The San Francisco call., 1907-06-06
JAPANESE MAY SUE CITY
Consul General Is Considering Plan
to Recover for Attacks Here

WASHINGTON, June 5.-The Japan
ese trouble in San Francisco probably
will be settled by recourse to the
law. Information has been received
here to the effect that the Japanese
consul general in San Francisco is con-
templating bringing a suit against the
city OF San Francisco for damag ges in
CURED by the owners of the Horseshoe
restaurant and the Folsom bathhouse
from the attack by a mob on May &c
last. The action, II brought, will b.
under the state law and in the names
Of the owners of the places wrecked
1t is understood that the Japanese VIII
be satisfied with judicial determination
OF the case.
Supplementing his telegraphic reply
to the inquiry of Secretary Root re-
garding the most recent of japanese
disturbances in San Francisco, Cover
nor Gillett of California has submitted
a mail report dealing in detail with the
outbreak of the trouble in the Japanese
Horseshoe restaurant and its extension
TO the bathhouse. The governors state
ment is practically the same as that
contained in the news dispatches.
The state department has received
reports upon the same subject from the
adjutant general of California and chief
OF police of San Francisco. These re-
ports seem to establish the fact that
the AFFAIR was an outcome of the labor
troubles in San Francisco and that
racial feeling had little to do with it.
save in the latter stages. Photographs
accompanying the reports show the
exact conditions OF the two Japanese
places after the visitation of the moo.
which lasted only a few minutes, stones
lying in the windows and upon the
floors and other evidences of violence
being observable.
1t appears that at the instance Of
Governor Gillett. the chief of police
had previously. taken particular care
to protect the Japanese in San Fran
cisco. His force was much depleted
owing TO the necessity of diverting a
large part Of 1t to the protection of the
streetcar lines which were being at
tackled at many points But he had sta
toned as many policemen. as he could
spare, dressed in plain clothes, in the
neighborhood OF the place where the
outbreak occurred. The suddenness of
the AFFAIR prevented the policemen
from acting IN time to save the prop
erty of the Japanese.
Two white men, who were said to
have worn some kind of badges, en-
gagged in an alteration in the Japan
ese restaurant and, according to one
statement, a Japanese cook threw a
knife at one of them. The fight was
transferred to the street, crowd gath
cred and the mobbing followed Pos
sibly 1t was more violent than If a
white restaurant had been the object
OF attack. but all through the reports
run evidences that in same way the
japanese had offended against the rules
Of the labor union and that racial feaI-
Ing was merely an incident to the af-
fair.
The japanese account, as ii reached
the embassy from the consul general
at San Francisco, is in conflict with
the above mentioned reports in ascrib
ing the incident to an outbreak of
race feeling IN San Francisco and it is
possible that the issue thus raised can
be met by the report of District Attor-
ney Devlin, which is expected to he
completed soon.