chinese and Japanese, and can
say in answer to those who speak in favor
of the proposition to confer citizenship on
the Japanese that In doing this they would
admit to suffrage people 100 per cent
lower in the scale than any who have ever
enjoyed 1t heretofore.
II am certain that the President must
have been misinformed. The situation In
San Francisco Is but the logical result of
present conditions. The constant and in
creasing immigration Of Japanese into Cal
ifornia is rapidly bringing about a situa-
ton Identical with that which resulted In
the passage, in 1884 of the first Chinese
exclusion law. I may go even further and
say that conditions are rapidly becoming
worse than they ever were at that time,
due largely to the fact that the Japanese
are more aggressive than the Chinese,
harder to handle. harder to get along with.
worse neighbors, tricky. crafty, dishonest
and In every way undesirable.
Schools Crowded With Whites.
"The Japanese that are coming to Cali
fornia now are Of the lowest class, many
of them criminals, 80 per cent diseased
The boys that we speak Of in connection
with this school matter are boys only in
name. Their ages range from twenty to
fifty. At the present time we have not
,,,~1, to y, IT, 40 to ~
commodate our own children. And. more
over, We do not want grown Japanese as
sociating in these schools with our chill
dren of tender years.
Let 1t not be thought for moment
that the situation in San Francisco devel-
oped by this school controversy fs in any
way peculiar to that city. 1t is the same
all over the state. I represent thriving
agricultural district that extends to one of
the portals of the Golden Gate. have on
file and in my desk petitions from grangers
all over the district urging the enactment
of a Japanese exclusion law similar to the
Chinese exclusion law. which will permit
only the Japanese Of the higher class
diplomats, business men, merchants and
the like-to enter this country. and will
exclude this lower class, this diseased and
criminal element, that Is now coming to
San Francisco alone at LIE rate of 1000
month. .-s
Feeling Against the japanese.
"As I say, this situation is but logical
development. The union men and nom
union men, men who labor with their hands,
are supposed to be chiefly responsible for
this cutlery against the Japanese. This is
not so. In the agricultural section the
feeling is just as strong. The Japanese,
no matter what an American laboring man
may ask for his services, will always I'M
derbid him. In the agricultural districts
they have habit of striking just at the
time the crop is being harvested and their
employer needs them most, and then leas-
ing the land at a low figure. The Chinese
are honest and will hold strictly to the
terms of their contract. TIE Japanese are
dishonest and will violate their contract
whenever they get half chance. They
are highly undesirable neighbors, and in
the agricultural section, where they start
their little colonies Of males-for no jap
anese women of this class come to America
the white people move away If they pos
sibly can without too great financial loss.
Urges an Exclusion Law.
1.-THE cheapest. the safest, the very best
thing we can do is to enact japanese ex-
clusion law at the very earliest oppor-
tunity. We should make a treaty with
Japan such we now have with China.
do not mean to reflect in any way on the
Japanese diplomats. the Japanese mer-
chant the japanese Of any business whose
character is of the best, but the class we
are getting now is certainly very objection
able.
Referring again to the citizenship propo-
sition, want to! say that the Japanese are
| totally and absolutely untitled to enjoy the
privileges of suffrage They have not, and
can never have, under their present envir-
onments and religion, the faintest concep-
ton concerning the obligation of an Ameri-
can citizen. Their customs, their life, their
| whole national characteristics forbid it.
II think the administration of the school
system of San Francisco is something that
San Francisco alone and with
which the President has nothing to do. 1
thought his remarks on the subject to be
somewhat cloudy and obscure, but 1 take
his remark about enforcing the law to
mean the law as interpreted by the Su-
preme Court. I don't know that the dele
cation will hold any formal meeting, as
there seems to be nothing upon which &C
tion can be taken at this time. The Presi-
dent has only made recommendation In
a matter Of legislation we shall have
something to go upon
Ascribed to President Wheeler.
Most of the members of the California
delegation appear to believe that the Presi-
dents utterances in his message ere the
| direct result Of his several conferences
| with Benjamin Ide Wheeler president of
| the University o. California. They do not
| believe that Secretary Metcalf approves
| the Presidents attitude that his advice
| contributed in any degree toward the
| framing Of that portion of the residents
message
ut is shame said Representative Nc
Laughlin of California. "the Pacific coast
| will be wild with indignation. They will
| undoubtedly believe that they have been
| unfairly represented by that portion OF the
Presidents message dealing with the jap
anese situation
Language Offensive.
ut would be difficult to imagine" said
Representative Smith of California, "a
document in which the language was more
! offensive to a portion of the country than
| is this message in its treatment of Cali
| fornias attitude toward the Japanese. -le
school question presents itself in this light:
| If there be in child's blood but per
cent of negro blood any state may. and
| number of states do. deny to that child the
| privilege of being educated side by side
| with children of the Caucasian race. and
this, too, when the childs ancestors for
| four hundred years have been residents
of this country, have spoken our language
embraced our religion, are our willing
| and faithful co-laborers and servants and
have labored and produced wealth to add
| to the nations permanent hoard
SIlr,k -1f r.. tat