Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-05
Message the Last Session Of the tNnth CONGRESS- Deli

in one or two other places because of
their efficiency q; workers. To shut
them out from IT,. public schools is n
wicked absur,lity when there are no
first class colleges in the land. includ.
ING the universities and colleges of
California. which do not gladly well
come Japanese students and on which
Japapcse students do not reflect credit
We have rs much to learn from Japan
as Japan has to learn from us, and no
nation is fit to teach lAless it is also
willing to learn. Throughout Japan
Americans are we'll treated, and any
failure on the part of Americans at
home to treat the japanese with like
courtesy and consideration is by lust
so much a confession of inferiority in
our civilization.
Our nation fronts on the Pacific just
as it fronts on the Atlantic. We hope
to play constantly growing part in
the great ocean Of the orient. We
wish. as we ought TO wish, for Il great
commercial development In our deal
ings with Asia, and it is out of the
question that we should permanently
have such development unless we free
ly and gladly extend to other nations
the same measure Of justice and good
treatment which we expect to receive
in return. 1t is only very small body
of our citizens that act badly. Where
the federal government has power it
will deal summarily with any such.
Where the several states have power
l earnestly ask that they also deal
wisely and promptly with such con-
duct or else this small body of wrong
doors may bring shame upon the great
mass of their innocent and right
thinking fcll0ws-that is upon our ma
ton as whole. Good manners should
be an international no less than an
individual attribute. l ask fair treat
ment for the japanese as i would ask
fair treatment for Germans or English
l ask it as due to humanity and civil
liZation. l ask it as die to ourselves,
because we must act uprightly toward
all men.
Naturalize Japanese.
/ recommend to the congress that an
act be passed specifically providing for
the naturalization of Japanese who
come here intending 10 become Amer
lean citizens. One q the great en-
barrassments attending the perform
ance Of our international obligations is
the fact that the statutes of the United
States are entirely Inadequate. They
fail to give to the national government
sufficiently ample power through Unit
ed States courts and by the use of the
army and navy to project aliens in the
rights secured to them under solemn
l therefore earnestly recommend that
the criminal and civi statutes of the
United States be SO amended and add
ed to as to enable the president. acting
for the United Staes government,
which is responsible il our internation-
al relations. to enfol"e the rights OF
aliens under treaties Even as the
law now is something can be done by
the federal government toward this
end, and In the mattT now before me
affecting the Japanes, everything that
it is in my power to do will be DONE
and all of the forces. military and
civil, of the United Safes which I nay
lawfully employ viii be SO employed.
There should. however. be no particle
of doubt as to the power of the nation
al government completely to perform
and enforce its own obligations to 9th
er nations. The MOI Of single city
may at any time perform acts of law
less violence against some class of for
eigners which woun plunge us into
war. That city by itsef would be
powerless to make defense against the
foreign power thus assaulted and If
Independent of tbs government it
permit the performance of the acts
complained of. Tie entire power and
the whole duty to protect the offending
city or the offending community lie
in the hands of re United Hates gov
ernment. 1t is unthinkabf that we
should continue policy unGr which
given locality may be allowed to COM
nit Il crime against a friedly nation
and the United States government linn
tied not to preventing the commission
of the crime but in the lat resort to
defending the people who have com
mitted it against the conseI uences of
their own wrongdoing.
HIIDLN lATEDNRITI0M