The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14
THE PROBLEM is BIOLOGICAL

H Ut no such hope remains if we
X repeat the blunder in the form
j which now threatens. 1t was
one thing to deal with a few
hundred thousands and few mil
lions of enslaved negroes. 1t mere
ly subjected our institutions to one
strain which nearly disrupted them and
then obliterated them from a quarter
of our territory. But it is quite another
thing to deal with the overflow of a
whole world of Chinese, Japanese and
Hindus, backed by powerful and jealous
nations, which will submit to no impu-
tation of racial inferiority And it is
still another thing, and a relatively
easy one, to deal with unlimited hordes
of white immigrants, equal or inferior,
desirable or undesirable Their prob
lem is at most political and social The
other problem is biological Whatee er
any generation may swallow. through
the New York mouth, future genera
tions will digest. But what comes in
through the San Francisco mouth no
American generation can ever digest or
eject. Only Asia can assimilate oriental
blood. and we must either become
Asiatic or refuse to try to assimilate it..
I'VE ought to know by this time what
immigration means, when once it
starts ireland found us out and
moved over bodily. without crediting
I
of the clans-O'Yama and MacAdoo be-
gan the political regeneration of Japan,
we are sure it is no myth that some
thing very like that happened here.
Northwestern Europe found us out
and all its surplus population moved
over. Southern Italy found us out, and
the surplus population of. Naples and
Sicily now digs our bitches and payes
our streets. Southeastern. Europe is
finding US out and the whole surplus
population is moving over. And moth
ing but the exhaustion of the surplus
or artificial restriction, ever stops such
a flood when it has once broken the
dikes
Asia has found US out, too. and the
flood from the orient has started
Nothing can stop it unless we do.
We did stop it from China, because
China was helpless, but that helpless
ness will not last long. 1t has been
checked from Japan by the grace of
Japan, but that grace may not last
long. And we may stop it from India
because we do not have to deal with
India about it. But the reservoir that
is tapped is limitless. Literally hum
dreds of millions of brown men. yell
low men, and bronze men would now
like to come to America for the same
reasons that the Europeans wanted to
come; and they are equally free to do
so. And then-the delugel
The worst of it is that temporarily
and economically, we need them, and
therefore some of our short sighted
capitalists desire them. It is fair
and empty landa that awaits develop
ment and It isecapable of being ex-
plotted far more rapidly than the
white man alone can do it. Indus
trially the west can be full grown in
one generation. If we will permit it,
but not by the labor of all the white
men it can get. The west can absorb
men faster than white men are con-
senting 10 come. A deliberate dog in
the mangerN policy is the only way to
reserve for future generations Of our
race the resources which we have not
time nor men to develop ourselves.
Already we raise more fruit than
we can hire men to gather, even with
the aid of Indians, Mexicans, and such
Orientals as have been admitted. Our
large land owners cry aloud for work.
ers, and they like the Oriental best
We demand a man with two qualities;
he shall be a alternating man and