Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-04
No Wish for the Philippines,

No Wish for the Philippines.
Has no one in Japan suggested that you
ought to have the Philippines" l asked.
| Before the United States took those
islands we had some people who advocated
| their annexation for military and strategic
reasons, but they were only private per-
sons. The government never contemplated
such a thing, and after your people took
possession it has not been suggested again
even from private sources. The only feel
Ing is that of additional security because
| we have our most friendly neighbor near.
| Even were there no other reasons, the
| commercial and Industrial interests of both
| the japanese and the American would make
| war between the two nationS Impossible.
Our mills must have your cotton. We inn
port many millions of dollars worth every
| year, and we cannot get it anywhere else;
| and we must have your -four to feed our
| people. On the other hand you must have
| our tea and our raw silk. The industries OF
Japan would be paralyzed very largely II
there should be war with the United
States. Our dependence and reliance upon
| you is increasing every year.
| There is no agitation in Japan; there IS
| no feeling against the United States among
our people. 1t is all in San Francisco and
| in Europe and in the newspapers No one
in Japan has made any complaint. There
| is no excitement there. There is no 'parox-
| ySm of popular anger raging in our coun-
| try as one OIL your newspapers reported
| this morning. All of the excitement is
| elsewhere, outside of my country, and the
| only suggestion of war has come from
| sources that do not know anything about
| the facts or the controversy. We did not
understand the situation in San Francisco
| at first but we do now; and We know that
| it is merely local irritation which your
| own government and your courts will set
| tie Our people are fully advised of the
| facts At the beginning my government
| asked me what it meant. / went to see
| Secretary Root. and when heard his ex-
| PLANTATION, 1 told him 1t was perfectly sat
| isfactory, and when I telegraphed that ex-
| PLANTATION to my government. replied
| that It was perfectly satisfied. We are
| willing to leave everything to your Presi-
dent and your: Secretary of State and your
courts.
Our Treaties With Japan.
'Our treaties with the United States are
| broad and generous. They guarantee equal
ity to everybody and equal Justice to all.
| Formerly Japan Disseminated against for
| eigners but it is not SO any longer Every
| body in Japan has the same rights and
| privileges as our own people. and your
| treaties with us guarantee the same rights
| and privileges to the Japanese that your
| own people enjoy. We are confident that
| our treaty rights will be respected
| Among the immigrants from our coun-
| try there are doubtless elements that you
| do not like" remarked the ambassador with
| smile, and then he added silly. perhaps
| there are some of your people in Japan
| that we do not like, but that should not
| make any difference with the nations. That
| is the case everywhere in the world and
| 1t cannot be prevented. And 1t is a graf
| ification to know that the Japanese are
welcomed and treated kindly and that they
are even urged to come to your country
| everywhere except in San Francisco"
Japanese immigration Small.
| To show how insignificant is the whole
question it Is only necessary to refer to the
| report Of the commissioner Of immigration,
which says that the total number of aliens
arriving in the United States during the last
| fiscal year was 1,108175 of whom only H.
| 243 were Japanese. smaller number of
Immigrants came from Japan than from al
| most any other country in the world 1t
| ranks with Roumania, Portugal and other
| countries of limited population In our immi-
grafton statistics. The Hawaiian Islands
| are embraced with the rest of the United
| States in the returns and at least IS per
| cent Of the 14,243 arrivals last year remain
| about one-third of the population, number
| ing 1924 out of total of 15i 900. 1t should
1 be said also that the 14.243 arrivals were
not all new immigrants. The japanese
population of Hawaii continually pass-
| ing back and forth between those islands
| and their own country. The best authorities
say that between four and five thousand
| were residents Of Hawaii, leaving about TO-
1 600 actual immigrants.
| During the last eight years the number
of arrivals from Japan at the Hawaiian Is