The Washington times., 1914-02-03
YELLOW PERIL MAY
DEFEAT ALIEN BILLS
Faction in House Insists on
Barring Japanese Along
With IIIiterate Europeans.

The yellow peril" with an anti-GsD-
anese angle, again raised its head in
the House today when that body met
TO take another vote on the Hayes-Ler-
root amendment declaring against the
immigration of Asiatics. While the
Japanese are not specifically mentioned,
and there exists the international gen
tIcman's agreement" for the admission
of Japanese bearing passports, all anti
Asiatic amendments are frowned upon
st this juncture by the State Depart
rnent, and the situation faced by the
House is q delicate one.
II test vote taken last night prevails,
the Burnett immigration bill may he
jeopardized by the Asiatic exclusion
rider. The bill may be defeated either
in the Senate or at the White House
Prior to adjournment last night, the
House, sitting In Committee of the Whole,
tentatively wrote into the Burnett bill,
by a vote of Ill to 80, provision for
the exclusion Of:
Hindus and persons of the Mon
golian or yellow, Malay, or brown,
African or black races unless 9TH
efWise provided for by existing
agreements as TO passports, or by
treaties, conventions or agreements
that may hereafter be entered into.
This amendment was offered by Mr..
Lenroot as an amendment to the
amendment offered by Mr.. Hayes
amendment said nothing about treaties
or passports and. IL adopted, would be
a direct slap al all Asiatics. The Len
root amendment tones down the far
reaching Hayes amendment, upol which
a final vote was scheduled for today,
but, even in modified form, the provision
may embsrrass the State Department,
bec9use Il shows q House anupathy to-
ward immigration from AsiaIic coun-
tries
The offering Of the Hayes amendment
tcuk the House unawares and the Cali
fornia member was Upbraided for in
jecting the issue. Mr.. Burnett hOtly as
serted that political advantage was be
ing sought Mr.. Hayes denied this, de-
clertng he was consistent oppoEelit
OF Asistic immigration. from which the
Pacific coast has suffered
Mr., Raker, author Of the bill now
pending before the Immigration Com
mittee to exclude Asiatics. had been
persuaded not to inject the issue dur
ing the consideration of the Burnett
bin. which is aimed at Euronean immi-
grStion, but Mr.. Hayes declined to be
caned of and precipitated q stormy
debate The House adjourned suddenly
on motion of Mr.. Burnett, who wanted
to corral his forces for the battle to-
day.
Advocates of the Burnett bill, which
has been fought bitterly because Of the
Iliteracy test. saw q double danger In
the Hayes-Lenroot amendment-the
possibility of international complics-
tons and the prospect of loading the
Burnett measure so the entire re-
stricted immigration program may meet
defeat because of the yellow peril
rider.
Members who had fought the Bur-
nett bill because of its ilnteracy test.
rallied TO the defense of the Pacific
coast members. who were interested
rnainly In the Asiatic menace, and the
combined forces temporarily defeated
Mr.. Burnett and the sponsors of the
restricted immigration measure. The
House adjourned with the warring fac
lions in belEgerent frame Of mind and
itching for the fray today.