Evening star., 1914-07-19
THE JAPANESE SITUATION
3:
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

The sudden reopening the other day by
Japan Of the California land controversy
caused surprise. Nothing officially has
been heard from Dai Nippon, as far as
the general public knows. since the de-
livery to the State Department Of the
telegram from the japanese minister of
foreign affairs August g. 1913. The joint
correspondence just given out in Wash
ington shows no reply from us in the
Intervening ten months. The initiative Of
Japan in taking up a matter which this
country would be delighted to leave alone
adds spice to the proceedings and serves
to make Of interest at this juncture a
brief survey of this and the other two
diplomatic sparring matches between
Japan and the United States in less than
decade. A resume Of numbers one and
two will give background to the present
interchange OF amenities.
In October, 1905, the Japanese govern
ment complained to the United States
government that the school authorities
Of the city Of San Francisco had treat
er certain Japanese citizens in such a way
as as to- to violate the treaty Of November
z. 1894. between the two countries The
action objected to was the following
ordinance Of the school board: Resolved: !:
That in accordance with article 10. section
1852, Of the school law Of California
principals are hereby directed to send
all Chinese, Japanese or Korean children
to the Oriental Public School, situated on
the south side Of Clay street between
Powell and Mason streets, on and after
Monday. October Is. 1906"
this was social distinction which un-
necessarily wounded the sensibilities of
his people. Ut may be remarked en-
passant that no formal objection was
ever made by the Chinese or Korean
governments.) Japanese citizen resid-
ing IN San Francisco also instituted pri-
vate proceedings in court. seeking to COM
pei the school board again to admit his
child In a white school. Thereupon our
federal government filed bill in equity
in the circuit court, claiming that the
acts Of the school board constituted a
violation of the treaty. President Roose-
welt then took his decisive stand in the
controversy and formally cabled Toxic
that some way would be found to reverse
the local school board.
1t was claimed by the school authori-
ties that the morals of the white school
chill en-
Morals Of Children were en-
Endangered, Is Claim. ths,r uaarefec cony 0y
tact with Japanese and other oriental
pupils. whose ages it was claimed.
ranged from fifteen to twenty-five. This
the japanese denied and considered them
serves lnsuited. with special reference to
immortality.
Fresident Roosevelt sent to San Fran
cisco one OF his cabinet officers, Secre-
tary Metcalf. himself a Californian. That
ofhcer FOUND that the oriental school. .
where the Japanese and Chinese and
Korean children were forced to 20 was
IN the center of the burned district, a
great distance from the section of the
city where most orientals lived. He found
1niS one Japanese attendiI : this school.
sands OF children in San Francisco there
mad been but nfnety-three Japanese. and
of this small number twenty-five were
nativeporn Americans. He also estab-
from six to twenty. thus being within the
law, contrary to the statement that they
were from fifteen to twenty-hye The
school teachers reported that the Japa-
nese were cieaniy, orderly and studious.
The Japanese took the position that they
were taxpayers and that the location OF
the segregated school where their chill
dren could not reach It meant nothing
more than that they were being taxed
for something they did not receive and
that their children were beinS denr, ved
of an education. :.
The Presidents forceful attidute even
tually closed the incident and gave japan
the victory. The suits against the school
Of confidence in the results OF Secretarv
Metcalfs visit. The school board in its
turn was prevailed upon to withdraw
the distasteful ordinance. The Japanese
for white children. Japan consIdered ftat
she had saved her dignity and the United
States was saved an embarra asinr inter
national complication. At the same time,
It raised a queston over the conflict be-
federal government and the constitutionaI
rights Of the several states that Is still
unsettled. One interesting point never
touched on oniciaIiy throughout the
ernment, in Its entire intercourse with
the nations Of the world. has never. Al
far 10 IL known. given free education to
foreign children within It's gates
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