The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-26
NY FREDERIC !. HAsKIN.

DY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
San francisco.
Francisco. and 1. Is to organized labor
that the activity Of the unti-Japanese
agitation may be traced. The Asiatic
Exclusion League is an international
organization, including Canada with the
United states, but It finds most OF us
support among the organized labor
men OF this city. The nationwide IN
terest. which has been aroused In me
question OF Japanese exclusion, despite
the TACT thatyit has been throttled IL
lCongress. IL Indicated by the CORE
spondence OF this league. In one month
this year requests Tor information on
the subject were received from thlrty-
six States. or these requests there were
lll9 from debating societies., seventy
two from high schools eighty-seven
from universities and 23S from individ-
uals. TO all such requests for infor.
nation the league officers send out
bales Of literature covering every phase
OF the question.
This literature bases Its anti-Asiatlc
Opposition on q frankly racial antaSon-
ism, but its supporting arguments US
ually deal with the economic prooleTls
Involved. The trades unions are against
1.-The Japanese in San Francisco for the
two sufficient reasons that tho Japa,
lnese viii work for lower wages, ana
they will not be bound by the rules
q yel sbo d sssn no,
4
with the trades unions. but 1t Is very
idifficult to find any one who does
mot agree with them on the japanese
Question. Housekeepers VINO employ
easy to get are among tho loudest IN
their denunc!ation OF the Japanese
faults. Only one class OF san Fran !,
ciscans are heard to say GOOD wore
for the Japanese coolie. and that class
lis made up Of railroad contractors ana
others who employ laborers on q large
scale Even some OF these want a
white man or Chinese for foreman OF
la gang OF Japanese workers
In San Francisco the japanese are
found in practically every trade and
lcalllng. a large majority stiil pre-
fer personal service and are TO pc
found employed as servants IN prl.
tvate homes. hotels and aparsm asn.
the fact that there are sixty-seven pro-
Ifessional house cleaning establishments
among the Japanese. investigation
shows that practically every one OF
connection with tailor shop. a cigar
lstorc or some other business. The
proprietor OF such shop gathers about
him number of Japanese. often OF
premises. When there Is a telephone
call for the house cleaner one OF the
students Is sent out. .
Many San Francisco people live In
apartments. more than In any other
city except New York. 1t is said. Ser
wants arc expensive and troublesome.
Iso milady does the lighter part OF heT
homework and telephones TO a Japa-
Inese house cleaner to come In Tor an
hour and do the rest. The trades unions
Hight housekeeping has thrown o.ool
servant girls out OF employment. and
has not saved the employers AWNING,
las housewives who have no COOK are
L ei,.o 1,-N tn H..
rants Frequently and spend more on
one meal than the difference in cost
between a white maid servant OF all
work and the Japanese house cleaner.
"Nogi in the kitchen is an esta oiish :.
ed institution. Of course. and many
lhousekeepers are proud OF their Japa,
lr1ese cooks yho stay on the Job and
DO good work. But even these house u.s., :
keepers say they would prefer chi
lnese. Many San Francisco housekeep-
ers have been accustomed to men cooks
and men servants always. first the
IChinese and now the Japanese. the
Chinese population is steadily decreas-
ling, and many of those. still here are
When they leave a home the mistress
who knows nothing but Orientals for
servants replaces them with Japanese
boys. 1t requires a rsadtu Isl; n !
always ordered things to suit the con-
Ivenience of his mistress; now the mis-
tress must order things to suit the
convenience OF the servant Despits
the Japanese. they are still able to
find employment as servants,
If the Japanese servants remained
servants there wouldn't be half so
much opposition to them a Chinese
But japanese cook to-day is a shop.
lkeeper Tomorrow, and banker next
week, with aspirations for still higher
honors. His ambition carries MN
above mental position OF rs own M
lis a servant and hated when ~.
branches out >into skilled trades ny
the cut-price route.
This is the reason why all San Fran "a ,
have dozen Chinese than one Japa-
Inese. The Chinese sel.u moneS . 70 :"
Asia to greater extent per CAPITA Sa[1a y.
than do the Japanese; they buy fewer e
other ways less desirable than Japa-
|nese. But their great virtue In com,
parison is that they will stay put.
The greater part OF the United et q : .
|laundryman. The Chinese "Washee-
washee" is always hand laundry op-
Grated on principles as old as cloth
and water, The japanese nave q "a,
dozen large steam launarles IN sah
ding for both the steam laundries OPP
Grated rat by white labor and the Chinese
n The ' .Iapanese steam laundries charge
|prices lower than the white steam
iaundries can afford to offer With the
high wages which they must nay, jap,
Iunese laundry workers are not bound
by any notions Of unioniIsnl, and VII
work Tor the best price they can get,
If II their employer is also q Japanese
III Is probable that the whole % Y rl ~
1.-The premises, a half dozen men VIII
liz this way live for what s one ordinary
The house cleaners, who work out
for 25 cents an nonrvWhich - n sone
niIer trade, III cigar stare IL the
q the h9sss g1ssn sna
mex. and when the student house clcan-
have little leisure they VIII hen fS1l
They viii work long hours for chenp
wages. and , they can AN llye q, an, what
Tbe JAPANESE restaurants. which
were the scenes Of riots and diaordIer Is