The Washington herald., 1909-05-23
Chinese la
drove their

hereditary foes out of the country and
sured themselves OF undisturbed work in har-
vestng the peaches, apricots pears and prunes for
which the Vaca valley is noted. In the beginning
they worked for half the paid to the Chinese,
but not for long. When they had made themselves
valuable they demanded more money, and If 1t was
not forthcoming they had no conjunction about
striking in gangs at the height OF the season until
the farmer with ruin staring him IN the race was
compelled TO grant their demands. Living on next
to nothing, sleeping in bunk houses buying their
few neoessaries from Japanese storekeepers, they
saved most OF their money
The next move of the Japanese.
TT HEN came the next step. Having acquired q
knowledge of prices and profits they proposed
to orchardsts to lease then trops, the Japanese 20
prune the trees pick the fruit market it and pay
a rental to the owners at the end of the season
Backed by the packing houses the Japanese made
a success of their ventures and took the ineyi
table further step of leasing the orchard and farm
lands At the present time, within the township
of Vacavle alone area of thirty-six square
miles, the Japanese have leased 75 per cent of the
farm lands. The farmers and orchardists have
not lost money far, but white labor has been
driven out of Vacaville and expert opinion has 1T
that the fruit trees viii be injured greatly in some
instances destroyed within few years, by the
eagerness of the Japanese to force from them all
that they be made to yield. The Japanese are
not banking much the future as ON the pres
ent; he is not welded to the soil OF California.
What is true of Vacaville has happened or is
happening in other parts of the great central val
leys of California At the lower end OF this fertile
domain, near the mountain pass which separates
southern from northern California is Fresno coun-
ty the great raisin growing section Because ne
is a natural "squatter" and endure the almost
tropical heat better than the white laborer, the
Japanese has become the grape-picker of Fresno.
In the summer there are 5000 Japanese employed
in and about the city OF Fresno. The white men
cannot compete with them and they have become
expert at their work that the best pickers, do
ing piece work, from So to 81 day. Their
progress as landlords has been slower here than
in the upper valley but already 1500 acres of vine
yards are in Japanese control.
In and about Los Angeles the Japanese have to
compete with the cheap "cholo labor OF the Mexi-
and Portuguese; their economic import.
Is considerably discounted Yet even in that
thrifty country the little brown man has acquired
land and has placed himself in competition with
the white farmer fruit grower, notably in Trop.
leo in the beautiful San Fernando valley.
California doesn't like him.
W/HEREVER he has gone In California, the Jap
w is disliked. That is a broad, perhaps
startling statement, but 1t is borne out by ample
documentary evidence, The San Francisco landlord
who leases his property TO him the Vacaville
orchardist who let's him market his apricots has
the same feeling of repugnance for him the
average Californian who meets him, rarely
possible in casual contact
Ask the farmer in Sacramento, the orchardist in
Vacaville or the rasin grower In Fresno about the
Japanese and the answers will be wonderfully
alike. They will all say that they would prefer
white labor IL they could get 1t and that If they
must have Asiatic workmen, they would rather
have Chinese than Japanese. Why? Because, they
answer, the Japanese cannot handle horses or ma
chinery, because they cannot be fully trusted
depended upon, either to do their work properly
when not constantly watched 20 keep their
tracts to stay by their work at the crucial period
of the harvesting
That the Japanese Industrious. progressive