The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-03-03
IMMIGRATION
MEASURE
Washington View of the
Settlement With
Japan.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser.)

II
WASHINGTON, D. c., February Is
The big furry of the present week
has been over the exclusion Of Japa-
nese immigration by passports. 1t
kept the executive and legislative de-
partments of the government in a
turmoil. The trouble seemed a serious
one and the prospects of settlement
were dark. But by the time the shadows
were falling about the dome of the
Capitol Saturday, the Senate approved
of an exclusion measure. That means
that the trouble about Japanese Ia
borers on the Pacific Coast is at an end
for the time being.
The new regulation, which depends
wholly upon the good faith of the Toxic
authorities that they do not want their
laborers to come to the mainland of
the United States, was carried through
as rider on the immigration bill.
That bill was passed by the Senate at
the last session of Congress and then,
passed by the House but in altogether
different form. The measure was then
sent to conference but the conferees
were deadloeked last session and re-
manned deadlocked this session, until
one day early in the present week when
Senator Lodge called upon President
Roosevelt and asked him why the inn
migration bill was not used as vehi-
Gle to carry a rider permitting Japa-
nese to come to the mainland only
when they had passports, stating that
they should come to the mainland.
The idea struck the President as a
good one and he forthwith consulted
with Secretary Root, who drew the
provision Monday last. It was kept
secret for several days. When it ap-
peared it was pronounced one of the
cleverest bits of legislative writing that
has appeared in long time. Even
the Democrats praised it. The provi-
sion, which has become of international
note reads:
"Whenever the President shall be
satisfied that passports issued by any
foreign government to its citizens to
go to any country other than the Unit
ed States or to any insular possession
of the United States or to the canal
zone are being used for the purpose
of enabling the holders to come to the
continental territory of the United
States to the detriment of labor con-
ditions therein, the President may re-
fuse to permit such citizens of the
country issuing such passports to enter
the continental territory of the United
States from such other country or
from such insular possessions or from
the canal zone.
Probably the immigration bill would
have been sleeping the sleep. of all 9th
er deadlocked measures but for the pos
sibility of using it as vehicle for
the settlement of this international
problem. But forthwith it was resur-
rected., The conferees agreed to the
form of the immigration bill, eliminat-
ed the educational test which the Sem
ate passed and which Senator Lodge has
been contending for ever since he en-
tered public life, eliminated the
political refugee test, which Represen-
tative Littauer had put on in the House
for political effect during the last cam
paign as it was desired by the Jewish |
voters whose relatives and friends IN
Russia want to get into the United
States, and also put on as rider the |
Japanese provision, the idea of which, |
it turns out, was first mentioned here
last December by Mr.. George B. McClel-
Ian, representing the Honolulu Chamber
of Commerce.
There was a great hurrah forthwith
in the Senate, although the principle
Of the japanese exclusion was accepta-
BILE on ali hands. 1t pleased the Cali
'ornia delegation of Senators and mem
Ders in the main, although they Would
have liked something more drastic.
They were disgruntled because the
President ignored them entirely, ignor-
I'd them in fixing up the compromise
That was because of his displeasure
hat they betrayed his confidence when
le called them into conference a few
weeks ago to discuss his plans for Jap
anese exclusion. The dispatches re-
eeived here from day to day from the
Pacific Coast, however, Indicated that
Continued on Page Two)