The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-23
SOLVING JAPANESE PROBLEM.
hRrsrDENT JORDAN SUGGESTS A
DIPLOMATIC ARRANGEMENT.
rhinks Coolies mould He Excluded and Can
ne. Treating Directly with Japan-N
Doubt OF CaiIfOrnla's Strong Dislike
OF the Yellow Races I'm Numbers.

~ W
OF the Yellow Races I'm Numbers.
SAN Francisco, Nov. 22.-Thoughtful
Ealifornians are giving more and more
Attention TO the Japanese question as the
IA, : roll by. hat is to say, they are giving
Il "a much attention as the circumambient
excitements of the m will permit.
What between indicting the Mayor and
Boss Ruef, cunning for a majority OF the
dty officials, rebuilding $500 acres OF ruins
and scrambling up and down heaps OF
debris all day long in the process Of these
pursuits, San Franciscans are a pretty busy
lot Of people just now.
But the more thoughtful AVE an eye for
the future and they believe that the status
Of the Japanese in this country is a problem
knat is going to increase In importance
until it is settled to their liking. There Is
A feeling among some of them that a ma
konal commission, including a fair repre-
Sentation of California men,, should be
formed TO make a ~rockbottom study OF the
case on California soil. 1t would be OF the
utmost importance, OF course, that the
personnel of such a commission should be
made UP OF widely experienced, travelled
Americans, blessed with scholarship and
common sense and incapable OF narrow
hess or bias-such men, for example. as
Andrew D.. White. President Alderman OF
the University Of Virginia. Jacob A. Riis.
or, in California, President Jordan OF Le-
land Stanford or President Wheeler Of the
University of California, both Of whom,
though Eastern men, are thoroughly ia
miliar in a sympathetic way with the Cali
fornian point of view. At present the
matter is simply drifting and drifting fast
upon the rocks OF international i'll will and
misunderstanding.
President Jordan believes that the matter
Of Japanese immigration, which really
Gnderlies the trouble over the segregation
Of Japanese school pupils, can best be
settled In conjunction with Japan herself.
He discussed the ease with The Sun cor
respondent In this way:
In a civilized country II is no crime to be-
long to another race. and there can be no
federation OF the Indictment Of race riots
In this country. II h even more important
that a nation should be decent than that il
should be- white. IL is. moreover, a sign
Of a brave, Just nation that 1t should treat
all its neighbors alike, insulting none. OPP
pressing none, and ~cringing before none.
These principles should guide us in our
own advancement and In our own self pro-
lection. 1t cannot be denied that great
dangers as well IA great advantages lie in
our relations with Asia. We have on the
Pacific coast no economic asset more valu-
able than the good will of China and japan.
On the other hand, there Is real danger that
our civilization may suffer enormously from
the mere overflow Of superfuous Cinnamon.
believe that exclusion laws should be
Jointly framed. so that the people We deal
with will not be Inundated by them. Any
sort - owaInaiop layu 10 nm anvil An ovapG0U
Of people Of less intelligence. less ~self-re-
lance and less patriotism than our own.
whether from China, Poland, Africa or any
where else, Ia also an evil. III we choose
exclusion acts as the lesser evil. We should
not make them offensive to those we do not
need 70 exclude. We must always let our
neighbors save their face"
The whole matter of our relations with
China and Japan demands not snap judy
ment, mass meetings and emotionalism OF
one kind or another: it is a question which
the United States must decide. not the people
Of San Francisco. Agitation can do little
except mischief. II our end In view is to
keep California a white mans country
We must grant to men OF other nations certain
exclusive privileges of their own. The open
doors OF world politics swing both ways,
We cannot grow rich with Asiatic trade unless
We do our part in enriching Asia.
do not favor the admission OF Japanese
lahorers, II W. can arrange amicably 10 keep
them out. But friction with Japan Is a more
serious matter than the presence OF a few
thousand industrious Japanese. japanese
officials have freely expressed willingness
to do whatever we wish in this regard, II
our wishes are made known automatically
and cOurteously. For about five years emf
grafton Of Japanese laborers to the United
States has been rigidly prohibited by the Jap
anase Government. That they come from
Hawaii Ia a matter over which Japan has no
control; nor does the small lumber who come
affect the situation much.
on the other hand, we have no means
Of checking the entrance OF the Japanese
except by mutual agreement with Japan.
Japan IL a nation of the FIRST class, and we
can no more turn the Chinese exclusion
against her than we could against France or
Germany. AJapanese friend writes to me:
The remedy against immigration Of lower
class japanese IL to be sought In coming to a
diplomatic understanding in the matter. and
by eliminating the Objectionable features.
The japanese Government. without doubt.
would be open to reason. But to pass a law
c%ondemning the japanese Wholesale, for no
other reason than that they are Japanese.
would he striking a blow at Japan at her most
sensitive point. The unfriendly act would be
10 felt more keenly than almost anything con-
ceivable. An open declaration OF war would
DOT De resented as muCH. Inc TehsOu " NOT
far TO seek. Japan has had a long struggle
In recovering her rights as an Independent
state and of obtaining a standing in the civil
lied world. II now her old friend. almost re-
sponsible for having started her In this ca
reer, should turn her back on her and say she
will no longer associate with her on even
terms. the resentment must necessarily be
very bitter.
The entire loss Of prestige in Japan may
not seem much to the Americans. In the
Far East there will be ~stupendous commissions
from which great nations like America cannot
keep themselves clear. And with such crises
those with community OF interests should not
nisunderstand each other
1t has been made sufficiently plain that
Californians do not like the Japanese in
numbers. II cannot be too many times
repeated that the foment is not the result
of labor union sentiment. hat idea pre-
walls in the East. and its prevalence does
more than anything else to blind the country
~ large to the true state Of things here.
The facts are that the Japanese in large
numbers are viewed universally in Cali
fOrDia with dislika and g,aDicion NObOdv