Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-03
HAwAIIANS DISAGREE WITH THE PRESIDENT
No Opposed TO
the Naturalization Of the Japanese
yokE

HONOLULU, Dec. 2O.-There were
two things IN President Roosevelts
message to congress Of particular IN
terest to Hawaii These were what he
said about the San Francisco school
incident, with his recommendation that
Japanese be admitted to naturalization,
and what he said about the leaders of
Industry i'm these islands adopting
American ideals. The people of the
territory were not prepared for sucn
vehement and radical announcement
As to the action of the San Francisco
board of education I'm requiring Jap
anese pupils to go to separate schools
from the whites, there has been divis-
ion of opinion here. In Hawaii there
has never been any race distinction in
the public schools, Children of all
races and nationalites attend the same
schools and mingle i'm the same classes.
This Is equally true of the private
schools, in which about one-fifth of the
children of school age are enrolled and
of the kindergartens, which, though
not part of the public school system,
are maintained by private benevolenCe
| in all parts of the territory. There was,
| however. Il general feeling that San
Francisco must be allowed to he the
| judge of her own domestic questions.
As to whether her action was In viola
tlon of the treaty rights of the Japan
ese the general feeling was that 1t was
a matter to be decided by the courts.
But the feeling Is very strong that
the president was unfair in the infer
ence to be drawn from what he said
about Hawaii. The cabled synopsis of
the message. which is all that Has been
received so Ear, quotes him as saying
whenever the leaders i'm the great
industries of the islands finally adopt
our ideals and join in developing a
middle-class of substantial citizens, a
way will be found to deal with the in
dustrial and commercial problems of
the territory" The inference from this
is felt to be unfair to the planters, who
have spent hundreds of thousands of
dollars in bringing hither and seeking
to build up white citizen population.
Presidents Attitude Contradictory
To many the presidents attitude
seems contradictory. In Hawaii the
Japanese have been Hospitality re-
ceived Both private and public money
has been freely spent to provide schools
! for japanese children as we'll as others.
This hospitality has been one cause of
such large migration hither of Jap
anese. Because of this large migration
the territory is threatened with ori-
entalization, notwithstanding the ef-
forts to introduce Europeans and
Americans. Now the president charges
the leaders of its great industries with
a reluctance to adopt American ideals.
or to join in the development of a
middle-class of substantial citizens. On
the other hand, because California has
mot been so hospitabe to the Japanese,
the public sentiment is rising there TO
prevent that state from being oriental
ized the president holds this up against
them as evidence of their lack of civ
ilization.
Governor Carter's Position
Although Governor Carter has an
nounced his complete Endorsement of
the presidents proposal to admit Jap
anese to naturalization, there is no
echoing sentiment in this territory.
Governor Carter is a man whose busi-
ness activity and interests have for
years been allied with the planters
Since becoming governor, however, lie
has sought to divorce himself from any
prejudices or bias he might have from
that fact. a sentiment has grown very
strong of late that the territory must
seek to escape complete DECENTRALIZATION
by building up white citizen popu-
lation, and Governor Carter has lately
thrown himself actively into the move
ment. 1t is not altogether surprising,
therefore, that he should adopt Presi-
dent Roosevelt's Japanese naturaliza-
tion idea.
Japanese Naturalization
Hawaii has had the question of Jap
anese naturalization to settle once be-
fore. Japan has long looked on Hawaii
with enviouS eyes. When the conven-
tion which framed the constitution of
the republic of Hawaii was in session
in 1894 Japan brought great pressure
to bear to secure the right of natural
ization for Japanese subjects. A Jap
anese man of war was sent here, and
there is every reason to believe that
had that convention provided for the
naturalization of the citizens or sub
jects of other nations and not those of
Japan, force would have been used