Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-12-12

nase immigration question as this coun-
try might deem proper. Only Presi-
dent Roosevelt's- earnest protest that
such measure would be i'll timed
prevented Mr.. Hayes from taking this
action. The president seems to be
striving to avoid poking the Goals. He
is aware that the venerable honorable
japanese problem is ticklish, and he
sees the necessity of politeness. Ac-
cordingly for the present he seems to
have sheathed the big stick and re-
sumed the presidential smile. The
average citizen, irrespective of party,
no doubt will assent to this course as
the way of wisdom. We are not look
ing for trouble with Japan. This is
not party question. 1t concerns all
the people. Peace with honor peace
with politeness-that is the thing.
The race question as to the Japanese
in California and elsewhere on the Pa
cific coast is sectional just now, but it
may become general. San Francisco
does not object to the japanese in
racial sense on the same ground as the
south objects to the negro. The OBJ
JecllOl Is DdSet. W say
IL upon the aptitude of the Japanese
for acquiring American business eff
cheney and for taking the place of the
white man as a workman. The jap
as everybody in California calls him
is apt. He picks up information with
surprising celebrity and adapts it to
his uses with amazing ease. He is not
an intellectual inferior. There is not
so very much objection to his inter
marriage with the whites-none at all
in many instances. In this respect he
is not to be considered along with the
Chinese. The Jap is of Il higher order.
Union Labor Aroused.
California has discovered that the
Japanese are taking away the white
mans business and the white mans
job. Union labor, which is particular
ly strong in San Francisco. is up in
arms against the Nipponese for that
reason. There is state labor or
ganization in opposition to Japanese
encr0achments. When they find it de-
sirable these imported people can work
very much more cheaply than white
men can work, because they can live
more cheaply. The same condition OBJ
tains in business They can make
money where white men would find
hard struggle. With the japanese COM
petition in business many white men
go to the wall.
There is il man in Japan named Nj
shomura, who controls the cobbler
trade in San Francisco. He operates
regular monopoly in shoe mending.
Els monopoly extends 10 other impor-
taEt towns in California. He has
system. operated by his agents i'll that
state, which has made it almost imper-
alive for you TO get your shoes soled
by d jap He is rich and lives i'll his
fowery Japan.
One UchiGama of San Francisco mo-
nOpoIizes the potato growing business
in the rich Sacramento valley. He is
millionaire He corners the San Fran
cisco spud market when he likes. He
employs Jap labor altogether on his
vast potato plantations.
One Nagasama of San Francisco
owns and operates one of the largest
in California. He used to be
a domestic servant, ''housemaid."
He is worth millions. His wines are
drank in New York, Liverpool, London.
in each of which cities he maintains
branch establishments.
Not Americans, but Subjects OF Japan.
There is growing up in California a