The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-02-13
JAP QUESTION
IS DISCUSSED
Congressman Kahn, of Cali
fornia Delivers Address
In Boston, Mass.
OBJECTION ONLY
TO THE COOLIES
More Feared on Pacific
Coast Than Lower Class
of Chinese.
JAPS LANDING IN SAN FRANCISCO
AT THE RATE OF ONE THOU
SAND PER MoNTH-How THEY
COMPETE WITH AMERICANS
THE SCHOOL QUESTION AND
ARGUMENT OF TRADE.
BY Associated Press.

Boston, Mass, Feb. 12.-Julius
/ Kahn, member of congress from Call.
/ fornia, delivered an address before
/ the MiddleseX Club of this city this
evening, in which he discussed The
Japanese Question" Mr. Kahn in
/ cnening said there is no antagonism in
| California to the Japanese of the bet
ter class, such a scholars, professional
men, bankers and merchants, on the
| Pacific coast The opposition is en-.
/ tirely directed against the coolie or
| laboring Glass; said Mr. Kahn, land
| frankly say that the Japanese coolie
! is much more feared in California
than is his meek, docile, childlike and
bland counterpart from the vicinage
of Canton
One Thousand a Month.
"As a matter of fact, the Japanese
cOolie did not make his appearance
among US to any appreciate extent
prior to the close of the China-Japan
war. Since then, however, he has
been coming in constantly increasing
| numbers, and during the past year he
| has been landing at the port of San
| Francisco at the rate of thousand or
more every month. He is not alto
| gether an unskilled laborer, and al
most Immediately after his arrival in
| that city he enters into direct compe
titiOn with white skilled mechanics.
| Our experience with him has taught
us that even where he begins work
- Of
stay at it very long. He soon
| branches out in business for himself
as a contractor, restaurant keeper.
| florist, or some other vocation of that
| kind Now that, in itself. is com
mendable enough. but the moment he
! has put up his sign he begins to cut
! the bottom out of prices. AS gen
! eral rule he has no family to support
for the most of the Japanese that
come to the United States are males
| They are not accomplished by their
wives and children to any great ex
tent, as is the case with European i'm
migrants In fact. most of the Jap
anese women that land upon our
shores are brought here for immoral
purposes.
Competition With Labor.
And so, since he has few mouths
to feed. and since he can make a good
meal on a handful of rice, piece OF
dried fish, and cup of tea, he can az
ford to. and as a matter OF fact ne
does sell his commodities at about one
half the price his caucasion neighbor
is compelled to charge. Under such
circumstances it is small wonder that
there is an outcry from our shop
keepers and our laboTing classes.
California. by reason of her geographic
cal location. has TO bear the brunt OF
| this fight. Those who do not under
stand the conditions that prevail in
that state are too apt TO condemn
her people for their stand on the
question OF Aslatic immigration. But /
it is a case of self-preservation with
US. and if conditions were reversed,
and the great hordes of Asiatic coolies
were landed on the shores of Massa-
chusetts, you would probably nave an
outcry here compared to which the
protest that comes from California
bears the same proportion that
balmy summer zephyr bears TO
genuine Nebraska blizzard
If Landed at Boston.
Suppose. for the sake OF argument
that Boston were the nearest port 10
Japan, and that your suburbs, even
as they are at present, we're the
seats of large manufacturing interests
especially in the production OF shoes
and cotton goods 1t is an admitted