The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-04-08
LEAGUE REPLIES
TO ROOSEVELT
Committee Scores President
for Belittling Question
of Chinese immigration
DANGER IN ALTERATION
Body Believes Only Safe
guard Against Asiatic
Labor Is Existing Laws

The executive committee of the jap
anse and Korean Exclusion League met
In the rooms of the secretary in the
Emma Spreckels building last evening
and adopted several resolutions regard
ing Chinese and Japanese exclusion. A
resolution was unanimously adopted
replying to President Roosevelts adj
dress to the American Federation of
Labor and scoring the President in his
effort to ybelittle the Chinese question.
Another was adopted asking that Con-
gress pass law to prevent the present
influx of Japanese laborers from the
Hawaiian Islands. who come here to
work upon contracts which were in
reality made before the men left Japan.
The resolution replying to President
Roosevelt is, as follows:
Whereas. President Roosevelt. In his
reply to the memorial recently pre-
sented to him by the American Fedora
ton of Labor, referring to the subject
of Chinese exclusion and the charge
made by the representative of organ
lied labor that the proposed modifica-
lions of the Chinese exclusion act would
result in admitting to the United States
considerable numbers of Chinese now
excluded by the present law. said:
"'There is no appreciable influx of
Chinese laborers, and there is not the
slightest or most remote danger of any.
The whole scare that has been worked
up on the subject is pure chimera. 1t
is my deep conviction that we must
keep out of this country every Chinese
laborer, skilled or unskilled-every
Chinese of the, coolie class. This is
what the proposed law will do. 1t will
be done as effectively as under the
present law, and the present law is be-
ing handled with the utmost efficiency.
But 1 will do everything in my power
to make easy and desirable for the Chi
nese of the business and. professional
classes, the Chinese travellers and stu
dents. to come here. and 1 will do all 1
can to secure their good treatment
when they come, and no laboring man
has anything to fear from that pol
icy; therefore be it
Resolved, by the Japanese and Ko-
rean Exclusion League of San Fran
cisco, that, while we recognize the sub
stantial correctness of the statement
regarding, the decrease in the number
of Chinese in the United States, as COM
pared with the period anterior to the
passage of the exclusion laws. we dis
sent from the Presidents inference that
that condition will continue in event of
the passage of the proposed 'modifica-
ton legislation, and declare our con-
viction, based upon long experience,
that said condition.. e., the decrease
in the number of Chinese in the United
States-is due primarily, and indeed
solely. to the exclusion laws and the
effective enforcement thereof: further
Resolved. That we deplore the senti-
ment and language of the President, in
tended to belittle the gravity of Chi
nese immigration and to impugn the
motives of those who would protect
themselves and their-country from such
Immigration: further
Resolved, That we reiterate our
sense Of danger from Chinese immigra-
ton and our conviction that such dan
ger can be obviated only by the con-
tinued maintenance of the existing ex
clusion act and its strict enforcement,
which act and the enforcement thereof.
while preventing the admission to- the.
United States of all classes of Chinese
labor, works no discrimination, indig-
nifty or hardship upon any Chinese per-
son of the exempt classes: further
Resolved, That copy of these reso-
lutions be forwarded to President
Roosevelt and the representatives of
California in the Congress of the United
States