The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-12-21
LAW OF THE LAND
Must Be Strictly Observed In
Dealing With Japanese
A MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
The President Reviews Recent
.iHs .,t-. 80 D. - s-. .-s
Events In San Francisco and
Submits MetcaIf's Report OF
His Investigation


Washington, Dec. 19.-The following
message of President Roosevelt was
sent to congress today:
l inclose herewith for your informa-
ton the final report made to me per
Sonaliy by Secretary Metcalf ON the
situation affecting the Japanese in San
Francisco The report deals with three
matters of contrOversy-frstt the exclu-
sion of the Japanese children from
the San Francisco schools; second, the
boycotting of japanese restaurants,
and, third, acts of violence committed
against the japanese
AS to the first matter, l call your
especial attention to the very small
number of japanese children who at
tend school, to the testimony as to the
! brightness, cleanliness, and good be
havlor of these japanese children in the
schools, and to the fact that, owing to
| their being scattered throughout the
city, the requirement for them all to go
TO one special school is impossible OF
tulhlment and means that they cannot
have school facilities. The government
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 be neces-
sary, and that as a matter of comfy
the citizens of San Francisco will refuse
TO deprive these young japanese chill
dren of education and will permit them
10 go to the schools.
The question as to the violence
against the Japanese is most admirably
put by Secretary Metcalf, and l have
nothing to add to his statement am
entirely confident that, as Secretary
Metcalf says, the overwhelming senti-
ment of the state of California is for
law and order and for the protection
of the japanese in their persons and
property.
l authorized and directed Secretary
Nietcalf to state that if there 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 obServ-
ance of our treaty, the supreme law Of
the land, which treaty guaranteed to
japanese residents everywhere in the
Union full and perfect protection 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 military, which |
could lawfully employ, would be EN-
ployed.
Report OF Secretary Metcalf
The report OF Secretary netcair is In
part as follows:
1t seems that for several years the
board of education of San Francisco
had been considering the ACCESSIBILITY
of establishing separate schools for
Chinese, japanese and Korean chill
drep, and on Oct. IL, 1905, passed a
resolution to that effect.
On the day when the order Of Oct. II
went into effect, viz, Oct. 10, there were
attending the public schools of the city
of San Francisco 90 japanese pupils.
The objection to japanese men at |
teEding the primary grades could very |
readily be met by simple rule limiting |
the ages of all children attending those |
grades. All of the teachers with whom !
talked while in San Francisco spoke
in the highest terms Of the Japanese
children, saying that they were among
the very best of theirpuplls, Clearly ID
Their persons, we'll behaved, studious,
and remarkably brigh.
A boycott was maintained in San
Francisco from Oct. to Oct "a by
members of the Cooks md Walters I'M
ion against japanese restaurants doing
business in that city. Nearly all OF the
leaders of labor organizations In San
Francisco interviewed on this subject
any knowledge of any for
mai action being taken for the boy
cottlng of these restaurants.
As a matter of fact, a most effective
boycott was maintained against nearly
all of the japanese restaurants To-
Gated in San Francisco for a period of
at least three weeks Picketsy were
stationed in front Of these restaurants II
and every effort was made to prevent
people from patronizing them. At
lines stones were thrown and windows
broken. Ia
1 ON satisfied, from inquiries made
" ire and from statements made to me
" the japanese restaurant keepers.
hat the throwing of stones and break.
ne of windows was not done by the
nen picketing the restaurants, but by
Dung men and boys who had gathered Z
] front Of the restaurants as soon as
be boycott was instituted. ...
Assaults have from time to time been
lade upon japanese subjects resident
the city of San Francisco. l was in.
'rmed by the chief Of police that upop
'celpt OF a communication from the
lpanese consul he at once instructed
ptnins Of police to make every effort
stop these assaults.
know that these assaults upon the
lpanese are universally condemned
all good citizens of California. The
saults upon the Japanese were not
ade, in my judgment, with a view of y
bbery, but rather from a feeling Of
cial hostility, stirred up possibly bv
wspaper accounts of meetings that
We been held at different times reIa. =
e to the exclusion Of japanese from