Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-12-07
WE OWE NO AIMS TO JAPS,
The Impudence Of the Little Brown Man Pas,
eth All Endurance.
Inter-Ocean.


Some weeks ago the Japanese Am
bassador complained to the State De.
partment against the exclusion" or
"segregation" of Japanese pupils by
the San Francisco school board.
Straightway the administration sent
Secretary Metcalf to San Francisco.
The assumption was-or at least the
public supposed-that Japanese child
rem had been made the victims OF
"race prejudice"
As a matter of fact, "the exclud.
ed" and "segregated" Japanese were
not children at all, but men 20 to 80
years old who wished to learn the
English language at no cost to them
selves, and who therefore aimed to
have the taxpayers of San Francisco
bear the expense of teaching them.
furthermore, these Japanese and their
government had raised the question of
their free schooling at . time when,
for we'll known causes, San Francisco
wae extremely hard put for school
room and when to grant Japanese
wishes meant to shut native children
out OF the schools.
The people OF San Francisco have
been talking rather loudly through
their newspapers about what they will
and will not do in the matter. Such
talk is childish. San Francisco and
California and their people are in the
United States and subject 10 the ma.
tional government. Their objection
to paying for the education of adult
aliens, to having their children crowd.
ed out Of school by those aliens or
forced into an association with them
in school, which often is morally un-
desirable is too we'll founded to need
reinforcement by any sort Of threats.
Right is undeniably on the side Of
the San Franciscans. That adults
should be taught at public expense is
no principle OF the American public
school system. Where provision is
made for the teaching of adult litter.
ates, it is done either as an act OF pub.
lie grace or by private benevolence.
Furthermore, it is always an act Of
grace to admit q non on-resident or tran
sient to the public school at all.
When admitted, the rule is that he
must pay for the teaching, having no
right to the benefits of the schools
supported by a community to whose
support he does not contribute. These
are established principles.
From the facts of the case, it is plain
that the Japanese Ambassador acted
presumptuously and should have been
automatically invited to attend to his
proper business by the State Depart
ment instead OF being gratified by the
sending OF a Cabinet officer post.haste
to San Francisco to look into the al.
legged grievances of his countrymen.
A year or two ago, when I" tho little
Jap" was at the height of his popular.
ity in this country, the Inter- Ocean
stood practically alone in declaring
that popularity undeserved. Since
then we have begun to find out more
about the Jap. He has lost his popu
larity altogether on the Pacific coast,
and even his admirers farther East
are beginning to find fault with him.
The plain truth is that "tbe little
Jap" has let his head grow 80 large
that he is becoming q nuisance. I'm.
ess the Japanese people and their
government recover their sense Of pro.
portion and discover that they are not
really the biggest things on earth. it
will become the painful duty OF some
first.class power or powers to bring
them back to common sense and fact.
>D
j. L. OsTRANDER, during the floods a
few days ago, travelled q thousand