The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-19
KETCALF ON JAPANESE ROW.
president TRiNSWITS REPORT,
REPEATING ms THREAT
.Tnat treaty Rights VIII he Maintained With
the Might Of the Governments strong
Arm Hes Confident That Call
fOrnians viii show the Right Sentiment.

Submitted to Congress to-day thc report on
the Japanese trouble in California made
by Victor n. M,tcalf when he wasSecretary
Of Commerce end Labor. The President
said:
R "To The Sepate an J HuusC o. Re Representatives.:
Y IL enclose herewith for your
the final report made 10 mo personally by
n Secretary Metcalf on the situation affecting
the Japanes in San Francisco. The re-
\ port deals with three matters I contro-
~yersy-hrst, the exclusion Of the Japanese
children from the san francisco schools;
second. the bovcOttiug OF Japanese resta'i,
rants, and third, acts Of violence committed
against the Japanese. ,
-s'As to the first matter. call your especial
n attention o the very small number OF
Japanese children Who attend school, To
Il the testimony IA to the brightness, clean
liness and good behavior OF tines Jap
anese children in the schools and To the
\ fact that wing To their being scattered
throughout the city, the requirement. Tor
y them all TO go to one special school Is I'M
y possible Of fulhlment and means that they
Z cannot have school facilities. Let mo
\ point out further that there would be no
Z objection whatever to excluding from the
y schools any japanese on the score OF age.
\ It is obviously not desirable tina young
n man should 10 10 school with children.
n The only point Is the exclusion OF the chill
\ dren themselves. The number Of Japanese
child en- attending the public schools in
San Francisco was very small. The GoV
eminent has already directed that suit be
brought TO test the consti~tutionality OF
u the act in question, but my very earnest
hope is that such suit will not be neces-
sAry and that az a matter OF comfy the
citizens of San Francisco will refuse 10
deprive these young Japanese children OF
education and will permit them to go to
the schools.
THE question as tn the violence against
the Japanese is most admirably put by
y Secretary Metcalf and | have nothing TO
add to his statement. l am entirely con-
fdent that, a. Secretary Metcalf says. the
overwhelming sentiment Of the State OF
California il for law and order and for the
protection Of the Japanese in their persons
and property. Both the chief Of police and
the acting Mayor Of San Francisco assured
Secretary Metcali that everything possible
would be lone to protect the japanese in
Z the city. ] authorized and directed Secre-
tary Metcalf TO state that II there was TAIL
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 Observance Of our treaty, the supreme
lRw Of the land. which treaty granted 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 employed. ] call especial atten-
ton TO the concluding sentence of Secretary
Metcalf's report Of November 26, 1905.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, Dec. IS, 1906"
. SECRETARY M~ErcALF's REPORT.
Secretary Metcalf in his report reviewed
the causes leading ~ 70 the action Of the
San Francisco School Board barring Jana
nese. The step had been considered for
several years and was largely influenced
by the activity of the japanese and COrean
Exclusion League. Many citizens had
protested 10 the board against Japanese
OF from 10 to "a years Of age going To school
with children. Then the Secretary says:
On the day when the order of October II
vent into effect. viz, October Is, there were
attending fhe public schools OF the city OF
San Francisco ninety-three Japanese pupils.
These pupils we're distributed among tvepty-
three schools OF the primary grade. There
are eight grades in the public schools Of San
Francisco, the first grade being the lowest
and the eighth The highest graduates Of the
eighth grade noing into the high school.
OF this total OF ninety-three pupils. sixty
eight were born in Japan and twenty-five
IN the United States. Those born in the
United States would. Of course. under Section
81 Of ArCicle XIV. OF the Constitution Of the
United States, be citizens OF the United States
and Of the State wherein they reside. and as
8uon suDJocC 10 Ine ldWS Oh tue ndtlOQ Rs well
e. Of the State.
The ages Of the pupils attending the public
schools on the day when the order went into
feet ranged from 7 to 20 years. Those born
IN the United States occupy about the same
position in the different grades as American
children Of the same are. while those bern
n Japan are very much older.
The number Of schools in San Francisco
prior to April 10 was seventy-siX. OF this
number twenty-eight primary or grammar
schools and two high schools we're destroyed
by Are, and one high school was destroyed
by earthquake. leaving forty-tive schools.
Since April Is. t~wenty-seven temporary
structures have been erected. making the
total number OF school buildings AZ the present
time seventy-two.
The Oriental school. the school set apart
for the Chinese. Japanese and Coresn chill
dren, is In the burned section. There is
only one japanese student attending this
school al the present time. and there are
mo Japanese children attending any Of the
other public schools. l visited the Oriental
school In co mpany with the Japanese Con-
sul and found it to compare favorably with
many of the new temporary structures erected
In the city. The course OF instruction is
exactly the same as at the other public schools.
and competent teachers are assigned for duty
In this school. Nearly all Of the pupils attend
ine this school have TO be taught the English
language.
An examination Of the map attached hereto
VIII st once clearly show that IL will be abso-
jutsiy impossible for children residing in the
remote sections Of the city to attend the
Oriental school. The conditions in San Fran
cisco are such, owing 10 the great conhagra-
ton, that IL would not be possible even for
crown children living at remote distances
10 attend this school. II the action Of the
board stands, then. and IL no schools are
gyfovided in addiJion to the one mentioned,
ft seems that a number of Japanese children
will b. prevented from attending the public
xchooIs and will have to resort to private
Instruction.
Secretary Metcalf went on TO say that
be found the sentiment in the State very
strong against Japanese young men at
vending primary grades and be considered
the obiection most reasonable. He rereated
The argument the California newspapers
1Rfye.,
4 The public schools OF Ca lifornia are a State
and not a Federal institution. The State has
the power to abolish those schools entirely.
and the Federal Government would have no
right to lift It's voice in protest. Upon tina
other hand. the State may extend the priyi.
leces Of its schools 10 aliens upon such terms
- Il, the State. may elect. and the Federal
|1oxsrnment has no right to question ia
sucfiOn 10 this regard. If it should be held
that there was a discrimination operating