Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-02

The Asiatic is taking his place in the
world of affairs and wherever he goes
he insists upon maintaining certain
moral and racial ideas which are SO
radically different from those of Euro
peans and Americans that friction is
inevitable. The Chinese, japanese and
Hindus, taken together, outnumber all
the white people on earth by consider
ably more than two to one. But the
white man has the advantage over the
Asiatic in wealth and health, and the
means of acquiring the one and protect
ing the other.
Wherever Asiatic laborers have gone
into n white community there has been
trouble. 1t is more than thirty years
since the Chinese question became
acute on the Pacific coast. The jap
anese and Hindu question Is now para
mount, the Chinese issue having been
settled by exclusion. But there is q
great difference between the problem OF
thirty years ago and that now peing
worked out. Then Asiatic emigration
was exceptional and depended upon
stimulation from outside by labor con-
tractors. Now Asiatic emigration is
constant and comes from the desire OF
the Asiatics to find a place to work
where the struggle for existence VIII
not be so nearly hopeless.
So it comes that our own Pacifc
coast is in the same box with Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
German Africa, Chile and Brazil. The
British empire !, torn by a dissension
more serious than it has known Tor
half a century-its white colonial SUD-
jects absolutely refusing to admit their
Asiatic fellow-subjects to their colo
nies. New Zealand, Australia and
South Africa bar the Hindu as we'll as
the Chinese. Western Canada has pro-
tested forcibly against Japanese and
Hindu. The fact that the Hindu is a
subject of King Edward VII is no ar
gument at all to the British colonial.
He demands the credentials of white
skin. The ancient kinship of India and
Europe does not mean anything to the
Australian who stands up and swears;
This is a white mans country"
With India bubbling with revolt,
with English colonies at dagger
points with England's ally, Japan; and
with English oriental trade being
threatened by oriental competition-lt
is apparent that this worldwide race
question is of the utmost Importance
to the future of the British empire.
The English people understand the
gravity of the situation, and they are
working with characteristic caution
and skill toward a solution of its more
vexing phases. The British have had
enough experience to understand that
race questions are never finally settled,
Notwithstanding the fact that London
never draws the color line.
The American people, as a whole. by
no means understand the problem on
the Pacific coast. 1t is to be doubted
If the people of other sections OF the
country ever will come to look upon the
question as the people out here do. The
south has very positive ideas on Its
race question which are rejected In
other parts of the country, but which
are accepted and emphasized by the
citizen of another section who removes
to the south Party politics, of course,
has had much to do with the general
attitude toward the southern race
question, but even aside from that, the
people of north and west do not un-
derstand the southerner's point of view.
The Westerner is in the same cate
CORY. He fears the encroachment of
the Asiatic and he resents 1t with the
instructive force of self-protection. lie
may reason the question with show
of logic, or he may go 1t blind. The
result is just the same. the reason
able and the unreasonable alike unite
and declare: "This is white mans
country"
The American states on the Pacific
coast have less than 100000 popula-
ton. If they were as thickly popu-
lated as European countries, according
to their arabic area, they could sup
port over 100,00O,000 people. If the
Asiatic density were approached they
could support nearly 200,000,000. This
magnificent empire can take care of
10000, 900 Americans, living In the
m chior mI,ioI ic tho hf0h.