The Washington herald., 1908-05-29
JAPANESE IN CALIFORNIA
By FREDERIC j. HASKTN
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Special Correspondence The Washington Herald.
Fresno. Cal. May 16-Eresno IS the
greatest raisin-producing place on earth,
and the thousands OF cars OF dried raj
sins sent out from here each year are
produced and handled largely by ORR
entail labor. In fact. the industry practi-
cally depends upon the FIVE or six
thousand Japanese laborers in Fresno
County. They came several years ago.
they worked faithfully. and they worked
cheap. The grape growers believed that
In the japanese they had found the solu-
ton Of the Yexing labor problem. which
all California fruit growers are continu-
ally struggling 20 solve. After a time
the Japanese had practically placed all
other laborers out Of competition. Then
they changed their attitude They had
their employers at a disadvantage. and
demanded Increased wages and all sorts
Of privileges.
japanese farm laborers are by no means
content to remain in their position. and
they Invariably attempt TO establish col
onies which Will give the community
bad name with white people This re-
duces the price Of real estate. and the
japanese enter upon possession Of the
land by leasehold or purchase Wherever.
the Japanese farmer comes in force he
drives the white man from the COM
munity. His presence is as surely de-
pressing upon real estate values as the
presence Of a colony OF negroes is I'm n
Southern city. The Japanese farm labor
er In the small fruit section OF the State
can ind employment at wages of 1875
70 $l.'o a day. In the great prune grow
ing district OF Santa Clara Valley they
can make as much as 50 a day during
the picking season. They live on next 10
nothing, and save their money. To their
savings they add money advanced from
Japan, or they did until the panic cut
OF the supply from home. then go out
10 buy or lease land
The japanese in California own over a
thousand farms, an aggregate Of more
than 10000 acres. There can be little
doubt that many OF the farms were ac-
Quired with money advanced from Japan
by the financial agents OF the all-grasp-
ing imperial household. \ Tokyo banker
Is responsible for the statement that the
imperial household IS interested In land
holdings In California, Texas. Louisiana.
and Colorado The agitation for a law
10 prevent aliens holding land In CALI
fornia grows out Of the general dislike
Tor the japanese, and the increasing fear
OF their encroachmeut upon agricultural
Industries.
A japanese colony IN the Sacramento
valley, where potatoes are largely grown
succeeded In obtaining leases on a large
part OF the land. Two years ago they
attempted 20 corner the California Do
tato market They failed, and lost large
sums of money Last year they renewed
the attempt and were successful They
controlled practically the entire output Of
potatoes in the state. doubled the price.
and made back their losses Of the pre-
vious year. with a handsome profit be-
sides. This spring the farmers in va
rious sections Of the State are protect
Ing themselves from the japanese potato
monopoly by planting larger fields IN
more widely separated sections The
berry crop OF Santa Clara Is controlled
In similar fashion by the japanese farm
ers
Vacaville Is a japanese town. II is
said that a traveller in the Vaca Valley
will meet nine japanese 70 one white
man. The fruit orchards in this valley
aggregate about 1900 acres, Of which
more than half is controlled by japanese
under lease. A small section Is owned by
the japanese outright The japanese
stores in Vacaville control three-fourths
Of the business OF the town In this sec
ton the farmers welcomed the Japanese
with enthusiasm, provided no accommo-
dations for white laborers at all and
rnH Orfn oT ho"r
few years until the japanese became
masters OF the situation. owning or leas-
ing the greater part OF the land and out
numbering the whites IN population.
Land values have shrunk one-third since
the Japanese invasion. Efforts are being
made TO bring In white farmers hy cut
ting UP the land into small holdings, Of
fering them to white farmers with fami-
lies at reasonable figures, and encourag-
ing the raising Of garden truck and poui-
try along with the fruit.
The greed and superficiality Of the Jap
anese is proving his own undoing in this
particular section. He has been here If
teen years, and for half Of that time
has been in practical control of the situa-
ton. He has had time for his poor meth
DDS OF cultivation 20 tell, and they have
proved him an Incompetent horticulturist.
In view Of the excellence Of the gardens
Of Japan and the well-known japanese
skill in tree culture this may be sur
prising. But the fact Is that the japanese
here have forced their trees for the pur-
pose OF producing immediate results; have
looked 90 the penny OF to-day rather than
70 the shilling Of tomorrow. The same
business fallacy which caused Osaka cot
ton mills TO pay 20 per cent dividend last
year, and so impoverish themselves that
this year they cannot take the raw cot
ton from the warehouses, has proved the
undoing Of the japanese IN the Vaca VAL
ley. They want to make all the money
at once. They stIll retain one great ad-
vantage over the whito fruit-srower-
their organization is such that they are
assured OF sufficient labor supply during
the picking and packing season, while the
white grower must trust TO luck for his
holp.
In Southern California, where the citrus
fruits are the principal crop, the expert
ence with the Japanese has been the
same, so far as his qualifications as la
berer are concerned. The extremely high
price Of land and other local conditions
have operated 10 discourage the Japant Sc
A'SAA eSN'N'''Pe4Hb ~ SEIZURE tAleuS4Ne holu-
ings In the South. Not nearly so many
laborers are needed as IN the small fruit
sections, and the labor question Is not so
acute. The citrus growers. however for
the most part, agree that the Japanese
Is unsatisfactory, because he is unrell-
able. has no regard for the obligation OF
a contract, and is quick TO take advan-
tage Of his employer The Southern Cali
fornians, as the people In other parts Of
the State, are loud in their praises of the
Swiss Portuguese. and Spanish laborers.
They also consider the Italian more de-
oira bIa sbop JaOanesa aItbouob tL, =.