The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-05-12
Local Association Would Exclude
Americans From Nippon II
. Burnett Measure Passes 7
MEMORIAL 10 BE- SENT
70 NIPPON on SUBJECT
Leaders Of Colony Declare Con-
gress Has No Right To Bar
Any Japanese

Should the Burnett immigration bill
pass both houses of congress and re.
ceive the approval of President viii.
son, the Japanese Association Of Ha>y
waii plans 10 begin q campaign of reta-
liation. :, The association has adopted
resolution, which declares that in the
event Of the immigration measure be-
coming law, the. organization will
memorialize the Japanese government
asking that similar bill be adopted
in Nippon, excluding from Japan all
citizens or subjects of any nation
which excludes any class of Japanese.
In the opinion Of the association,
the exclusion of any class of Japanese
from the United States, even the labor.
ing class, would in practise exclude all
Japanese who might wish to visit or
live in the United States, and is dis
tinct blow at the freedom of action
that by right belongs to the subjects
Of the Mikado, and the national honor
as we'll The association scouts the
idea that the money left in japan by
American tourists would be allowed
to weigh against the question of the
honor OF Dai.Nippou.
Some Objections Noted
Doctor Nagoro, secretary of the
Japanese Association, finds both the
house, or Burnett bill, and senate
amendments Objectionable.
"In our opinion" he said yetterday,
''both win effectually exclude all ia.
panese from the United States. 1t has
been charged that japan is taking ad-
vantage of the strained relations be.
tween the Washington government and
that of Berlin, over the submarine
campaign, but l do not believe this.
Indeed, we Japanese are inclined to
believe that it is America that has
taken this opportunity to revive the
question. What ever may follow the
dispute the whole responsibility rests
and will rest on America,
"It has been further said that the
Root.Takahira convention gives. the
United, States power to enact o lpapa-
nese exclusion law, but as a matter
of historical fact, the very opposite in
the fact. This convention provides
that the tive countries shall maintain
the status quo, which included the ex.
listing agreement regarding the ques-
lion of Japanese immigration.
Would Affect United States
The enactment of law excluding
Japanese is certainly an alteration OF
the existing" relations, an. alteration
which is plainly discountcnanced by
the convention. Anyone who will take
the trouble to read and rightly inter,
prets: the meaning of the agreement
and gives due consideration to the
motives which actuated the signers
thereof, and the circumstances under
which the agreement was reached,
could not deny this statement.
at is further said in defense of the
pending measure that, inasmueh as it
especially excerpts the people of any
country with which the United States
has an existing special immigration
"greementS Japanese would not be eff.
feeted. Phis may be so, but we cannot
belieVe that the United States intends
to held that the commercial treaty be-
tween this country and Japan and the
so-cahed Gentlemen Agreement
would place the Japanese outside the
operation of the law.
, awe therefore feel that the safer
course for US to follow is to use every
effort to prevent the passage of the
bin, with the clause we object to, and \
this Is the way, we believe, to main.
tain the friendship Of the countries for
each other"