The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-15

from the warehouses. has proved the
undoing of the japanese in the Vaca
valley. They want to make all the
money at once. They still retain one
great advantage over the white fruit
grower-their organization is such that
they are assured of a sufficient labor
supply during the picking and packing
| season, while the white grower must
| trust to luck for his help.
Here in Fresno county there are also
goodly number of Japanese lease
holders, and there are about thirty who
own vineyards, two Of them large ones.
| The Japanese laborer in the raisin
grape section has a physical advantage
which places him beyond fear of com
| petition. He has been used to squat
| ting on his heels since babyhood and
| he can work to advantage squatting
| on the ground beside the low vines.
| The raisin pickers are paid by the
quantity of grapes they gather, and
| Japanese can easily earn 50 a day while
| the white man alongside can make but
ST. The full japanese population of
Fresno county during the picking sea-
| son is about 5000. Half of this num-
| Der stay here the year round, while
the others scatter through the state
until the next season comes around.
The Japanese are also trying to get
control of the fruit industry of the
Pajaro Valley. The farmers here suf-
fered from a lack of labor and the
| Japanese were welcomed with great
acclaim. At first they were treated
with the utmost consideration, but as
time went on the people discovered
a. 10
tween the japanese and the Chinese,
with whom they had been familiar.
For several years one bank in Wat
sOnyille, the center of the valley, has
refused to open an account with a
Japanese. although the same bank well
comes business with the Chinese. The
Japanese turned to the money order
department of the postoffice for bank
ing facilities. The result was that the
postmaster soon introduced extraor-
binary requirements for identification
when dealing with Japanese.
In Southern California, where the cit
rus fruits are the principal crop, the
experience with the japanese has been
the same so far as his qualifications
as a laborer are concerned. The ex-
tremely high price of land and other
local conditions have operated to dis
courage the Japanese from attempting
to secure extensive holdings in the
South. Not nearly so many laborers
are needed as in the small fruit sec
lions, and the labor question is not so
acute. The citrus growers, however,
for the most part agree that the Japa-
nese is unsatisfactory because he is
unreliable, has no regard for the OBJ
legation of a contract, and is quick
to take advantage of his employer.
The Southern Californians, as the peo-
pie in other parts of the state, are loud
in their praises of the Swiss, Port
uguese and Spanish laborers. They al
so consider the italian more desirable
than Japanese, although the vendetta
and it's deeds of violence cause strong
dislike of the Southern Italians.
A curious feature of the labor ques-
ton and its accompanying racial issue
in California is the changed attitude
toward the Chinese. The employees in
California. always did like the Chinese,
but the influx was so great that all
California practically, joined in the de-
,mand for exclusion. Now that the
Chinese immigration has been stopped
for twenty years and the Chinese here
are becoming fewer, california seems
whenever a japanese is seen or heard,
the Californian instantly makes a com
parison which is infinitely to the adj
vantage of the Chinese. The sober
thought of the state, however, fears
the incoming of any Oriental people
and it looks to Europe to supply its
demands for labor, and to the rest of
the United States for settlers and far
mers. The Asiatic is not wanted
In rural California the opposition to
Japanese is based more on racial than
economic reasons. The japanese IA
borer is the best the California farmer
can find in that he is reasonably eff
ffcient and reasonably cheap. But for
all of that, even under conditions that
permit the white man to absolutely |
control the japanese, there is a fear |
and dfstrust which is born of innate |
racial antagonism. The presence of |
the japanese in any considerable num- |
Der demoralizes the natural conditions |
of life in the community. Not even |
q large negro settlement shows as |
great racial differences, for the negro |
eats the same kind of food and has |
the same religion and habits as the |
people among whom he lives.
California village ten years ago
typical village inhabited by Americans, |
with its school. its churches and its
stores There was the usual dissen-
sions between the Methodists and the |
Raptists, and the usual debates be-
tween the Republicans and the Demo-
Gratis. The japanese laborers con- |
tinued to come in. One of them be-
came a merchant. Others leased land. |
Later they bought land round about |
the village. The invasion was silent |
and gradual. But now, what change |
has come over that village! Methodist |
and Baptist stand together their dog |
matte differences forgotten, in Won |
dering contemplation of a Buddhist |
mission. Republican and Democrat |
bury the political Ratchet and declare |
that this shall be a white mans ccun- |
try" This japanese village in Cailfor- |
MIA is living prophecy of the actual |
danger to American civilization on the |
Do cifc Coast If If is not protected by |