The San Francisco call., 1910-06-01


iioner Mackenzie upon the Japane
INVASION of California. The uniol
condemned it in bitter terms. The fo
owing interviews voice Iabor's protes
o. A. TVEITMoE, Secretary of
the Building Trades COunciI-Under
Ordinary circumstances it is rather
ulmcult TO pass an opinion that is
OF any value on a matter that YOU
nave not had time to give thorough
ana careful consideration, and as
TINS report of the labor commits
sloner to the governor on the Jap
sS anSse contains some 100000 words
ana, as / understand, a large num-
per OF exhaustive tables of statis-
tics and figures 1T will take sew
eral weeks to give it a thorough
PerusaL That this will. be done
by the proper officials Of thN Ash
attic exclusion league l have no
doubt. However, Judging from the
reports In the public prints, if they
are correct, l am not surprised at
report.
The state appropriated $4,000,
winch we knew at the time was an
insufficient amount for a thorough,
Ialr and comprehensive investiga-
ton or the subject. Yet the state
receives a report of 200. 600 words:
received in words and figures for
Its money; and still the report ad-
mits that the statistics are far
from complete and that the inves-
ugation has been somewhat in
adequate.
In. spite of these very defective
ADMISSIONS the commissioner, or
the special agent (because. candid
Iy), do not believe that the re-
port is Commissioner Mackenzie's
DrO0UCtl arrives
sweeping and far reaching con-
clusions, namely. that Japanese or
some other labor like it is abso-
lutely necessary for the develop
ment OF California's specialized in
dustsksA. That is the "nigger in
tbs woodpile." In fact. those con-
clusions were reached by the very
interests which are being served
by the report long before the action
was taken by the legislature that
created the special $4,000 investi-
cation.
nChe railroad companies. other
corporations and large land owners
want cheap labor. They would like
to transplant some of the dead
feudal laws of Europe on American
soil II they only could. in order to
exploit the Workingman. I was in
formed away back in 1907 by a
leading .poircal economist. who
speaks for the heavy capita liStic
interest which seeks pauper labor,
that California needed 200,0 addi-
tional Chinese to develop her in
dustrieS.
Who employs the majority of the
Chinese, Japanese and Hindus in
California? The railroad corpora
tions. such as the Southern Pacific,
the Santa F'e, the interurban lines
in the Sacramento valley. the Hunt
ington lines in southern California
and the large land owners. These
1as4 \
proht In millions every year on
cheap labor These are the inter-
ests that caused the $4,000 inves-
ugation TO be made, which has sent
this 100000 word report to the gov
ernOr and evidently contains more
misinformation about the question
than any other official document
that has so far been produced.
What are the interests that have
retarded California < developnleut
and progress? Railroad monopo-
lies, spanish land grants and orien-
tai coolie labor. / defy any poll
clan or political economist to dis
pute successfully this question. If
the state administration believes
1t is benefiting California by any
thing like the purpoited report
on the Japanese question from the
labor commissioner they will find
out that they are sadly mistaken
after the people render their de-
NA9-Pl AANfAt ACL anu ANONtniBtl.
r. h. ROSENTHAL, Vice Presi-
dent Labor CounciI-Tf the conclu-
sions reached by Labor Commis-~
sioner Mackenzie in his report
on oriental labor in this state
are sound, all can say is,
God help California. 1 believe
the Asiatic exclusion league, which
has for years been collecting data
on the Asiatics on this coast, will
be able to refute many of -the
things found in the report. AS 1
read the synopsis Of the report in
the papers. our labor commissioner
would have California become a de-
pendency of Japan. The spreading
OF such statements as are found in
this so called report is bound to do
the mass of laborers on this coast
untold injury in the east, when we
come to ask for legislation to keep
California a white mans country
FRANK MAXWELL. Secretary of
the Bay Counties District Council of
CarpeDters-The report of Labor
Commissioner Mackenzie is, to my
sions at which he arrives are not
such as should be issued from that
Office. This report will have a
tendency to place California in q
false position before the nation. and
work untold harm to the people
u Oul LdSE.
III. l.. WHITE, President of Typo
graphical Union no. 2I-It seems to
me that Labor Commissioner Mac
kenzie's figures, as printed con-
trovert his argument for more jap
anese. There is, in my opinion,
enough white help in California
for all purposes. The only diff
Guilty is in placing it where ii is
wanted and at the time IT is wanted.
White laborers must be sure Of a
living wage when In competition
with Japs and Chinese, and if more
of these Mongolian laborers are
allowed TO come the whites will be
driven altogether from the agricui-
tural districts of the state. The
report shows that in small holdings
the owners prefer white help, while
in the larger ranches and orchards
the work is preferably given to
Japs, because, in many instances,
the owners are absentee landlords
and prefer tenant farmers
GEORGE w. BELL, Business
Agent of the Gas Workers Union
1 am not surprised at such a re-
port coming from Johnnie Mac
kenzie It looks to me as If the