Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-10
.SCHMITz TELLS
OF EASTERN TRIP
SAYS He SECURED NEEDED
LEGISLATION
Mayor Of San Francisco Declares Laws
Passed and to Be Passed Will
Mean Much TO the Pacific
Coast
Ru Associated Press.


statement Mayor schmitz made public
today he says:
''The president, Secretary Root, the
board Of education and mlseh held
six conferences, at which we thor
oughly considered every phase of the
public school question relative to the
Japanese as well as the probabilities
of enacting Japanese exclusion legis-
lation before the adjournment of con-
gress.
''We we're informed by our repre-
sentatives in congress that they had
done everything possible to obtain
legislation by any treaty or otherwise
providing for the exclusion of Japanese
laborers, skilled or unskilled They
had not succeeded and they corrobo-
rated the statement of the president
that no exclusion law could be passed
at this session, but that the steps had
been taken toward the enactment of
the desired law at the next session of
congress-
During our various conferences with
the president we presented at great
length the views of the people of this
state upon Japanese exclusion and sub
mitted the many reasons why, from the
standpoint of organized labor the en-
actment of law positively excluding
Too Late to Act
1--WE were informed that although the
president was willing to give his aid in
obtaining these desired results, 1t was
too late in the session to pass an eX-
clusion law, and that he was estopped
from obtaining exclusion by treaty for
various diplomatic reasons, chief
among which was the very earnest OBJ
lection by Japan to the phraseology OF
A,-I %fn Nj Ynn.-
tion whereby the Japanese pupils had
been segregated.
''The resolution of the board of edu-
cation under date of october IL, 1906, to
which objection was made by the jap
anese, provided in terms that japanese
should be segregated with Chinese and
Korean children in the oriental school.
Authority for this resolution was found
in article 10, section 1862, of the political
code of California.
NOW the offensive portion of this
resolution to Japan was not so much in
the segregation itself as in the placing
of the japanese on the same level with
the Chinese and the Koreans. 1t be-
came apparent, after very complete
discussion of the subject that if the
intent of the resolution were couched
in different language all possibility OF
objection would be removed by the
elimination Of the Objectionable terms.
What the Bill Provides
"Such a change, while not altering
the policy of the board of education of
regulating by resolution the admittance
of Japanese children into the public
schools, would assure the immediate
passage of q law placing in the hands
of President Roosevelt the power to
exclude Japanese laborers, skilled and
unskilled. We had received the per-
sonal assurance of the president that
he would exercise this power in the in
terests of the Pacific coast and in the
particular interest of our workingmen.
Under these conditions, and with
this direct understanding and with the
help of the representatives and sem
ators of California and the other Pa
cific coast states, an amendment to the
immigration bill Is. B. No. 4403) was
drawn, submitted to conference
committee of the house and the senate
and passed by congress-
''This amendment empowers the pres
ident to deny admittance to the United
States of Japanese laborers, skilled or
unsklled, seeking entrance by way of
Mexico, Canada, Honolulu, the Philip
pines, the canal zone or any other part
of the world The amendment is now
the law of the land
Shuts Japs Out
''There is no reason to doubt that
without an exclusion law the influx Of
Japanese into California would be
much greater during the present year
and the next than during the past two
years. But the amendment to the i'm
migration bill just passed by congress
shuts the doors against these undesir-
able immigrants enables the president
to keep them out, and without any de-
lay except that necessitated by our
trip to Washington saves us from a
horde of $1,000 to 10000 additional
Japanese.
''It should also be borne in mind in
this connection that while obtaining
the present law extending the powers
of the executive to the exclusion of
Japanese we have also obtained the
presidents personal assurances that
his power will be eXerted in this mat
ter in the interests of the people of
California and. moreover, that he win
assist in the enactment Of an exclusion
law at the next session of congress.
oompers Satisfied
Samuel Gompers president Of the
American Federation Of Labor, who is
fully conversant with everything that
took place at Washington, has stated
. that in securing the passage of the
act of February is last we who went
to Washington did more for the
people of the country in one measure
and in less time than anything else
that had been accomplished since the
Civil War.
"To achieve the great results brought
about what rights were surrendered
by the board of education and my
self? None We're surrendered. The Oc-
tober resolution Of segregation was
based upon the law of the state. That
law we upheld; the rights of the board
of education arising from it we main
tanned; that the action of the board
of education was in violation of any
treaty rights of Japan we denied and
do still deny.
"In return for the present exclusion
law and for a solemn promise OF the
great aid Of the president for a more
extensive exclusion law at the next
session of congress, we have simply
agreed to change the wording of the
October resolution. but without chang
ing its effect. The resolution win now
apply to the children of all alien races.