The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-09-19
UNION AND ScABS' WAR
American White Labor Opposed to
orientals-lnflus Of Japanese
Due to Private Labor
Bureaus.

Nodal' 10 tnlS CONVECTION mas tOHl.
missioner Oscar S. Straus, secre.
tary of commerce and labor. arrived
as the result of his tour of iuyes.
tigation on the coast, from which he
returned Thursday. Mr.. Straus' Oh
seryation has convinced him that 1t
Is purely an economic question, and
though he does not use that language,
what he says makes it clear that
it is another phase of the perennial
war between the union and the scab.
In Hawaii. Mr.. Straus says, there
is no race question at all, and his
explanation is that they have solved
the problem there by letting each
race do the work for which 1t alone
is peculiarly fitted
The labor situation on the coast,
Mr.. Straus said today, in reference
TO Oriental labor is simply this:
The employers want that kind of
labor and organized labor Is op'
posed to 1t. II is mistake to re.
gard this desire for or opposition to
Oriental labor as race question.
Oriental labor Is desired especial.
ly In such industries, for example,
as the fruit and beet sugar indus
tries. because. by experience, 1t has
been found that the Orientals can
do this labor more adyantageously
than white men. 1t is objected to by
the labor organizations for the same
reason that the protracted indus.
tries object to the competition OF
foreign goods.
1T is not a race question at bot
tom; 1t Is an economic question. but
race differences always accentuate
economic competitions.
Il met. while in Hawaii, and on the
ST Gamer coming from there to San
Francisco. Mr.. lshil, head of the con
sular division OF the foreign office of
Japan, having charge OF immigration
and commerce. He is very cap
able man, who has had great expert
ence, and he has come over to study
the situation. He will come here
shortly.
From various reliable sources
ascertain that the administration of
Japan, the officials and government
of Japan, discourage the emigration
of its laborers. Such as come over
here are stimulated to a certain ex-
tent by private labor bureaus.
Il was credibly informed that the
rapid industrial development of Japan
has made a heavy draft upon native
labor, and especially upon agricul-
tural labor, SO that where agricul- |
tural lands were formerly leased out
to laborers for one.half the prod.
uct, on account of the scarcity of
labor, the demand Is now being
made for tvo.thirds.
There is no Japanese question as
between our government and Japan,
as the two governments fully under.
stand each other. The presidents
attitude and his broad position in
the matter as expressed in a num-
Der OF his addresses, and in his alst
message TO congress, are as clearly
understood by official Japan as they
are In this country, and | am salts.
fled that the government over there
is cooperating In good faith with
us and discouraging the emigration
Of laborers TO this country in con.
formity with the executive order OF
the president"
Mr Straus' remarks ON this point,
together with what he said about
the stimulation of immigration made
labor bureaus, may he taken as
throwing light on the allegation made
N san Francisco that Japanese i'm.
migration has not decreased in spite
II the presidents order. There has
been some disposition to hold the
mp rial governmen, responsible
At each OF the principle cities on
he Pacific coast-Seattle' Portland
md san Francisco said the secre.
ary, Il was entertained by the uni.
ed mercantile bodies, and found !
20 far as merchants and planters and +
were concerned, no I
prejudice whatever against Oriental q
abor as such, especially in limited a
Iumbers. There are some industries /
which require a great deal of stoop I
ects TO doing, and which Oriental I
abor seems TO be especially fitted to {
'erform by habit and custom In
My visit TO Hawaii was instruc. d