Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-02
WORLDWIDE INTEREST
THE RACE QUESTION
BY FREDERIC J. HAsklN

est standard of existence known to
man.
1t is to defend this great country
that the people of the Pacific coast
states are shouting the slogan: This
is white mans country" 1t is to
save this country for the propagation
of American ideals and Christian STAN
dards as opposed to the morals and
religions of the Orient that the people
here are demanding that all Asiatic
immigration be stopped by law. They
have already seen more than one
American village transformed by the
Asiatic invasion. They have. seen the
morals of the typical American small
town corrupted by Asiatics whose
gambling tables and opium dens have
led to things much worse, things all
but unknown to the American small
town. They have seen rural commune
ties of prosperous farms utterly de-
moralized by the influx of Asiatics.
Where there was once. few neat farm
houses guarding the broad acres of
American homesteads, the.e are now
dozens of miserable novels in which
swarms of Japanese live crowded to-
gether like sheep. No recountal OF the
triumphs of progressive Japan, how
ever truthful, is able to blot out that
picture.
The people. of the Pacific coast are
sometimes ridiculed because they fear
that the Asiatics will overrun their
country and endanger American insti-
tutions. The Pacific coast people re-
ply: I'VE have seen the evil worked
out in small villages and farming COM
munities here. We have seen 1t In
Hawaii We are not afraid of the fall
ure of the white mans civilization IL 1t
opposes the Asiatic. But 1t must ngnt
to maintain its supremacy That Is
what we do when we seek exclusion
we are fighting for white supremacy.
"Those who think we overestimate
the danger should consider the case OF
Hawaii Those islands were Inhabited
by II simple aboriginal folk. The Eng
lish discovered them, but the Americans
were first to introduce the ideas OF
modern civilization. The race suffered
greatly by the disease and the alcohol
which came in with the white man, but
1t was soon able to conduct govern
ment along the lines of modern occi-
dental nations, 1t adopted the English
language and the Christian religion.
There was no more reason why 1t
should not have been occidental in
civilization than obtained in America,
for the aborigines could oppose no
civilization of their own to block the
Now look at Hawaii. Its great in
terests are still In the hands of Amer
leans, but 1t is by mighty effort that
the encroachments of Asiatics in the
business world are being resisted. AS
for the social life of the islands-it Is
no longer occidental. The prevailing
religion of this territory of the United
States Is Buddhism. Fifty years ago
it was Christianity. The language
most used in ordinary social life Is
japanese.
Hawaii is still resisting the Asiatic
influence. and is today the bumper be-
tween the civilizations of the east and
west in the Pacific ocean. But in the
fight Hawaii has suffered much. The
Pacific ocean states do not propose to
permit the problems which distdrb
Hawaii to be transplanted to the MAIN
land
A man of high official rank who has
lived in Japan and China for many
years and whose opinion would have
added weight IL his name could be
used said: THE fears of the Pacific
coast states are fully justified. If there
were no effort on the part of the United
States to prevent it China and Japan
would send so many people to America
that in five years the country west of
the Rocky mountains would have as
many Asiatics as Americans"
The differences between this race
question which is disturbing the people
of so many parts of the world and the
race question of the southern states
are radical. The basic feeling of race
antagonism Is the same, but the negro
is different from the white man only in
race. A California public man ex-
planned It in this way:
1.-THE Asiatic who comes to America is
not only different in race, but in many
other ways. He has a nation which he
represents and to which he remains
absolutely loyal, no matter how long
he may stay here. He has a system of
morals which differs so radically from
ours that assimilation of the two peo-
Piles is impossible. He has a religion
which is different from ours and, aside
from the dogma of faith which Is es-
sentially inferior in that It reduces
women to a position little better than
that of an animal, the virtues of the
white man he looks upon with con-
tempt; the vices he seizes and imi-
tates.
"All of this may be utterly unfair
and unjust when applied to Chinese or
Japanese of high breeding or position.
That there are good men In Asia is not
to be questioned. But when the gates
are thrown wide open to immigrants it
is not the good ones who come to Amer
lea. 1t Is the bad-and the Pacific coast
already has enough of them"
Asia is beginning to throw out its
surplus population upon the shores of
every "new' country on earth. This
movement will continue with gathering
force in the next few years unless it is
prevented. To absolutely prohibit
Asiatic emigration to European and
American countries means the joining
of the issues between the east and
west. This worldwide race question
may yet plunge the nations into the
greatest war that men have ever
fought.
Tomorrow-The Influence Of the Fleet.
Copyright. 1908. by Frederic j. Haskin.)