The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-06-11
WASHINGTON AND
TOXIC INVESTIGATE

e We're heaped upon the foreigners. AZ
J. cording to information which the stat
e Department has, a restaurant in Fol
n som street. San Francisco, conducte
r by japanese was the scene of a dis
|. turbance in which several white me-
/ were implicated. This was followe,
/ by an attack upon japanese bath
house across the street from the res
2 taurant.
The trouble arose because of the al
/ LEGGED election of two white men from
the restaurant. A mob took up the is
sue between the white men and the
Japanese and made an assault upor
both the restaurant and the bath.
house, with the result that both places
ports, the white men entered the places
and after destroying property made
their escape through the rear of the
bathhouse.
In San Francisco the affair was re-
igarded only as an incident to the street
car strike and general labor troubles
with which the city is beset, and no
report of it was sent out until after
lit was learned that the matter had
ben reported by the japanese to their
Consul General in San Francisco and
| by him communicated to the Govern
ment in Toxic.
| The explanation as to why no action
was taken by the authorities in San
Francisco and why protection was not
afforded the Japanese is that the police
of the city have had their hands full
in dealing with the street car strike
and the disturbances which prevail as
the outgrowth of the general unrest in
the labor situation. Now that the af-
fair has been called to the attention of
the State Department by Japan, which
has asked for the protection of its sub
jects, the matter has assumed an in
ternational aspect and is regarded with
greater degree of seriousness.
The first intimation which the State
Department had officially of the trouble
came in a dispatch to the department
from our Ambassador at Toxic, Luke
E. Wright, who cabled this morning
that it was reported in Toxic and pub 4
lished that attacks had been made up
on Japanese business establishments
in San Francisco. Mr.. Wright appar-
emily regarded the matter as of grave
consequence, although the despatch in
dicates that the japanese authorities
are treating the incident with calm
ness and relying upon the Government
aft "a Sh ms RI INF re oh
legations and afford the subjects of,
Japan the necessary protection to Ing
sure the safety of their lives and
property.
Secretary Root at once communicated
the contents of the dispatch to the De-
partment of Justice, with the request
that the Attorney General call upon the
United States District Attorney and the
United States Marshal in San Francisco
for full report on the affair and that
they take whatever steps can be taken
to afford protection to the Japanese.
Attorney General Bonaparte at once
complied with this request.
A little later in the day the Japanese
Ambassador, Viscount Aoki, called at
the State Department and had a con-
ference with Secretary Root, giving
him a full account Of the affair as it
had been reported to him by the Japa-
nese Consul-General in San Francisco.
The Ambassador requested of the State
Department that steps be taken to
guarantee his countrymen the fullest
measure of protection to their lives and
property. Assurance was given him
that this would be done, and he was
also advised of the action which the
State Department had taken in re-
questing an investigation through the
Department of Justice. Ambassador
Aoki left the department thoroughly
satisfied that everything would be dne
to insure the fulf1lment of treaty obli-
cations.
Following the interview with the
Japanese Ambassador, Secretary Root
telegraphed to Governor Gillett, who is
in San Francisco watching the devel-
opments in the strike situation, asking
him to make an inquiry into the facts
of the case at once. and if it is as re-
ported to see to it that the State of
California does it's part toward carry
ing out treaty obligations by giving the
japanese the protection which the
United States guarantees to them. 1t
was suggested to Governor Gillett that
in view of the previous trouble he
should exercise special effort in this
case and that it was incumbent upon |
him to see that the police authorities
of San Francisco do their full duty in
the matter. !
The situation in which the Federal T,
Government finds itself is somewhat |
annoying. although similar situations |
have arisen in times past. Under the |
treaty agreement with Japan this Gov |
eminent guarantees Japanese subjects |
the right to reside in this country and |
the full protection of the laws with re- |
spect to the safety of their lives and |
property. At the same time, to large |
extent the Government finds itself I'M
able under our system of government |
to afford police protection and must |
rely for this upon the States. Just |
how far the Federal Government can |
go in such cases is a question which |
has been a matter of discussion for !
years The only course which the Gov |
l.