The Washington times., 1907-02-13
JAPANESE COOLIES
MENACE TO NATION
Mr.. Kahn Says There Is No
Opposition to Better
Class OrientalS.

BOSTON. Mass. Feb. 13.-Julius Kahn.
member Of Congress from a San Fran
cisco district. delivered an address be-
fore the Middlesex Club. this city. last
night, in which he discussed the Japa-
nese question. Mr.. Kahn. in opening.
said there was no antagOnism In Cali
fornia to the Japanese of the better
class, such as scholars. professional
men, bankers and merchants, on the
Pacific Coast.
1.-THE opposition Is entirely directed
against the collie or laboring class"
said Mr.. Kahn, and ] say frankly that
the japanese coolie Is much more feared
, in California than is his meek, docile.
Childlike and bland counterpart from
the vicinage of Canton.
He is not altogether an unskilled la
borer. and almost Immediately after his
arrival in that city he enters into direct
competition with white skilled mechan-
les. Our experience with him has taught
US that even where he begins work as
an unskilled laborer he does not stay
at it very long. He soon branches out
in business for himself as contractor.
a restaurant keeper. a florist or some
other vocation Of that kind.
Cut Prices and Live Cheap.
Now. that in itself is commendable
enough, but the moment he has put up
HIS sign he begins to cut the bottom out
OF prices. As general rule. he has no
family to support. for the most of the
Japanese that come to the United States
are males. They are not accompanied
by their wives and children to any
great extent. as in the case with Euro
pean immigrants.
California, by reason of her geo
graphical location. has TO bear the
brunt of this fight Those who do not
understand the conditions that prevail
In that State are apt to condemn her
people for their stand on the question
OF Asiatic immigration. But it is n case
Of self-preservatiOn with us. and IL con-
ditions were reversed. ana the great
hordes OF Asiatic coolies were landed
on the shores Of Massachusetts. you
would probably have an outcry here
compared to which the protest that
comes from California bears the same
proportions that a balmy summer
zephyr bears TO a genuine Nebraska
blizzard.
Jap Children Not Barred.
IAN effort has been made 20 create
the Impression throughout the country
that San Francisco has denied all Jap
anese children admission into her pub
lie schools. No such step has ever
been contemplated. The action Of the
school board simply contemplated the
consolidation Of all japanese school
children under one roof and Il has been
generally admitted that the school pro
vided for these Japanese and other ORR
entail children was equally as goou rs
were the schools attended bv white chill
dreu. Their corps Of instructors were
experienced in their work. and COM
pared most favorably with the teachers
in the other schools of the city.
my individual opinion IS. and always
has been, that every State in the Union
mas the absolute right to regulate her
own schools in any manner she sees fit
and that no outsider. not even the Presi-
dent Of the United States has the right
10 interfere. But the courts will prob
ably pass upon that subject. and any
thing that ] may say upon il would be
purely academic.
japanese Very Ambitious.
Japan is just as ambitious CONNER
cially as we are. She will exert every
effort 10 build up her markets az our
expense She has given evidence THAI
she will even sUbsidize her rlanufactur-
erS, II Il shall become necessary. for
them TO control their markets. And
Have always felt that. Il ever "a clash of
arms snail occur between the two ma
tons. Il VIII arise as result Of our own
commercial expansion interfering witb
Ihe commercial expansion OF our power
Iul neighbor on the other side of the
Pacific. "
Ihere Is q strong a1tI-foreig-, SEMI
nlent In both Japan and China. True.
me argument Is often made that the
Cnlted states is the traditional friend of
both Of these Oriental countries a. a.
my study Of world politics 7 have
learned to believe that at the psyche
logical moment this traditional friend
myth