The San Francisco call., 1910-06-04
Leader of ExclusionSsts Charges
japanese Were Employed to
Gather Official Data
Unconstitutional Attempt to
Hide Conditions From Press
ident Taft Is Alleged

California. was compiled from informa-
tion and data received from japanese
agents and Japanese interests, accord
ing to the startling accusation made
yesterday by A. E. Fowler, editor of
the White Man, monthly magazine, is
sued by the japanese exclusion league.
Fowler also charges that the labor
commissioner violated the state consti-
tutlonal law governing the employment
of labor on public work in the use of
the $4,000 legislative appropriation
voted during the 190S-9 session to Sc
cure the report. Nine Japanese enun-
orators and agents were employed to
carry on the work, according to Fow-
Ter, at SO day, the employe to meet
his own travelling expenses
BASIS OF REPORT TO TAFT
Mackenzie's report was drawn up in
accordance with a special act of the
legislature and is to be used by the
governor as a basis for statement to
President Taft on Japanese conditions
in this state.
The report favors the Japanese as a
working class because of their advant-
ages of independent subsistence, mob
ilization, submissiv eness and because
they entail no responsibility for con-
tinued employment.
Fowler brands the report as a worth
less public document and one that can
not properly guide the state executive
in forming so important an opinion. He
declares that it does not properly re-
fleet the public attitude toward the
Japanese in this state, though it pur-
ports to do so. and that it is mislead-
ing because all its information has been
| obtained from persons who had an in
terest in peryerting the facts.
The blanks used by the department
of labor to secure the information are
printed in both English and Japanese.
The accuracy Of the more important
figures of the report is attacked on the
ground that the information could only
be secured from Japanese or through
Japanese interpreters by the use of the
system employed. No person not con-
versant with Japanese could get the in
formation.
IGNORES COMMUNITY'S ATTITUDE
THAT report was intended to portray
the Japanese situation in California
without bias" said Fowler, but abso-
lutely no attempt is made to represent
correctly the attitude of the comfnu-
nifty toward Japanese The report deals
plishments and those other qualities
that recommend them to the employer
of cheap labor Their achievements are
featured. and all the nice things that
their employers say about them are
quoted Through it all no effort has
been made to carry out the central
idea of the legislative investigation
and that was to obtain report on the
effects of this class of orientals on the
community, industrially, socially and
morally.
"The Japanese businessman has been
interviewed, but not his white COM
petitor. Not one instance of the effect
Ion,
on business or a section is cited Abb
solutely no attempt is made to show
in what way the Japanese have in
jured a district or retarded its advance.
The Japanese as a moral and social
factor and as nonassimilative race
and Indifferent citizen has not been
considered. These are important fea-
greater weight to California than the
business sagacity or cunning of the
Japanese as an economic factor.
"F. c. Jones, deputy commissioner,
told me that the work had been done
very cheaply. The agents and enumer-
ators had received SO a day and no
expenses. He said that $4,000 worth
of work had been obtained for $4,000.
An inspection of the blanks used and
which it was required of Japanese
workmen to fill out convinces me that
Japanese agents were the cheap me-
dlumS used Tor the WORK
VIOLATES CONSTITUTION
"This is in direct violation of article
IL, section of the constitution of
the state of California, which reads:
No oriental shall be employed
any state, county, municipal
other public work, except In pun
ishment for crime.
Jones was not desirous of letting
ty,,n n..y ,1,o IL he 81 bar
ing the data. He told me that nine
men were employed for period of IA
months.
The report throughout is based on
the opinion of men who employ Jap
anese labor. The blanks show this, as
they are directed to employers of coolie
labor. 1t is not natural to suppose
| that a man who employs this class of
| labor is going to offer objections to
their work. No effort is made to obtain
| the opinion of those employers of white
| worlxmen as to why they prefer not to
use orientals.
There are 10000 farms in the state,
and only 1000 were visited. He has
gone among the Japanese and among
men who have been hiring the Japanese
to secure an opinion on the race that
is to be used as a public document
rejecting California's ideas and atti-
tude toward the Japanese
Two of the blanks used. which cover
vital features of the information
| wanted, are printed in Japanese and
are filled out by the Japanese workmen
and the Japanese employer. 1t is
manifestly absurd to incorporate these
in the report, as the information must
be worthless. Nevertheless they form
an essential part of the report The
whole thing is faulty and designed to
misrepresent the situation in the state.
With such allegedly authentic and au-
thoritative figures going out of the
state we can not expect other states to
sympathize with our struggle for ex-
clusion.'
y.
MRS. C. w. VANVOORHIS