Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-03-04
The japanese Question.
Continued from page y


The attitude of the president and
his proposal to allow the Japanese
to become citizens has aroused great
indignation in California. Where
as, President ROOSEVELT at the time
of his election was the most popular
man in the United States and his
vote in California was the largest
ever polled for any candidate, today
he is most unpopular in that sec
ton. Not only the labor unions,
but also the governors of the Pacific
Coast have condemned the view
taken by the president. They say
that it can only be the result of his
not thoroughly understanding the
situation in the west. Roosevelt
seems to think the stand taken by
San Francisco unjustifable and dis
turbing to our relations with a
friendly power; but the people of
San Francisco say they will stick to
their policy until the courts decide
against them.
Especially bitter is the feeling
against the japanese laborer. The
situation and the feeling as it now
exists can test be described from
the standpoint OF the people of Cali
fornia and of all the western coast.
The feeling concerning the Asiatic
laborer dates back many years. The
Chinese labOrer was first received
with good will and taken into the
ranks of labor without comment;
but as the years passed and his
numbers increased, a feeling of
hostility and alarm spread through
out the country, eliminating in the
disturbances of 1877. Mobs assault
ed iuoffensive Chinese and attacked
the wharves OF the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company, the principal
company engaged in the transportG-
ton Of the Chinese laborer; and
finally, upon vote being taken for
or against the immigration of the
Chinese, it was almost unanimously.
voted to exclude them. Later, in
1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was
passed, and since it's passage the
feeling against the Chinese has
gradually died away, for since the
American laborer no longer fears
their immigration and competition,
they have come to have half
friendly feeling towards him.
UuIxz scf tho fno1ivao, the
Japanese so, differentlya 1t is be-
cause the Japanese is a much more
aggressive person than the China
man. 1t is because as a competitor
he is much more feared by the
American nottingham. For many
ears the number of Japanese ON
the Pacific Coast was small, but
within the last five years there has
been an enormous increase, and the
distrust and dislike of the laborer
has grown even more than cor
respondingly strong. The Japan
csc, unlike the Chinese, will not
endure ill treatment nor even verbal
insult, and there are continual col
lisions between individuals. Even
the white and japanese boys engage
in battle, and the japanese is not
always defeated, which. of course,
does not lead to spirit of mutual
affection. The victory of the work
ingman of thirty years ago over the
Chinese is not forgotten by the labor
er of today, and he feels that the
same measures ought to be applied
to the Japanese.
The Japanese laborer is an es
peciallyhard man to compete against
because of the small expense requir-
ed to keep him in food. He is not
great consumer of meat, and when
it is eaten at all, it is taken in very
small quantities. The most staple
ARTICLES of diet are various dishes
of rice and vegetable soups, which
can be concocted for sum which
to the American workingman would
seem too small to be mentioned.
In the Hawaiian Islands, white
Ia Dor is fast becoming thing Of
the past. The Japanese are virtual
ly in full control and are gradually
but surely pushing out their white
competitors. Being refused permits
zion to emigrate from Japan to the
United States, the laborer takes pas
sage to Hawaii, whence it is but a
step to the United States.
These conditions are arouslng
hostile feeling. not only in this
country, but also IN Australia, New
Zealand and Canada. The latter
country has a commercial treaty
with Japan whereby direct immi-
grafton is not to exceed five hundred
persons annually. This treaty, how
ever, has easily been evaded by the
Japanese coming in from the Hawai-