The independent., 1907-02-21


time / saw the sentiment of an Amer
lean community acting toward an out
slider as the Japanese in their racial
exclusiyeness and concealment act
toward any Caucasian. 1 was amaz-
ing.
The conduct OF the Japanese is. for
the most part, exemplary. So their
emperor orders. A diplomatic case is
ever in preparation. Tick tick tick.
the Japanese consulate keeps an ac-
count of every act of violence against
Japanese subject. The Japanese do
not segregate in quarters as the Chin
csc ard European immigrants do.
They rarely get intoxicated. They
take off their kimonos and incase
their bowlegs in unbecoming pants"
the ranks Of the day laborer among
the debris are closed to them as are
the ranks of all the trades. If they
open restaurants or stores with Ameri-
can goods little custom comes though
they undersel rivals. They may be
servants. cobblers, draymen, and fill
in the odd jobs which the American
does not want At school the children
of the coolie class are slow: having
no knowledge Of English. they are a
positive drag on the other pupils.
Those of the merchant class are
usually bright. All are clean and at
tentive.
But" say the San Fpnciscians,
grown men go to school with our
young girls. We wilt not stard for
that
sThen," instantly suggests the visi-
tor, why not make a rule limiting
the ages of the grades?"
That brings practieaitf answer
that they do not want Orientals in
their schools anyway. No public
charge of the offense feared has been
brought against any "study hoy.
When the board Of education speaks
of the immortality of the Japanese as
a cause of offense, a cynic may ask If
there is anything worse in Japan than
the organized promotion Of hrothels
by the city administration.
But the morals of Ruef are not the
morals Of San Francisco. Her family
code, unlike that of Japan, does not
contemplate as legitimate and re-
spectacle the sale of a girl by her
parents into prostitution. or grant a di-
voree on the volition of the husband
who dismisses his wife as he would
discharge servant The Japanese
insist that we have things worse. We
have, perhaps, but the San Francis
clans insist that they are our kind of
worse just as the Japanese kind Is
Japanese. Probably no Japanese city
was ever so badly governed rs San
Francisco is at This moment. M
streets are more orderly than those of
Japanese towns.
Wh n out of the 1,25o.e ilrmi-
grants expected next year a possible
$4,000 Japanese makes such a small
drop in the bucket when the Jap
anese ale orderly and individually
ambitious, why the boycott of man
kind if not of their goods2 Why ihis
transgression of the great American
principle? Your average San Fran
cisan is as Intelligent as fair, as gen
erous rs your New Englander; more
so, | think, where his own OK is con-
eerned. His state needs labor, and
the very employers of labor oppose
the Japanese. The San franciscan
is the man on the spot. He takes Il
train with many stops to New York
and | steamer with one stop to Japan.
lie knows lis orient as we Of the east
do not. In his city enthusiasm was
strongest of all cities for Japanese
vicit Try. His admiration Of the Jap
anese nation remains. Why, then,
Why The Japanese who migrate are
Of the coolie and merchant classes, a
caste of underlings with no rights for
thousands of years. 1t is they who
sell their daughters. 'fhe samurai
class, that ancient third of the pop
ulation which hay c made Japan great.
never come except as students. Yet
this point seems only sophistry for
strengthening an illogical position
which has its roots in strong. chival-
fous race meeting strong chivalrous
race. neither Of which can understand
the strength Of chivalry of The other.
IF you lived here year ago you
would be with u.s." Is the San Fran
ciscan's final answer. In any American
crowd Japanese is as distinguishable
as an oak in a pine grove The streams
of humanity going eastward and west
ward from the apple tree in the gar
den have sunk into the channels they
have worn. So long We're the Janan-
cse the peas in the pod OF exclusion
that they have come to think alik"
and look alike. ours was the seed