The San Francisco call., 1909-10-10

are but little better than the Chinese Their housing
conditions are little better but the relations Of sexes
are fully as bad The census of 1900 showed on the
mainland of the United States total of 24326 Japa-
nese of which only oS5 were females 1t is safe to say
that far more than majority of these females were
prostitutes After 1900 larger number of Japanese
women were imported for immoral purposes, so that
about third of the arrivals were women.
"The activity of the federal government in 1907
brought about change for during that year, while
the number of Japanese males arriving was N,24O
the number of females only 1886.
Conhrmatory of the foregoing is the fact that il
would not be difficult for government officials to show
that even after marriage as required by custom
Japanese girls brought to the United States under
the picture marriage arrangement have only been
imported to add to the already immense number of
their sex and race who follow lives of degradation
in the Pacific coast cities.
No foreign government disposed to fair dealing
could possibly take exception to the maintenance by
government of public policy calculated to eradi-
cate such conditions described, and any intel
gent person who will give the subject reasonable con-
sderaion must necessarily reach the conclusion that
it devolves upon the federal authorities to surround
Japanese picture marriages" with every possible
safeguard in order that society may be protected,
and that unscrupulous rascals who fatten from the
earnings of shame may enrich themselves through
the importation or 1nnOGent japanese girls L ne
executive order of President Roosevelt dated March
H. 1907, reads as follows
"And whereas, upon sufficient evidence produced
before me by the department of commerce and
labor, / am satisfied that passports issued by the
government of Japan citizens of that country of
Korea and who are laborers, skilled unskilled, to
go TO Mexico, to Canada and to Hawaii, being
used for the purpose of enabling the holders thereof
to come to the continental territory of the United
dat~;~ Of 1abr
hereby order that such citizens of Japan and Korea
to wit, japanese or Korean 1aborers, skilled
skilled who have received passports go to Mexico
Canada or Hawaii and come therefrom, be refused
permission to enter the continental territory of the
United States.
The reader will readily recall the agitation in the
Pacific coast cities during 1907, particularly in San
Francisco, over the proposal to segregate oriental
children for school purposes which resulted. not in
the establishment of separate schools but friendly
understanding with the Japanese government for the
restriction OF Japanese immigration of the laboring
class this country the above executive order for
bidding the admission to continental United States
of Japanese Korean laborers holding passports to
Mexico Canada or Hawaii 1t was hoped that by
restricting japanese immigration to this country not
only would labor conditions in the sections where
the agitation was most pronounced be benefited, but
that the necessity for separate schools would be OBJ
waited. The influx of Japanese women under the
picture marriage plan (and they coming in large
numbers) will certainly render schools of sort
necessary, and further problem will be up for
settlement when reflect that the japanese multiply
rapidly and that the progeny resulting from picture
marriages" will be citizens of the United States by
birth and entitled to every right and privilege
templated in such title
BY the comfy of nations, not infrequenty alluded
to by the courts when dealing with international prob
1ens under ordinary circumstances, when both of the
contracting parties physically within the jursdic
ton of the laws under which marriage is eonsum-
mated in foreign country, our government should,
and does accord such unions full recognition except
ing where poygamy is involved, full recognition
being extended to all Japanese marriages where the
ceremony has been performed while both parties
within the purview of Japanese statutes.
But our government has its public policy to
maintain and prompted by the demand of such pol
icy, uniformly insists that participants picture
marriages" shall be united by ceremony conforming
to American usage and the wisdom OF employing still
other safeguards insure the genuineness of these
marriages is now under consideration. 1t is firmly
believed before surrender of Japanese bride into
the care of her alleged husband who in nearly every
case had a residence of years in the United
States that thorough investigation should be en-
forced by the in order that there may be
absolutely no uncertainty the trustworthness Of
the bridegroom. Once admitted to the United States,
identification Of Japanese girls without the OF
photograph is impossbility, and in addition TO the
other precautions is deemed essential that the Japa
government be requested to cause some official
Endorsement to be made the photograph Of the
BRIDE said photograph to be filed with the govern
ments officers when the holder is admitted to this
country for by this only can it be determined
whether the Japanese females now landing in the
United States in increasing numbers under the pic
ture marriage system are coming an existence Of
chastity or vice.