The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-09
THE JAPANESE Discomfort.

| The popular demonstrations III Jdpah,
following the assassination of Mortiaro
| Abe, director of the political bureau
of the Japanese foreign office, indicates
a superheated condition of the public
mind in Tokyo. Certain Of the zealots
have evidently stirred the minds OF
the people up into a dangerous pitch
and the situation is threatening. The
| logic of that situation seems to be that
since California passed an anti-allen
land bill and Japan is not able TO do
anything about it, therefore they
will make war upon China. Pretty
hard on the Chinese. that, but that ap-
pears to be about the measure Of the
feeling Of the riotous Japanese. But
the vigorous dealing Of the government
with these rioters indicates that there
will be no liberation Of the illogical
demand for war On China.
| There has been sedulous effort on the
| part of Japanese writer's to fan the
smoldering race prejudice into rag
ing fame, and to play upon the weak
nesses Of the Japanese character be-
cause Of this race prejudice. The
Japanese (small blame to them) con.
| slider themselves equal to any people
| in the world, man for man. And so.
according to their writers. their sensi,
biities have been most previously and
deeply wounded by the California legis-
lation, which seems to treat the
japanese as though they were of an
=
| for any such feeling as this, how
ever, since any people have a perfect
right TO say what. they will do and
have with regard to the holdings Of
| their lands. The matter of title to
| land, the record Of titles, and all that
sort Of thing is entirely in the hands
Of the States, after the United States
has legally given patents to land There.
fore. California was quite within its
rights in the legislation complained of.
But as the japanese say, il rs not so
much the question of technical right
as it is Of race standard, and as they
consider their race to be at least the
equal Of any. they are undoubtedly af-
flicted at the idea that persons Of the
japanese race are not granted equal
privileges with people Of any alien
country in that alien country, But
since they do not themselves allow
aliens to own land in Japan, it is
difficult to reconcile their action with
their assumptions and claims; unless,
indeed. they wish the world to under
stand that they consider the Japanese
the superior race Of all mankind, and
all other races inferior to them, and by
reason of this feeling they will not
| allow these inferior races TO own the
Cod given land of Japan.
We have not noticed, however, that
any Of the foreign races are making
any outcry about the Japanese ex-
clusivcncss in this respect. But that ex-
clusivencss makes it all the more diff
cult TO understand why the Japanese
are in such a fever about this anti
alien land legislation in California. If
it were something that thcv were uu-
familiar with, If they did not bar aliens
from owning land in Japan. there might
be some reason for the position taken in
y
sensibilities are outraged by that feel
ing. But since the forbidding Of aliens
to own land in their own country is
entirely familiar to them. it ought not
10 be difficult for them to conceive that
other people might want to do the
same thing about this that they do
| themselves.
Still, they seem utterly unable to
| comprehend that other people have the
unquestioned right to hold their lands
| exclusively for themselves, and this
without any desire to place others in an
inferior position, either as race or
| otherwise. Yet that appears to be the
crucial idea in the minds of the
| Japanese, and since they have really
| no Just complaint against the Cali
| fornia legislation. and find themselves
unable TO do anything about it, their
cry is that they must have war with
| China. Their idea in this undoubtedly
| is that they can whip China. and
therefore they will make China pay for
| the affront which they conceive has
beeen inflicted upon them by the Cali
| fornians. This is hard lines for the
"hcathen Chinee,' but that sort Of
| thing is quite familiar to the student
Of history and Of the dealings Of ma
tions one with another. 1t is not at all
| likely, however, that official Japan will
seek a pretext for making war upon
| China; for though that pretext is al
ready suggested in alleged murders at
Nanking and "insults offered to
Japanese officers" China Is apologies
are humble enough TO meet the case.
and arc accepted as ample.
| The japanese hostility to California,
| therefore. unfortunately, that takes the