The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-11-02
both NATIONS
make DEMANDS
Affair With Japan Getting Quite
Serious.
Mr.. AOkI SEES SECRETARY ROOT
Japanese Ambassador Formally Re-
quests That the Subjects of the
Mikado in California Be Accord
ed Their Treaty Rights = Is
Indignant.

Washington Especially .-Viscount
Aoki, the Japanese ambassador, at a
conference with Secretary Root at
the State Department made the re-
quest, in behalf of his government,
that the United States see that Japan
csc subjects in California were ac-
corded their full rights under the
treaty in 1894, including the right
of children to freely attend the pub
lie schools of San Francisco. Sec
rotary Root will take the matter up
with the President and it is likely
that representations will be made to
the authorities of California.
The Ambassador said that the eX-
clusion of Japanese children from
San Francisco schools was the chief
cause of the harsh criticism of the
United States. He was inclined to
discount the other causes given for
the sentiment against this country.
The Ambassador Indignant.
In a friendly way Viscount Aoki
discussed the situation with the Sec
rotary, and expressed regret that
Japanese children should be discrimi-
mated against.
"The frienship between the United
States and Japan is too genuine and
of too long standing to justify any
formal protest on the part of Japan
because of wrongs her citizens may
have suffered in some one locality
in the United States" said Viscount
Aoki There is much misunder-
standing in Japan concerning the
true situation. OF course, the Japan
csc government fully realizes that
the action against the Japanese chill
dren is local and not general in this
country, but all the Japanese peo-
pie do not understand conditions in
this country, and a local unfriendli-
ness to Japanese is regarded by many
persons as a national action"
The action against the Japanese
children is regarded as extremely
serious by Viscount Aoki, and he
made no attempt to discount its
Importance after all the years of
friendship between the two nations
it seems too bad that the poor, inno-
cent, little Japanese school children
should be subjected to such indign1-
ties" said the Ambassador. Such
action on the part of local authori-
ties in this country is resented very
bitterly by all Japanese. !
Root Also Has A Grievance.
Secretary Root, on his side, re-
quested the Japanese government to
cause the arrest and punishment of
Japanese poachers who attempted to
land on the seal islands of Alaska
and who escaped to Japan
after some of their party had been
killed. The State Departments basis
for this request is found in the fact
that it regards the attempted land
ing of the poachers as an invasion
of United States territory.
Viscount Aoki said that Mr.. Hani-
hara, the secretary to the Japanese
Embassy, who has just returned
from an investigation in Alaska of
the killing of a number of Japanese
seal fishers on the Pribiloff Islands,
has not yet completed his report.
The Ambassador said there was no
doubt that the Japanese had no right
to be fishing in Alaskan waters, but
the question to be determined is
whether the Americans were war
ranted in inficting death as punish
ment.
In the opinion of Vicount Aoki,
the killing of the Japanese by the
American government agents has
played no little part in arousing
Japanese public sentiment against
the United States. In Japan it is be-
lieved that justice will be done in
this case when the facts are fully
CT