The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-16

| pire. There are some who hold thai
/ the law was ignored as resulting in
an impetus to industry, but the swell
/ ing stream of immigration could not
continue uninterrupted. Most of the
! coolies, moreover, We're employed on
J government railways. which added not
a little bitterness to the dissatisfaction.
Finally the agitation became sufficient
ly aggressive to be threatening, and
! the easiest way out OF the trouble
was to insist upon the enforcement OF
the law. Accordingly, the power Of the
authorities was invoked and all the
Chinese and Koreans were ordered dis
missed and deported.
1t is significant that none OF the lead
ing newspapers of the country APP
peared to be in favor of enforcing the
law excluding alien Iaborers. Either
they agreed with the previous attitude
Of the authorities that the foreign la
borers might assist in the furtherance
of industry, or probably they realized
with most of the foreigners in Japan
that this attitude was more consistent
with Japan's attitude toward the same
question in the United States and some
of the British colonies.
If Japan insists upon excluding Chi
nese labor (Which is Asiatic labor) she
cannot honestly expect any other coun-
try to refrain from adopting a similar
course. Not only so, but Chinese labor
in Japan cannot be regarded as calcu-
lated to disturb the conditions OF labor
to nearly so serious an extent as
Asiatic immigration would in the
United States and some Of the British
colonies.
The most serious aspect OF the case
at present is the question as TO what
is 10 become of these hundreds Of
laborers suddenly left penniless and in
a state of absolute restitution. 1t is
said that they are in starving condi-
ton, as no provision has yet been made
for their transportation home. They
appear to have been left completely
at the mercy of a charity that is
naturally very scarce in the regions
where they have been working.
Through the Chinese ambassador in
Toxic these wretched. people have been
appealing TO the mercy of the japanese
foreign office, but the latter has replied
that the case is one for the contractors
to deal with and that the government
can have nothing to do with the affair.
On the other hand the contractors, hav-
ing been peremptorily deprived Of the
labor of these men, feel that they cam
not afford TO meet the expenses Of their
Meanwhile hundreds of
these immigrants are exposed to great
hardship and lack the barest necessities
Of existence.
Since the issue Of the order for the
of the imperial ordinance
the importation Of foreign
-Isf ant -
nese attempted to land in Kobe, but
they were quickly taken in charge by
The police, who insisted upon their i'm
mediate deportation by the owners OF
he ship.
Here, then, is a poor country ike
Japan. whose public works are kept
~ largely by borrowed money and
whose industrial expansion is fostered
or the most part from the same source,
to pay double the wages
O its own citizens rather than allow
hem to submit TO the disadvantages OF
with foreign labor. The
ga son for adopting such a course,
specially in the face Of her former OBJ
ections to il, must be far reaching and
ignificant Japan must in this way be
ssumed to have taken her stand for q
principle which the whole nation re-
ards : vital TO it's interest and honor.
hat Japan has the sovereign right TO
dopt the course which she deems es-
entail to the welfare Of her people no
Their nation viii question. But hence
orth Japan will be expected 70 freely
ccord to other nations the same right
4 dealing with allen labor under SINH
lr circumstances.
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