The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-07-09
The Jap Problem.
Calumet Mich July $


Editor Calumet News
In Mondays News on page four
column two. read the following com.
ment concerning the japanese prob.
lem /, reads
Threatened with a japanese prob
lem Of our own in Michigan, il Is easier
u understand CALIFORNIA; attitude"
Quite SO. CALIFORNIA; attitude as
shown by the people actually concern
81, The rancher, fruit grower. packer.
and others whose lines Of business
connect j. that the japanese could
| not be tolerated because the white
| man could 40, compete with them.
Having lived ia the fruit growing
districts 4 California. the writer had
an excellent opportunity 70 study the
question from q fair poiu, q view.
The American fruit grower starting
with small capital. could hardly exist.
much Jess compete with the japanese.
and sooner or later. the Jap would buy
cut the Americans equipment, and get
control q his land by rental but on
such conditions tina, il would he din
cult 20 know whether the Jap owned
the land or rented IT,
Il Was the same old story. over and
over again. First one OF two Japs
would manage 70 rent a piece OF land
AMONGST the American ranchers. I'll
would not De long before there were
more Japs, and more would keep on !
coming until finally the Americans
would have 10 get on, Of The district. |
owing T. inability 20 compete with the
invading Japs. and SO. what was pre-
'iously q prosperous American COM
mua-ty, changes into japanese Coll
ony.
The Jap is past master i'm the art
- fruit and vegetable growing. and
combined with that he is always a
shre"d business man. As a general
rule be il apparently orderly, and ap-
1aren,!y minds his own business. No
icuht these are commendable quali-
lies. but such are the outward show
z the Jap. Beneath them lies deep
-ooied in every Jap. a certain slyness.
irr9cance and contempt for Ameri-
ANS, counter balanced only by Won
ierful admiration for the American II
.9..ar.
Competition under equal conditions
or both Japs and Americans might
be tolerated. But there is no such
ming az equal conditions existing be-
Wcen the Oriental on the one hand. i
Hd Americans or European settlers
n the other. because out Of the profit
I the white mans labor, is paid the
eneral expenses entailed by him. II
hese expenses are many. and help to
eep the wheels OF business in perpet-
al motion.
The Jap. enabled as he is, to exist on
ne scantiest and cheapest Of fare. and
D 90 without what TO the Americans
re the necessarics Of life, become
arasite, taking the best, and leaving
othing Of value 10 any one else. His
rohts are not spent locally, but over
Japan, large amounts lie in banks.
waiting the home coming Of our Nip II
onese friends"
why then, should our Michigan
'rmers have these undcsIrables thrust
pom them. Some say it is the farm
- own fault. The farmer sells out
the Japs. Yes, that has happened
california. But it was not the poor
'rmcr who sold willingly to the Japs.
many cases it WAC the monoved n
IAN who tried ranchlng as a fad. He III
al very few scruples about selling
IL 70 the Japs. Many OF our Michi-
IN farmers are poor men. who have
iH'red the hardships Of pioneer farm
~ and these men must be protected
ON the intrusion or the Orienta,
rmcr.
Let our Cleveland boosters, who
ave done so much TO make our stateI
OK prominent on the map, let them
low up their good work, 10y raising
cir voices in protest against the
bS' thereby showing they will stand
the men who cleared the land.
asting rock and stump, and put the
over In Cloverland.-Yours very tru-
Arthur y. Boase.