The Washington times., 1909-02-02
SHALL 1,485,O53 IMPERIL THE
PEACE CF 76,3O3,387

California had a population in 1900
of l,465,0J3. 1t was then larger than
Arkansas and not so large as Alabama.
Nevada had in 1900 a population of
4. $50. Tt was then about half as large
as Wyoming, and two-thirds as .afgc
as Alaska. The two together repre-
scented a population of l.527 1855, which
is almost precisely per cent of the
5G,303,3s7 persons who then made up
the burden-carrying population of the
United States
These are the two States which viii
undertake through their Legislatures
tomorrow 20 disregard the welfare of
all the rest of ne nation as voiced by
the President of the United States. In
California the legislation contemplated
borrows enough from the anti-ncaro
franchise bills of the South to accom-
plish in general terms the exclusion OF
particular class # citizens from a
general privilege. But in Nevada, with
her A., 335 persons, as against 1901 ten
years earlier, there is TO be no beating
around the bush if committee of the
whole can prevent There the Presi-
dent Is to be condemned for not sitting
idly by while separate States threaten
the whole country with war, the neigh
boring State of California is to be urged
to ignore "the coercion and interference
ON the part of President Roosevelt in
the anti-Japan movement and a SOW
ereign people, eager 10 MAINTAIN rela-
tions OF genuine friendship with Amer
lea Is to be designated parasites of
the world"
The temptation is to say that 1916
600 persons shall not allow l,527 1888 to
involve them in this dangers that the
right Of the many must not be sacrificed
to the mistaken zeal of the few. But
the 747G6,OcO are in hard reality pow
erless- The Constitution makes these
1877 ,38S supreme in such d crisis.
This Constitution reads. clause OF
article VI, "and the Laws OF the United
States which shall be made in Pur-
suance thereof; and all Treaties made.
or which shall be made, under the Au-
thority of the United States, shall be
the Supreme Law OF the Land But
that Is all it says. And 1t is iudicially
impossible to prove that general Iegis-
lation, directed in terms against all the
people OF any general class, is opposed
to this provision
No power Of Government can stop
California and Nevada if they are de-
termined to ahrout the japanese. The
forty-four other States could not be
more helpless il they were whirled past
in a train and saw these two setting
fire TO a forest on the other side OF a
stream. They must look on desper-
ately while a border State and q rotten
borough threaten the lives of hundreds
OF thousands OF American men. the
happiness OF hundreds OF thousands OF
American homes, and the peace OF all
the world. Those are strong phrases.
But no man ia his senses viii question
that they are more than justified In the
prospect OF war between the United
States and Japan.
Vet there j. a power which can do
much to correct or prevent this awful
mischief. 1t is the power OF public
opinion ia the forty-iour States whose
governments are helpless. by every
reasonable means the wautOuness of
California and Nevada should be offset.
Their Legislatures should be no less ac-
tive for prudence and peace than the
Legislatures of these two States for
reczlessness and prejudice A Congress
alive to a danger SO great could with
all propriety voice 1T calmly bat mmis-
takabIy And the people themselves
could make their disapproval clear.
Ii these things shall be done, the
problem may be kept within the bounds
OF that precipitated by the lyuching OF
Italian citizens i'm Louisiana in the first
Cleveland Administration. Il they do
not. there Is no present limit ou the
wreckaec which may only too probably
be caused by these l.4S5.053 citizens in
California and Nevada.