The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-02-15
PRESIDENT
AND FRISCO
WASHINGTON. Eehrnnrr l

WAshlNGTON, February lat the
meeting Of the Cabinet today the .Japa-
nesc question was discussed at length.
The President told his advisers that
he had asked the San Francisco school
authorities to come to Washington in
the interest Of peace and in the hope
that the school question might be re-
moved from controversy without wait-
ing for decision by the courts. With
the Japanese reassured as to the treat
ment of her school children on an
equality with those of other countries
residing in the United States, the Presi-
dent hoped that the way would be open
ed to settlement of other questions
by treaty or otherwise.
Word was received from San Fran.
cisco that the entire school board would
leave for Washington on Sunday, but
that its attitude on the segregation of
Orientals was unyielding.
The statement by the President to
the California delegation that the,
American-Japanese situation was more
serious than was generally imagined,
and the impression derived from his
talk that Japan was apparently not
anxious to reach settlement of pend
Ing questions, aroused feeling of ap-
prehension among public men today
The President, it was also learned, was
being actuated by grave reasons that.
had not been made. public.
FEELING INTENSIFIED.
This feeling was intensified by the.
mystery with which the administration
sought to envelop its plans, and by the
readiness with which the Californians.
agreed to recede upon the school ques-
tion in the face Of the overwhelming
sentiment of their own State. Politi-
clans at the capital reasoned that pow
erful arguments must have been en-.
ployed by the President to induce the
Californians to run the risk of political
suicide by going contrary to the senti-
ments of their constituents.
Members of the California delegations
were embarrassed today by the disclos-
ure of the essential features of their
conference with the President, after
htey had pledged themselves to remain
silent. They also received word from.
home that was not comforting.
One Of the California delegation ad-
mitted today that the offhand adjust
ment of difficulties with Japan, as
skillfully outlined by Secretary Root in,
the statement made public Wednesday
night, was not promising. Sober second
Californians to realize that they were
asked to surrender their position on
the school question for the hope of OBJ
tanning something that might never.
materialize, namely, the exclusion Of
Japanese laborers..
DANGEROUS COMPLICATIONS.
When the news came that the Presi-
dents proposition did not strike the
school authorities of San Francisco
favorably the Californians admitted
that the situation seemed to become
more complicated and dangerous.
1.-The School Board will come off the
perch all right when 1t sees the Presi-
dent said one of the Californians,
with an appearance of confidence. "The
whole delegation has done so and the
School Board will follow. I won't give
the reasons which impelled us to ac--
cede to the Presidents wishes. 1t is
enough to say that they were sufficient.
At first 1t was our purpose to tele-
graph to Governor Gillett to hurry to
Washington, but afterward we agreed
that he could do more good at Sacra-
mento holding down the Legislature
and preventing any infiammatory talk.
The situation is so extremely delicate
that there must be no further agita-
tion."
The Californians became still more
pessimistic after they sounded some
Of their colleagues as to the chances
Of ratifying an exclusion treaty and OBJ
tanning an act to carry 1t into effect
1t was recognized that legislation
would be necessary in order to make
Japanese exclusion effective. and they
We're told on every hand that this was
impossible.
They were pleased when the Presi-
dent assured them that he was with
them and that he would try to induce
Japan to come to an agreement by
treaty. But they are beginning to
think that the President may have
been too sanguine as to his ability to
cause California to reverse her atti-
tude on the school question.
WEDNESDAYS CONFERENCE.
In Wednesdays conference. accord
ing to the Californians, the President
told them that Japan would have to be
satisfied on the school question before
any progress could be made toward an
exclusion treaty. AS the Japanese chill
dren We're segregated according to an
act OF the Legislature, 1t is thought
here that the Legislature must be in
duced to repeal the law before japan
can be furnished with evidence that
no discrimination is practised against
her people.
The question that bothers the Cali
fornia delegation is whether the Presi-
dent can bring about such a change
of front in California without making
public the grave reasons which impel