The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1909-02-10
ANT|-JAP PANESE BILLS
President Defines Policy of the
Administration.

Says Government Would Have to Test
Its Constitutionality II School Bill
Passed Last Week by California As
semby Becomes a Law - Federal
Government Can Accomplish Object
Aimed At-Japan Cooperating lr
Good Faith.
Washington, Feb. 9.-"The policy OF
the administration is to combine the
maximum of efficiency in achieving
the real object which the people OF
the Pacific slope have at heart with
the minimum of friction and trouble,
while the misguided men who advo'
cate such action as this which / pro.
test against are following policy
which combines the very minimum OF
efficiency with the maximum of insult,
and which while totally failing to
achieve any real results for good, yet
might accomplish an infinity of harm"
In this language President Roose'
welt in a long telegram to Speaker P.
A. Stanton of the California assembly
set forth the governments view of the
anti.Japanese school legislation now
before that body.
Violation of Treaty Obligations.
The president stated that the bill
gives just and grave cause for irrita'
tion and that the government would
be obliged Immediately to take action
in the federal courts to test such leg
islation, because it is held to be clear.
ly a violation of the treaty obligations
of the United States. The telegram
to Speaker Stanton was sent only after
a conference with Senator Flint and
Representative Kahn of California and
F. X. Lane of the interstate commerce
commission
In his telegram to Speaker Stanton
the president said:
81 trust there will be no misunder-
standing of the federal governments
attitude. We are jealously endeav-
oring to guard the interest Of Cali
fornia and of the entire West in ac.
cordance with the desires Of our
Western people. BY friendly agree
ment with Japan we are now carrying
out policy which, while meeting the
interests and desires of the Pacific
slope, is yet compatible not merely
with mutual self-respect but with mu
tual esteem and admiration between
the Americans and Japanese.
"The Japanese government is loyal
ly and in good faith doing its part to
carry out this policy which aims at
mutually of obligation and behavior
In accordance with it the purpose is
that the Japanese shall come here ex.
actly as Americans go to Japan, which
| is in effect that travellers, students,
| persons engaged In international bust.
ness, men who sojourn for pleasure
or study, and the like, shall have the
| freest access from one country to the
other and shall be sure of the best
treatment, but that there shall be no
settlement in mass by the people of
either country in the other
More Japanese Leave Than Come.
an the last six months more Jap
anese have left the country than have
come in and the total number in the
| United States has diminished by over
two thousand These figures are alb.
solutely accurate. If the present pol
icy is consistently followed and works
as well In the future as II is now work.
| ing all difficulties and causes of fric.
ton will disappear, while at the same
time each nation will retain its self.
respect and the good will of the other.
"But such a bill as this school bill
accomplishes nothing in the line of
the object aimed at and gives just and
grave cause for irritation; while in
| addition the United States govern
ment would be obliged Immediately to
take action in the federal courts to
test such legislation, as we hold it to
be clearly a violation of the treaty.
| The legislation would accomplish
nothing beneficial and would certainly
cause some mischief and might cause
very grave mischief.
"If in the next year or two the ac.
ton of the federal government fails
to achieve what It is now achieving
| then through the further action Of the
president and congress It can be made
entirely efficient"