Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-08
JAPANESE IN SCHOOLS
Only Ninety-Three of Them
Pupils in San Francisco.
WANT "JIM CROW" CARS
Efforts of Merchants to Have Them
Installed Fail.
COMPELLED TO PAY POLL TAX
California Newspapers Silent About
Some Of the Matters Relating
to the 0rientals.
TO PAY POLL TAX

SAN FRANCISCO, December S.-Investi-
cation has shown that the number of Jap
anese pupils in the San Francisco public
schools before the board of education
issued it's famous order separating them
from the white children was ninety-three
The board of education admits this figure
is accurate. There are about seventy pri-
mary and grammar schools in the city.
Forty-seven had no Japanese scholars.
With the exception of two schools, the
number of japanese in attendance at any
one did not exceed six. The greatest num-
Der of Japanese was in the Redding pri-
mary school, where there were twenty-three,
At this school there is room for good
many more pupils than attending.
OF the ninetythree pupils, none was
more than twenty years old and only two
We're as old as that. Six were 49, six Is,
twelve II, nne 16 and ten 10. The re-
mainder were between and II years old.
There was not a single case of trachoma
among the ninety-three-
In face of figures such as these, 1t might
be expected that the Californians would
drop this particular feature of the anti
japanese campaign, but instead they seem
bent pushing it.
At a meeting in Oakland last night it
was decided to request the Oakland poard
of education to follow the example of the
San Francisco board and Immediately eX-
clude japanese pupils DIR. benjamin Ice
Wheeler president of the University OF
California, was bitterly censured Tor al
legged interference at Washington. He was
there last week, and is accused by Caii-
fornians of having influenced the Presi-
dent to write the Japanese paragraphs IN
the message The message was written
long before DR. Wheeler saw the Presi-
dent and DIR. Wheeler certainly old not
advise the President to take a stand
against the Californians and in favor OIL
the Japanese.
Want "Jim Crow Cars for Asiatics.
The San Francisco Merchants Exchange
has petitioned the Southern Pacifice Com
pany to provide Jim Crow cars on the
suburban lines for japanese and Chinese
The exchange asserts that Aslatcs
throng the ferryboats in such numbers
that white persons are fortunate to be
able to get the cars. Particularly Is
this true, the members declare, on the
narrow-gauge line running from the Ala,
media pier and passing through the orlentai
quarter of Oakland.
This statement is just as true as the
assertion that the japanese are crowd
ing the white children out of the schools.
On the Alameda line one finds about as
many orientals as one finds negroes in a
9th avenue elevated train in New York in
the evening. The Southern Pacific is giving
a very cold reception to the petition-so
chilly, in fact, that members of the ex.
change in charge of it have made several
visits to the railway offices, ana nave
been unable to md the proper OIhceI "
whom to present IT. - 81
Paul Schorp, assistant general passenger
agent, said in an interview today: b.
1--WE are not looking for any trouble ca
the Monaghan question, nor do We VISA
to take any official action that might injure
our business. We shall operate our system
as heretofore, and will not discriminate
against the Asatics. There is no law which
will enable US to make such a move and
not be subject to suits for damages.
Japanese Pay Poll Tax.
This remark about litigation recalls a
circumstance which may have some
weight in future developments in the edu-
cation question. The Japanese govern
ment is not exactly notorious for leaping
before it looks. and it is not at all I'M
likely that it has one or two cards up its
sleeve in case the legal action already be-
gun should fail Every person who has re-
sided in California for sixty days is sup
posed to pay 81 year as poll tax.
1t is asserted that to save trouble the
officers collect the tax from Japanese on
their arrival. A any rate, they are made
to pay it regularly, while OF the white resi-
dents of San Francisco perhaps one in three
is found who tells you with a Wry fac
| that he has been stuck for it. This tax
is levied for the purpose of keeping up tn
public schools.
The California newspapers have been re
markedly silent regarding this little fea
ture of the affair since the trouble started
and, while accusing President Roosevelt
of miSrepreSenta tion, continue to maxi
such statements the following, which il
from the Sacramento Union:
Our schools are our own. We maintain
them at own cost for the nurture OF
our children. We have no thought OF
turning them into eSta biishments for the
Americanization of orientals'