Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-01-18
UNITED STATES { JAPAN
The American Nation not to be
Caught Unawares BY Wiley laps
NEG0 TlATI0NS PENDING
CALIFORNIA; Representatives Press
for an Exclusion Act--The Sit
uatlon Becoming Accute.

Washington, ID. G. Jan. l0.-Seri-
Gus negotiations are pending between
the United States and Japan respect.
ing the immigration Of Japanese to
America 1t can be said that Prees-
dent Roosevelt is sitting on the lid"
to prevent an anti-Japanese outbreak
that might prove to BIZ very serious.
Stories of friction between the Uni
ted states and Japan that recently
have originated in European capitals
unfortunately have more foundation In
fact that the government of the Uni
ted States cares TO admit. In the send
ing of he great Atlantic fleet to the
Pacific waters President Roosevelt Ii
providing against any contingency
that possibly may arise. He proposes
that the American Nation shall not
be caught unayares by the willy Japan
csc as was Russia Ii there IS to be
anything doing" in the Pacific, he in
tends that the American fleet shall be
on the job, whether It be, in the words
of Admiral Evans, "a feast, or a
fight"
Tremendous pressure is being
brought upon the President to induce
him to support Japanese exclusion
measure in the congress. In the past
few days, several members of the
house of representatives have discuss
ed the subject with him, particularly
Representatives Kahn and Hayes, OF
California. They AMI their constitu-
ents are directly in touch with the
Japanese situation on the Pacific
coast and they assert that 1t Is be-
coming more and more acute every
day.
1t is we'll understood fact that the
regulations promulgated by the gov
eminent last spring concerning Japan.
csc immigration have been ineffective
With desire TO placate the Japanese
government, President Roosevelt did
not resort 20 extreme measures in
ordering the exclusion of Japanese
laborers and coolies. The negotiations
of the United States with Japan indi-
Gated that the latter government was
willing to restrict emigration to Amer
ica-even anxious to dc so. The fact
have not borne out the protestations
of the japanese government. Since
the restrictive regulations became
effcetive-eight or nine months ago
the immigration of Japanese 10 Amer
lea has increased three fo'd OF
course, that means only the number
of immigrant japanese who have been
admitted to this country in the reg
ular way Meantime. thousands of
Japanese have come to America sur
reptitiously, but, ii is fair to assume,
with out the knowledge of their home
government.
1t is known that since the exclusion
regulation went into effect, up to the
LIST OF December last, 1862 Japanese
started Gin transit" from Mexico to
Canada. Their expressed purpose was
to cross this country to the Dominion
of Canada. 1t known, also, that 172
of them arrived at their Canadian
destinations. The remainder, 1890,
secretly left the trains On which they
were travelling and were absorbed in
to the population OF the United States
How many thousand Of Japanese were
smuggled across the borders OF Cana
da and Mexico into this country with
out the knowledge of the immigration
officials it would be difficult to es-
innate, but the number unquestion-
ably was very large.
Immense numbers OF the japanese
have gone into the Pacific coast ter
ritory and in that section of the coun-
try 1.-The problem of japanese immigra-
ton has become acute. Practically
every member of congress, whether In
the senate or in the house, from the
Pacific coast is in favo OF the passage
of bill excluding Japanese form
America, precisely as Chinese are ex-
cluded. Representative Hays. Of Cali
fornia has introduced a bill providing
for the exclusion of the Japanese, and
it is this measure that the admins
tration objects to. President Roose-
welt takes the ground that. while neg
citations in diplomatic way, are
pending between America and Japan
looking to the exclusion Of Japanese
laborers, 1t would be unwise to accen.
tuate the difficulties by the enactment
sf drastic legislation, or even the SER
lous discussion of such a measure. II
fe iutfrn foil that th4 ADM n tcfrafinu