The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-02-12
By Ernest G. walker.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser.


doomed large in Federal affairs. has not
commanded very serious attention in
although it has brought
the more serious minded men in public
life to thinking anew upon the prob.
lens growing out of relations with Jap.
an. 1t was the occasion of several
called by the President at
the White House Offices. These were
chiefly with California congressman,
whose aid the President has sought to
legislature at Sacramento in trying to
enact laws that would disqualify Japa.
nese from owning real estate.
About a year ago Secretary of State
Root made very impressive speech at
a private gathering-which speech was
never reported-about the influence
newspapers have in disrupting friendly
relations between nations. He voiced
the views of the President that undue
agitation of such questions as that af-
fecting the United States and Japan
generally results in misunderstanding
and ill.feeling. 1t is not generally
known that the President during the
past week has been very active in pre-
venting any such newspaper agitation
at this time. He called the first "sym.
postum" of newspaper correspondents
for number of months that he might
emphasize to men who write dispatches
out of Washington his own ideas about
the present japanese situation.
On Capitol Hill, where Congress sits,
the war scare was diseredited in con.
siderable measure. "Comes just when
we are passing the Navy bill, said tho
very wise Solons. Representative Taw.
ney, chairman of appropriations, who
was fighting the two big battleship
clause, so said in debate, and Others
echoed the same sentiments. Certainly
the trouble at Sacramento over the
purchasing of real estate by Japanese
did not have any particular effect as
far as that naval bill was concerned.
For the program of big ships went
through just as the House leaders had
planned it should and just about as
suited the Senate leaders. There was
even less debate than usual and the
bill, carrying a total of over $l20,000,-
600 of appropriations went through in
record time as compared with the pas
sage of naval bills in recent years. And
in the course of very few days the
coterie of senators, who make up the
naval committee, headed by Mr.. Hale,
of Maine, will meet for a morning or
two in the little corner room on the
upper floor of the Senate wing and
after those meetings they will be ready
with the Navy bill revised to present
to the Senate. The war scare talk will
have no influence at that end of the
Capitol.
President and California.
The President in the meantime has
been conducting considerable correspon.
dence with Gov. Gillett of California
about the proposed legislation at Sacra-
mento. When there was a similar scare
year ago he conferred with Senator
Perkins of that State, among others,
but it was charged by the President
that Senator Perkins 1oosened up" to
the public on some information per-
tanning thereto that the President re-
garded as confidential This year there.
fore he has not called Senator Perkins
in, although the Senator is the dean
of the California delegation. He has
been calling upon Senator Flint to ad-
wise him about the California situation
and that senator has been a frequent
visitor to the White House offices.
ne uDSHOU VI Stcho
to be that the bills at Sacramento will
not be enacted into law. 1t has been
urged that all the good feeling which
has been cultivated in the last twelve
months between the two nations would
be dissipated by the enactment of such
laws on the Pacific Coast. The Cali
fornians have assented to the Presi-
dent s program rather reluctantly for
the antagonism to the Japanese is I'M
doubtedly increasing on the Pacific
Coast. Two of the California delega-
ton in Congress-Representa Kahn
and Iayes-have taken rather pro-
nounced stand to the effect that Amer
leans are not allowed TO own land in
Japan and there is no reason why there
should be a similar inhibition upon
Japanese in this country.
That argument carries no little
weight with Congress. Accounts of the
hardships and financial losses that
Americans have sustained in Japan be-
cause of such restriction upon them
have aroused much feeling. Their it
is to be remembered that the Federal
government has law, and has had for
many years against alien ownership of
lands in the District of Columbia and
the territories. Until recently it was
a very common thing for Congress to
enact special laws exempting certain
inviduals in the District of Columbia
from that statute.
And as result OF the agitation it
may happen that the California legisla-
ture will go ahead and enact n law,
prohibiting alien ownership in that
state. 1t is understood that such a
provision would not be opposed by the
President because it would bear upon
all aliens, including the Japanese and
Chinese. The subjects of the Mikado
would then have no reason to complain
about discrimination and the object
that the Californians seek would be ac-
compnshed.
There is a large number of English
men owning large tracts of land in Cali
fornia. The lawmakers of that state
are rather loath to antagonize those
Englishmen who make model citizens.
But the Englishmen are very tenacious
of their British citizenship and few of
them take out naturalization papers.
The Japanese Problem.
Probably by another week the Incl
dent win have been forgotten in Wash
.wr al, a.