The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-07-06
HOW JAPANESE
ARE COMING
NO LET UP IN THE IMMIGRATION
FROM NIPPON TO THE UNITED
STATES.

WASHlNGIO June 22.--SOme ~
the Government officials are wondering
whether, after all, Japan did not wink
the other eye" when she so cordially
agreed to the insertion of that clause
limiting immigration in the general bill
relating to that subject These officials
are tempted to suspect that Japan was
not entirely disingenuous when she
agreed that the President would be EN-
powered to turn away laborers, and
that she is unblushingly conniving at
the wholesale violation of the law.
Whether or not Japan is a party to
the subterfuges and evasions by means
of which her subjects are coming to
this country, it is fact rather sadly
admitted by the immigration officials
that there is no suspicion of let-up
in the immigration. Indeed, it is d
question whether this year will not
mark the flood tide of Japanese immi-
grafton; for the Japanese are pouring
into the country at almost every point
of access, unless, perhaps, it may be
by the gulf and Atlantic ports. They
coptinue to come in at San Francisco
although many have been turned back
They simply swarm over the border
between this country and Mexico, and
they are beginning to find their way
across the Canadian border in consid-
cradle numbers.
Probably the most popular method is
to cross the Mexican border at points
where the inspectors are not watching.
The line is long and it is not feasible to
plant guards along the entire bound
airy. When the little brown men are
stopped at the regular points of entry
and turned back, they go away, but
later they either return with tickets to
Canada or else they strike off for the
border, and are lost to the sight of the
immigration officials. The Canadian
route is a popular one with the Japa-
nese at present. The business of al
vancing money for getting these immi-
grants into the country should be a
profitable one, for the postal and eX-
press officials say that the amount
of money transmitted to border points
has increased amazingly of late.
Since the Presidents proclamation
made it more difficult to get into this
country of high wages and golden OPP
portunities, there have been tnlrty-one
Japanese arrested on the Mexican bor-
der, and of these twenty-nine were de-
ported to Japan and one to Mexico.
,Ne 10
nese take thought on the situation, and
the result was that they began to pre-
sent themselves with passports, which,
however, were found defective, and
! they were turned back.
1t was then that word went back to
the oncoming hosts, who, on landing on
Mexican soil, took tickets to points
within IS or 100 miles of the line and
/ then struck off across the country.
They have now well-established "un-
derground railroad" system, with reg
! ular routes punctuated with stopping
places at ranches, where they can gel
food and shelter Finally they fade
across the border and are lost to sight
probably forever. Sometimes it may
be that they are kept sight of, but
most of them are doubtless safe from
detection.
When the turned-back Japanese de
cides to try the railroad plan, he gets
a through ticket to Canada and is al
lowed to proceed, but first the immi
grafton officials take the number of hil
passport, his name and destination anC
the number of his train. Then wore
is sent to the Canadian authorities IL
the town he is supposed to be headed
for, and word is also sent to Washing
ton. At the latter place Commissioner
General of immigration Sargent will
have the fact recorded if any of these
immigrants in transit ever get to theil
destination. None of them is yet re
ported to have done so.
What the solution of this questnoT
will be no one is yet prepared to say
but the Department Of Commerce and
Labor is giving the matter deer
thought, and it is intimated tat pretty
soon plan will be put in force which
will check the yellow hordes at the
border.