The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-04-21


revolutionlsts but will remain neutral.
other in order to arrive at an under.
standing as to what measures they may
consider il useful to take
Japan's Honor Az Stake
1.-THE status quo referred to in the
Understanding, in our opinion, is not
limited to the territorial arrangement,
but II extends to the immigration ar.
rangement, then in force, between ia
pan and the United States. The status
quo in the Pacific region, therefore,
wouh be destroyed by the passage Of
the Burnett Immigration Bill with the
exclusion clause in it, because such
Legislation would upset the existing i'm
migration arrangement, and seriously
impair Japan g honor, prestige and rep
utation in the eyes of the world; and
such Legislation will be an aggression
of most malicious nature. -.,...... 80.
"Mr. Elihu Root, then American sec
rotary of state, wrote to the japanese
ambassador, referring, inter ALA, to the
declarations or stipulations quoted
above, as follows, viz: Il am happy
to be able to confirm to your Excel
lency, on behalf of the United States,
the declarations of the two govern
ments - - Thus, the
United States is pledged to the faith
full observance of the declarations. As
the Burnett Immigration Bill changes
the status quo by its Japanese excEu,
sion clause, the advent of it is an
event contemplated by the declaration
Numbered, 3 in the Root Takahira IN
Outstanding, and according to, that
agreement it behOoves that the Gov
ernments Of Japan and the United
States should confer in order to decide
whether to make it a law, is a measure
which they consider useful and wise to
take under the circumstances. Should
the bill be made. a law, without such
preliminary step the solemn pact be.
tween the two honorable nations of
the earth would be summarily convert
ed into a scrap of paper.
Must Respect Agreement
Further, we have the honor to point
out that the so-ealled Gentlemen s
Agreement would be grievously vio-
lated by the United States if the Jap
anese exclusion law is passed, because
the fundamental understanding lying
beneath the Agreement is that the
United States shall refrain from pass
ing any law that will exclude the Jap.
anese in consideration of Japan 5 faith,
full carrying out its terms. There may
not exist any document to that effect
for very obvious reasons, but that such
is the understanding is ineontrOverti-
bic. To ignore such agreement or UNI
derstanding is no , less reprehe1sible
than the condemnation of written in.
ternatiOnal agreements into scraps of
paper.
1--WE are also afraid that the exclu-
sion of Japanese in defiance of the
treaty, the understanding and the
agreement, would automatically bring
about the collapse of the ROot-Takahira
Understanding, and the loss of applica-
bility Of japan 3 open door policy in
the far east as far as the United
States is concerned.
In this critical hour of the world 3
history when the United States is the
only neutral Power of any consequence,
any action on her part that might i'm
peril her neutrality is to be deeply de.
plored. These words are not spoken
AS the subjects Of japan or of any ma
tton, but from the standpoint of the
world citizen, and trust that they will
not fall on deaf ears.
Earnest Appeal for Veto,
with regard to the picture bride
clause, we respectfully protest against
It as in violation of the most funda-
mental of the rights of man, namely,
the right to take wife from any where
and from among any race. This argu-
ment might be weak if we propose to
take wife from uncivilized corners of
the world, but the force of it is ire
sistible because we insist that our right
should be preserved to take our wives
from our home country, selected by our
parents and the closest relatives and
friends, who have only our welfare at
heart. We trust that this representa-.
tlon will strongly appeal to your Excel
lency's great, good noble and respon-
sive heart, and that the same will not
fail to produce the result for which it
Is advanced. 49,.
For the sake Of the preservation Of
the sanStity, of international treaties,
and fofthe principles of mutual re.
spect by the nations of the earth, one
with another, and of the freedom Of
civilized marriage, we have the honor
to earnestly appeal to your Excellency
&c denude the Burnett immigration
Bill of the Japanese exclusion and the
so'ealled picture bride clauses.
1--WE have the honor to avail our
selves Of this opportunity to express
our highest respect to your Excel