The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-01-10

japanese President Roosevelt
Severely Censured for Misstating
the Facts and Siding With an
Alien Race, in an Unjust Cause,
Against Hia Own Countrymen.
litOriaI in the San Francisco Herald.
4 correspondent in Massachusetts,
hicl contributed so bOuntifully to
he magnificent outpOuring OF sym
'athy and relief which followed our
isaster OF last April, writes, asking
hat frank and calm statement be
hade as to the nature and causes OF
that apparently seems to our CORE
pOndent an unreasOning race prelu-
ice on the part Of the people OF this
ity toward Japan and the japanese.
What follows states, i'll our opinion,
he feeling OF thoughtful Americans
throughout the Pacific coast. 1t does
lot. perhaps, express the attitude
Either of our hOOdlums or of selfish
Employers who would save their
rOps at the price of our civilization:
/. We respect and admire the japanese
alton as great people now in their
lerOic age and destined to become by far
he most formidable competitors whom
he white race has ever met in commerce
md industry We hope to compete with
hem hOnOrably and peacefully. Our
sympathy was with them in their recent
4 4Lnf tn.r,
european nations had deprived them OF
he lust fruits OF their victory in 1894.
Ne have such confidence in the wisdom
Di their governing statesmen that we
EhOuld like nothing better than to sit
Town with them and consider our prob
ems. We feel sure that they would ap-
Dreciate, as keenly as we do, the vital
necessity OF keeping the masses of the
races apart either in this country or Aria.
~ e regret as deeply as any one the dis
grace brought upon this community by
occasional attacks Of vicious men on
Japanese lawfully in this country, and
ln particular the stOning OF the distin-
5uished Professor OmOri by a gang of
IOOdlum boys in the employ of the
nited States government. II Japa-
hese feet will visit this port it will be
Hospitality received
,. With all this we oppose the immi-
grafton OF japanese, laborers more siren
|uOusly than that of any other Asiatic
race, because they are more efficient than
fanny other race in imposing Oriental civil
izatiOn on the communities which they
invade. Hawaii is today Il Japanese
colony. White men cannot endure their
competition and are leaving. The year
= ly natural increase of the Japanese pe1-
+ pie is greater than the entire population
| of California and probably the Pacific
coast. For the last two years the net
| Immigration Japanese at this port is
|abOut I 900 per annum. At Northern
fpOrts it is more. With all impediments
removed it would be at least $4,000 or
30, 600 q year, which seem trifle to our
Eastern friends, but which to us is ap-
paling. 1t would put an end to white
immigration. Within Il quarter of a
century the whole Pacific coast would
become what Hawaii is nova Japa-
nese community with japanese civil
cation.
1t is not question of labor" but of
the preservation of American civilization.
At present no white man in this State is
deprived of work by the presence of Ash
atics, nor are his wages reducted. But
should time change and the labor supply
exceed the demand white labor would
go to the wall in an instant. Working
men know that they would be the first
sufferers, and hence lead in the agitation.
There are, of course hoOdlums who pro-
Tess to be working men. and there are
demagOgues. But the mass OF working
men are morally as sound as any of us.
But, while the wOrkingmen would suffer
first, they would suffer least, for they
can most easily leave There is no
branch of industry which the Japanese
do not invade and where they invade
they take possession, not by doing bet
ter work but cheaper work. In the
rural districts they come first as laborers,
then as renters; then as owners. When
they approach that point, property be-
comes unsaleable except to Japanese.
The Asiatic civilization, as we see it
here, differs from our own, first, in over
crOwdlng in tenements, in n lower STAN
dard OF diet and a lower standard of
comfort generally. Americans can COM
pete with them only by adopting their
standards; secondly, in the ideas of per-
sonal and family morality. The Japanese
wife is virtual slave. The lower classs-
es sell their daughters to Il shameful life
Lower standards of comfort and morali-
ty drive out higher standards. 1t is for
this reason that we object to the asso-
citation of our children with the Japanese
in the intimate relations of school life.
1t does no harm in the primary grades.
AS they grow older it is harmful. With a
great japanese population it would be
ruinous. The country now understands
the trouble we have had with Japanese
youths in primary grades and approves
their exclusion from those grades. But
the objection lies deeper.
The foregoing is the essence OF our case
We have no quarrel with Japan or the
Japanese. Our quarrel is with the Presi
dent of the United States, who in for
NAL message to congress misstated the
facts, maligned our motives and sided
with an alien race, in an unjust cause
against his own countrymen.