Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-11
WAR TALK
DECRIED AT
WASHINGTON
STATE DEPARTMENT PRO-
FESSES SURPRISE
NO TROUBLE ANTICIPATED WITH
JAPAN
Negotiations for Restriction of Emil
grafton from Orient Proceed.
ing satisfactorily, Say
Officials

BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1O.--Considerins
the smoothness with which exchanges are
progressing between America and Japan
relative to the adjustment of questions OF
immigration of Japanese laborers into the
the United States, the officials of the
state department are puzzled to account
for the publication in various foreign
capitals, as well as in this country, OF
reports calculated to convey the impress
sion that there Is serious friction be-
tween the two countries over this sub
ject.
The latest of these reports, to the eff
feet that the japanese foreign office IS
reluctant 10 accede to a demand" of
Ambassador U Brien that an agreement.
to restrict Japanese coolie immigration
into the United States be reduced to
writing, meets with unqualified contra
diction al the state department.
o'6rien Aids Japan
The officials do not care to discuss
negotiations of this kind, which are still
in progress. following the rule that such
discussion is calculated to defeat the OBJ
jects sought.
But 1t develops that Mr.. OBrlen is
merely aiding Japanese officials to per-
feet internal negotiations that will serve
to stop the indiscriminate immigration.
He is not expected to negotiate any
treaty with Japan on this subject, or
even to secure a modus vivendi, or any
thing in the nature of written agreement
referred to in some press dispatches.
He has, under instructions from the
state department, acquainted the Jap
anese government with the fact that
measures adopted In question last spring.
following the undertaking of the Jap
anese government to restrict undesirable
immigration to the United States by
careful regulation OF the issue of pass
ports, have proved utterly ineffective.
The Japanese officials were surprised
at the figures presented by Mr.. O'Brlen,
illustrating not only the continuance of
coolies into the UniteL States, but its
startling increase even after the adop-
ton of the Japanese restriction policy
Therefore the japanese officials have
been endeavoring to frame regulations
that shall be Effective. and in the course
of that effort thes have naturally COM
municated freely with tho American
ambassador.
The latter has acquainted the state de-
partment in great detail by cable with
the nature of the proposed restrictive
measures, and the department in turn has
not hesitated to suggest amendments to
the project based on the experience OF
the immigration inspectors and customs
In this country. This involved the CO
operation of the department of state and
the department of commerce and labor,
the latter being directly charged with the
enforcement of the laws.
There is pending before the Washing
ton officials very long report by cable
from Mr. O'Brien, covering the latest
phase of the Japanese project The Off
cials are carefully considering this and
will not hesitate to indicate how 1t may
be improved If that is possible, notwith-
standing the fact that the ambassador
has expressed the belief that the plan
proposed is satisfactory.
No Written Pledge Demanded
Should the department coincide in this
view 1t IL stated that Ii will only be
necessary for Mr.. O'Brien to signify to
the Japanese government that fact and
there will be no necessity for him to
secure any written pledges, or indeed t.
make any suggestion that might in the
slightest degree react upon the goo
faith of the Japanese government in this
matter.
1t is suggested at the state department
that a possible explanation of the re-
port that Mr.. O'Brien had been seeking
to obtain written pledges from the Jap
anese government may be found In the
fact that about a year ago negotiations
were actually in progress between Amer
lea and Japan looking to the confirma
tion of treaty for the regulation Of
immigration.
These negotiations. however, were sus
pended and finally entirely abandoned
as result of the feeling excited betwee
the two countries over the trouble in San
Francisco arising from the exclusion OF
japanese children from the public schools
and attacks by mobs upon Japanese bath
houses and restaurants.