Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-10-03
TREATMENT OF
IMMIGRANTSIS
CAUSE OF PLANT
Japanese Paper Takes Officials
to Task for ''PartiaIity" and.
Enforcement of Laws

Indicative of the views Of the Jap
anese press regarding immigration
problems devolving out Of the en-
forcement of the present laws on this
| perplexing question, is an editorial
appearing in yesterdays issue OF tbs
Nippu Jill, calculated to arouse sen
timent against immigration officials
II is based or the case of a Japanese
clerk who has been refused admit
lance to Hawaii on the ground that
! he is contract" laborer. The clerk
in question is Y. Negishi, who came
to accept a position in the Yokohama
Specie bank
Viscount lshii is in the United States
on mission to smooth out many diff
ferences which have arisen in the
past, the present is not a time to add
to these differences by strict en-
forcement of the American laws re,
garding immigration of Japanese sub
jects and in line with this view criti-
cizes the immigration officials, who
are bound to enforce the laws as
they stand.
Subsequently Negishi was granted
temporary admittance pending ap-
peal to Washington. Manager S.
Aoki of the bank has retained Attor-
ney Thompson to represent Negishi.
The Nippu Jiii's editorial follows:
while the decision against the adj
mittance into the United States of the
five Japanese school teachers from
Japan is still being holly argued, It is
absurdly astonishing to see one Y.
Negishi, who arrived here from Japan
by the Shinyo Maru last Friday after
noon, AS a clerk in the Honolulu
branch of the Yokohama Specie bank,
refused admittance into Hawaii on
the same old ground that he came
here as a contract laborer.
While Viscount Ishii and his Off
cial party now visiting the United
States on the war mission are being
welcomed in Washington, New York
and everywhere else they go, in most
enthusiastic manner, as the result of
which the good feeling between the
American people and the japanese is
rapidly approaching its zenith, down
in Hawaii, at the gate to Amer
lea from japan, the Japanese are
subjected to much unfriendly treat
ment at the hands of the immigration
officials. What a deplorable contrast!
ITO bring the friendly relations be-
tween this country and Japan up to
its best, mutual understanding and
due respect toward each other are
very essential. While we Japanese
must always bear in mind and strive
hard to this end it must be expected
that the Americans do likewise. Mere
talk or writing of friendliness does
little help toward cementing the
friendship bond between the two ma.
tions. From this point of view we can.
not appreciate the action of the local
immigration officials in their treat
ment of the Japanese seeking their
entry into Hawaii. We see many an
instance in which hand is put on
the head of us in coincidence, while
the leg is doing all in the power to
kick us hard and mercilessly at the
cost of our pain. We do not take
these instances, however, as the real
intention of the heads of the Amer.
ican government as we'll as the Amer.
lean people at large. -.
There is a clause in the immigra-
ton law in which contract immi-
grant ISL barred from entering this
country. The word immigrant typi-
flies, in this instance, a laborer.
Whether a teacher or a banker is
q laborer or not, it is too clear to
explain. Why is there any necessity
to make. this plain question as diff.
ficult as can be? We fear that the
action on the part of the local immi.
grafton officials might only result in
damaging the good feeling between us
and our American friends.
'One of the most unpleasant things
to the action of the i'm
authorities here in refusing
admittance in Hawaii of the Japanese
is that they are partial in their treat
ment of the Japanese. While some of
the Japanese teachers we're detained
over so or 20 days at the immigra-
ton station, the Yokohama Specie
banks man was granted a temporary
landing after only a nights stay at
the station. We cannot understand
why such different treatment was &C.
corded to them. If a clerk in a bank
ing house is entitled to a speedy
why not a teacher?
LET us compare the United States
government with a family. The presi.
dent is, of course, the boss of the
house while the immigration official
might well be said to be gate keeper.
No matter how good character the
master may have, the neighbor can
not associate with the master when
ne is insulted at the gate. This is
why we wish to call the attention of
the American government heads as