The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-19
MetcaIf's Report Goes to Con.
greSS with a Special Mes.
sage by President.
TREATY TO BE ENFORCED
PRESIDENT MEANS TO USE Ev.
cry EFFORT IN HIS POWER TO
KEEP PEACE BETWEEN THE
TWO GREAT NATIONS.
Publishers Press.l

IPublishsrs' Press.l
Washington. Dec. 1S.-Transmitting
Victor H. Metcalf. secretary OF COM
merce and labor, concerning alleged
discrimination against Japanese at
San Francisco. President Roosevelt
sent . short special message to con-
Eress. in which he says:
THE report deals with three mat.
ters Of controversy-first. the exclu-
sion Of the Japanese children from
the San Francisco schools: second.
the boycottinC of Japanese restaur-
ants. aad third. acts of violence COM
mitted against the Japanese. AS to
the hrst matter, l call your especial
attention to the very small number of
Japanese children who attend 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 re-
quirement for them all to 60 to one
special school Is impossible Of fulfill
men and means that they can not
out further that there would be no OBJ
lection whatever to excluding from
the schools any Japanese on account
OF age. 1t is obviously not desirable
that young men should go to school
with children. The only point the
exclusion OF the children thems. yes.
The number OF Japanese children at
tending the public schools in San
Francisco is very small. The govern
men has already directed that suit be
brought to test the constitutionality
of the act in question. but my very
earnest hope is that such suit will not
comfy the citizens of San Franc SEQ
will refuse to deprive these young
Japanese children OF education and
will permit them to 60 to the scho Is.
The question as to the violence
against the Japanese is most admi-
rably put by Secretary Metcalf and
have nothing to add to his statement
/ am entirely confident that as Secre-
tary Metcalf says the overwhelming
sentiment Of the state OF California is
for law and order and for the prott c.
tion Of the Japanece In their persons
aud property Both the chief of police
and the acting mayor OF San Fran
cisco assured Secretary Metcalf that
everything possible would be done to
protect the japanese in the city. I
authorized and directed Secretary
Metcalf to state that II thore was fail
ure to protect persons and property.
then the entire power of the federal
government within the limits OF the
constitution would be used promptly
and vigorously to enforce the obscry-
ance Of our treaty, the supreme law
OF the land, which treaty guaranteed
to japanese residents everywhere in
the Union full and perfect protect on
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 mill
tary. which I could lawfully employ.
would be employed"
Metcalrs Report.
Dealing with the school question,
Secretary Metcalf attributes the tx
clusion resolutions adopted by the
San Francisco school board May 6.
1905, and Oct. IL, 1906, in which pro-
vision is made for separate school
for orientals, to the influence Of tho
Exclusion League. which claims to
have over $4,000 members in Califor-
mia. three-fourths of them in San
Francisco. The day the resolutions
went into effect there were SO jap
anese pupils in 20 schools, ranging in
age from to 20 years. 25 OF them
born in the United States. The report
says: "The oriental school. set apart
for Chinese, japanese and Korean chill.
dren, is in the burned section. There
is only one Japanese student attend
ing this school at the present time,
and there are no Japanese children
attending any OF tho other public
schools. visited the oriental school
and found 1t to compare favorably
with with many OF the new temporary
structures erected in the city. The
course OF instruction is exactly the
same as at the other public schools.
ard competent teachers are assigned
for duty in this school. Nearly all the
pupils attending this school have to
be taught the English la1 yuage-" The
report saws sentiment in the state is
very strong asasrst japanese young
men attending -r'ms-y schools, that
the same objection would be made
against American young r-en, and
that the objection is reasonable The
press in San Francisco rpholds the
All political parties had
platform planks in favor of Japanese
and Korean exclusion, and the legisla-
ture March z. 1905. adopted resolu-
tion urging the restriction Of japanese
Other evidences OF anti.
Japanese feeling are cited Mr.. Met
calf says In the report: II talked with
a number OF prominent labor men and
they al said that they had no objec-
tion to japanese children attending