The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-12
COLONIES OF JAPS|
MANY oRIENTALs HAVE SETTLED
 IN TEXAS.
Tmmfgrssisn to Lone star state is In- teresting, But Elns Net Reached Important Stage of
 Prohlem.

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 San Antonio. Tex. Jan. l1-(Special.) ) Eviction between the United States and Japan over the immigration of Ja- panese which brought on race riots in San Francisco and elsewhere on the Pa cifc Slope. lend interest to the immi- grafton of Japanese to Texas through Mexico.
 The movement rose to a considerable importance in 1904 and 1905, and reach ed it's climax in the early part of 1907 when great numbers of Japanese en- tered Texas. They came in bodies of thirty or forty at time, each group having a leader. As many as four or five hundred of them were In San An- tonic at one time last spring, and for several months displaced the negro servants. especially as coachmen. Then suddenly. all of these men quit their positions and embarked on train for the Northwest.
 Such concert of action. coupled witr the fact that most of these Japanese were confessedly soldiers, some of them having parts of the uniform they had used in the Russo-Japan war, by the further foct that they were un- der the complete control of their leady CTS. let to some wild talk Of concerted plot on the part of Japan to land an army in this country in disguise.
 Many of the Japanese, however, who have come to Texas have come in good faith as settlers. Some of them, espe- cially the colony at Webster, in Har- ris County, in this State, have signi- fled their intention of becoming Ameri- can citizens. The Sixty-first District Court of Harris County has granted to some of them preliminary papers as proof of the declaration of intention" The question has been raised as to whether the Japanese are eligible to American citizenship. It is stated tha. a Federal Judge in a wes:ern Texas district has held that the Japanese are eligible. and it is probable that at the end of the term of qualified residence that no objection will be made to the final naturalization.
 This colony in Harris County occu- pies about thousand acres of land. nearlls all of which is under cultiva- ton. the most of 1t being planted in rice. They also cultivate vegetables and fruits and have proved themselves successful farmers. They have built to a great extent adopted American customs. They have a Presbyterian Church and a preacher trained at the Union Theological Seminary in Vir- ginia. Their neighbors declare that the Japanese are desirable citizens. IT. T.. D. Wilson, from whom they bought the land, had this to say of the Japan ese: T have found the Japanese peo- pie honorable throughout. In all my dealings with them they have displayed traits which are the elements of Ideal citizenship, and regard these immi- grants to America a class of people whom we sh0ead welcome and encour- age. They are close traders, thrifty and industrious. and they are intelli- gent and ambitious"
 About four years ago a colony of Japanese settled on the Mitchell Lake farms South of San Antonio. The Mitchell Lake farms are under irri- gation. and the Japanese have held their own with the Germans and the Bohemians, who have been the most successful farmers in this part of the country.
 s One of the most successful of this colony named Porido, cook advantage of the influx of his countrymen last