The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-07-11
EXCLUSION ACT
FEARED BY JAPAN
>Iikado's Government Puts Up Bars
Against Emigrants Coming This
Students Hit Hard.

VI
time past. voluntarily on her part. en-
forcing an exclusion act, which Is
more rigid and thorough than any con-
tIess would pass, and at the same
time free from the many unpleasant
ooasibilities OF an American act. very
few people In America, or In Japan,
Tor that matter. appreciate to the thil
&xtent what the government OF Japan
IS doing TO avoid friction over the Inn
,liigration question. says a dispatcn 20
the New York Times.
II will be readily appreciated that
the Japanese will submit 20 any resu-
lafions their own government imposes
anon them, but would resent an eX'
clusion act passed by congress. what
Japan is doing, while voluntary on
her part, Is merely matter OF precau-
ton. 10 prevent an alternative which
would be not only Objectionable and
humiliating, but which the entire coun-
try would resent "a an insult.
For some time no new emigrants
have been permitted to leave ~" tho
+. United States. An immense mnt
0s work has been thrust upon the for
oign Office in thorough and searching
investigations as regards each and
every passport issued.
Refusal Of Passports.
TO illustrate the stringency with
which these regulations are adhered
10 must be quoted more or less In de-
Inil two cases which came under OBJ
Rervation recently At a reception
few weeks ago Mr.. Vfckers. professor
OF political economy at the Keio uni
versity I'm conversation with the
American ambassador. solicited his
Buppcrr to obtain a passport for his
thiidren's nurse. Prof. Vickers ex-
poets TO return to the United States
this year after q residence here OF
over nine years, and this nurse has
been as second mother to his chit
dren, so he was anxious to take her
with them. The ambassador replied
that II was impossible for him to con.
sent to issue such passport, as no dis
erection was allowed him by the state
department, and the foreign office in
Japan has refused TO issue passports
70 any OF the laboring classes 20
America. No pressure whatever,
brought either upon the foreign Office
or the embassy, could allow for any
exceptions, no matter how worthy OF
conBideration they might be.
M Another instance was at small
private luncheon, where a member or
The lower house Of parliament from
the Satsuma district told me that he
was very anxious that his son should
ecf 10 America to continue his studies
and 10 enter some college, II possible.
He has one son now living In AmeTt.
CA. in Seattle. He regretted to say
that * was impossible to obtain a
passport for his second son. inquired
whether he was going as student. aud
be replied: "Yes. absolutely as bona
fioe student" was very much SUR
pfised at this. for the gentleman IL
one OF the most influential members
OF parliament. and he comes from a
district which is also the most power
f1l In Japan. a rather peculiar condl-
ton OF Japanese politics being that, as
result OF the former feudal period,
the clan system is still in vigorous
operation. The national government
Of japan is controlled by two districts,
Batsunia and Choshu, which is called
the "Eashu' element. These two clans
were the most influential In the restor-
alton OF the mikado, and have ever
since retained dominating control OF
\ Nil the higher positions. The minis
tiers OF state. with one exception, ara
members OF this clan.
II was surprising I'm another respect
rs q student would not come under the
B restrictin as applied TO immigrants.
Upon further inquiry regarding this
subject Ambassador O'Brien informed
me tsiat no passport would be issued
TOR students by the foreign Office un-
less a SUFFICIENT amount was guaran-
feed to cover their course OF study
/ for the full length of the term, four
or ave years, and that these guaran.
ices were recorded at the foreign OF.
{ nce, II being usually in the form of a
bank guarantee.
IL is common occurrence to refuse
passports TO young men who want TO 60
10 America. The governments OF each
prefecture, forty two in number, are.
permitted to issue passports except Ia
The United States, TO which the lssu,
ing OF passports Is now restricted
& 10 four ofices--Y okohama, Kobe, Ne
easah and the foreign office. Fur
iher than this, 10 passports are al.
lowed To be issued at Kobe, Yoko-
hama, or Nagasaki without having
FIRST gone through the foreign Office
4 and having received official sanction
nfter the most searching and thorough
Investigation.
Each passport issued represents an
amount OF correspondence and inyes.
tigation that Is surprising. Passports
are only issued to those who emf.
grated to the United States in the past
and have returned home on visit
for reasons, and whose return to the
United States must be made within a
period OF six months; and to relatives
OF emgrants already in America. and
whose support is satisfactorily as.
sured the authorities.
Decrease Shown by Figures.
Oficial statistics have been issued
w the foreign Office for the six
months Sept. /. 1909. TO March 1. 1910
OF Japanese emigrants TO the United
States and Hawaii, and OF emigrants
returning TO Japan from the United
States and Hawaii The number oi
Japanese emigrauts who returned
from the United States to Japan was
2.BO6, including 2.l97 males and go.
females. The number of emigrant.
entering the United States from Japar
Tor the same period was 22l, compose
or rs returning emigrants. 20 male.
and females, and lac relatives o
fmigrants already in the Unite,
States. ~ males and 119 females.
The number who returned from Ha