Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-02-06
yellow Peril
alarms texas
HUNDREDS OF JAPANESE cRoss
RIO eRaNoE FROM REPUBLIC
or MEXICO.
INDUSTRIAL MOVE
laps Not Only Demand smallsr Pay
Fer MenIai Lahors But Are Much
More Satisfactory.

San Antonio. Tex. Feb, d To the
negro and Mexican laborers "f south
west Texas the yellow peril Is ~
longer "a mythical bngaboo. but thu
stern reality which already threatens
their livelihood. Within the last few
months hundreds Of japanese have
crossed the Rio Grande and the vel,
low stream 10 rapidly becoming a
food, Last month the steamship con-
panies operating between Japan and
Mexico brought over more than 10 900
Japanese workmen for Mexican con.
tractors. and It Is likely that within
a short time a large majority Of these
will find their way 10 Texas. Hun.
dreds Of the little yellow men have
found employment In this city as
coaehmen, stablenen, household ser,
wants. cooks and laundrymen. replac,
In negroes and Mexicans. II Is said
that the Japs not only demand smaller
pay but that they are much more
satisfactory. The negroes OF the city
have held several mass meetings TO
protest against the japanese indus.
trial invasion. and serious trouble De'
tween the black and yellow men. In.
volying this country In international
complications. may result from the
friction.
For years the negroes OF San An
tonic, a. Ut other southern cities, have
had a monopoly OF the domestic labor
supply. receiving an average OF about
S. a week. In addition TO board and
lodging. The Japs have taken the
same jobs at g. and 50 a week. eat
much less, sleep In barns and tents
and are better servants. Tho japanese
have also largely supplanted the Mex
leans as section hands on the rail-
roads. the Sunset road employing
large gang and other railways a small
pr number The Mcxicans were paid
s1.3s a day and the Japs are receiving
s115.
Most of the Japanese here live In
the negro quarter In the vicinity OF the
Sunset station and the yellow men are
frequently subjected to insults and in
dignities by the blacks. So far the
Japs have made little resistance to
their negro oppressOrs. but II is fear
I'd that their patience will soon be
tried beyond endurance and that a
serious riot will result The negroes
declare that 1t Is a question OF driving
the Japs from the city or starving, and
that they do not intend to starve.
Most of the Japanese now here were
brought to Mexico under contract to
work in the coal mines and deserted
hat employment to come to the Unit
nd States, which they look upon as the
and Of promise. While most of them
are common laborers, there is n sprink-
ling of skilled mechanics. including
engineers, machinists and electricians,
and their number is constantly in
,reasing. They are willing to work
Tor less than half the wages that an
American mechanic of similar ability
would demand. and unless the invasion
IA stopped It Is likely that all the en-
yineers and mechanics IN southwestern
Texas will be replaced by Japs with
in a few years The labor unions
)f this district are alive to the dan
ger and have petitioned the Texas men,
bers of congress to assist the Califor-
MIA delegation In securing the passage
)f a strict exclusion act.
All Of the little brown men here
are eager to learn the English Ian
guage and the customs OF the country
and to satisfy this desire a school ex-
clusiveiy for Japanese, the only one
Of its kind In the country, has been es-
tablished in San Antonio by L. Nogi.
a Jap who was formerly engaged in
fruit farming at Palestine Texas.
Nearly two score adult Japs are now
this school and with their In
dustry and application will likely be-
come full.fledged "Melicans" In
short time. Nogi has also established
an employment agency in connection
with the school, with the intention OF