The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-11-17

FEELING WAVES
BY Sol. N. sheridan.

the menace of the "Yellow Peril'
from old Japan.
The state of California gave William
Howard Taft popular majority of
81, 900.
That is the answer.
Now, there may be something Of q
menace to the white people in the way
the Japanese are coming into Califor-
mia. The people decline to consider
the menace as serious on the invitation
of Hobson--or they have faith in the
ability and the power Of Taft to take
care Of their interest as against any
color of peril. Honestl / believe they
have the faith. Taft knows the Farther
East, its people and its tendencies, bet
ter than any living American. Better
than most living great Americans, he
knows this Far West. The people
of the Pacific Coast believe that in his
Knowledge and his fairness they can
trust their future. Taft will be Pres.
ident with an eye as keen to the well
fare Of the least individual in the ma
ton as to the great interests that will
sweep the influence of the American
people out to the domination of the
Ocean of the Future. He can be relied
upon, more even than Roosevelt could
be, to guard Hawaii as jealously as he
will guard Bedloe Is Island, in the har-
Dor of New York. And there could be
nothing said more comprehensive than
that
The people of California have faith
in Taft, as they have shown by the
enormous vote given him in the state
but there is a word or two yet to be
said on this question of Asiatic labor
and immigration. At least, so far as
California is concerned. There can be
no question that there has been great
influx of japanese within the past few
years. Many of them have leased lands
in the state, coming into direct com.
petition with the white farmers-Jap.
anese competition, and therefore not
nice. The labor in the sugar beet fields
is almost exclusively in their hands.
There is no one else to do it. They
have settled largely in the cities, there.
by coming into direct conflict with the
strong forces of organized labor.
All this has resulted in the working
up of strong anti-Japanese sentiment,
which is thoroughly organized. 1t is
even better organized than was the
anti Chinese sentiment of the Kearney
days. The Japanese, unlike the Chi
nese, is an aggressive fighter for his
place. But, / need not tell the island
people. They Know. Nevertheless, and
in spite of the anti-Japanese agitation
and organization, and in spite of Rich
mond Pearson Hobson, California goes
for Taft.
That, as I have said, is in part be-
cause California and the Pacific Coast
states have confidence in Taft--the
whole coast following California's lead
with the single exception of Nevada
which is personal appanage Of the
Sharon family. But, away down in the
hearts of the California people, and Of
the Pacific Coast people, there is anoth
er reason for this strange thing.
The Pacific Coasters are not any less
hostile to Asiatics, Asiatic morals ant
labor systems, than they have always
been. theoretically, the anti-Japanese
sentiment is as strong as the anti-Chin
csc sentiment ever was. You will fnd
no public man, in California, at least
who will speak a word openly, in favol
of Asiatic immigration of any kind
You will find few private individuals
even, willing to be quoted.
But, get the public man or the pri
: vate citizen off by himself, and in /,
c mood to talk as he really thinks. TheI
: You will hear things. The fact Of tn,
n matter is that the pockets of the Cali
fornian of today are bulging-not witt
Q the products of the mines so much
u man VI any idcO Va Cuiot Cdh ~ W III
/, mines and pick up dust-as with tn
/; products of fat farms and orchards
t Now, man whose pockets are heav
does not exactly relish harvesting hi
y own lima beans, or sugar beets, o
$ picking the oranges off his own trees
> or gathering the English walnuts fror
the ground after they have been shaker
J. down. He is apt to be too busy talk
9 ing politics, or releasing mortgages, o
signing his name to checks, or settling
h the various concerns of the country
5 Besides, big farmer cannot do all tn
e work on his place. The thing is phys
ically impossible.
! And so he must have labor. Nov
}. all the other white men in the cour
try are busy, just as he is. The chi
o dren can pick fruit, of course, but o
!. the whole it is perhaps more import
| ant IN kaan than in eahool And .h