The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1919-11-27
CHAMBERLAIN CITES
JAPANESE TREATY

Complaint from R. E. Scott that
Senator Chamberlain, in acknowledge.
ing a protest from the anti-Japanese
society against Japanese immigration
had not been sufficiently specific, has
caused the Oregon senator to write an.
other letter making his position clear
Several weeks ago V. S. McClatchy,
publisher of the Sacramento Bee, ap-
peared before the house and senate inn
migration committees to urge absolute
restriction Of Japanese immigration,
asserting that California's experience
with the Japanese should be abundant
reason for Tightening exclusion meas
ures to the iIreducible minimum.
The anti.Japanese society of Hood
River. through Secretary Scott, tele-
graphed Senator Chamberlain the fol
lowing day, endorsing everything that
Mr.. McClatchy had said and declaring
that the Japanese invasion Of the Hood
River fruit district was becoming an
actual menace.
Senator Chamberlain, under the
strain Of very heavy mail, acknowl
edged the telegram too briefly to salts
fy his Hood River constituents Amp.
lifying his position he has written.
Il thought my views on this subject
were pretty well known in Oregon. for
| have at no time hesitated to express
myself in opposition to oriental immi.
grafton. whether Japanese or Chinese.
During the administration of President
Roosevelt publicly stated myself as
in sympathy with the views of the peo-
pie of California against the views of
the then administration on the school
question.
Later, under the Taft admnistra-
ton. when the Japanese treaty was
under consideration by the senate, Sem
ator Newlands and were the only two
senators who bitterly opposed ratifica
tion of the treaty because it did not
contain a straightforward statement
against Japanese immigration and
transferred a part of American sover-
eighty to Japan under a gentleman
agreement that the latter country
would not permit any of the imperiling
class of Japanese to immigrate to
America. 1t was my opinion then
and have not changed my mind-th that
the United States ought to deal firmly
with Japan, but we failed to do it then
and have failed to do it since.
Later, and at the time the legisla.
ture was enacting alien land laws,
which would have the effect to prevent
the Japanese from owning lands in
California. | did not hesitate to ex-
press my sympathy with California on
this subject. At another time in the
senate Of the United States | de-
nounced the British-Japanese offensive
and defensive treaty, and assumed
when | wrote you that my views were
fairly well understood by my friends
in Oregon.
Now. as to the question of relief
for the situation which confronts fruit
growers of Hood River, it is situa-
tion which has to be delicately handled
because the Japanese who are in this
country are here pursuant to the terms
of treaty, and these people have to
be dealt with in such way as not to
violate the terms of the treaty and so
possibly precipitate the United States
in war with Japan.
II have conferred with Senator Phe-
Ian and some of our western senators,
who with me would like to cure the
situation If it is possible to do so under
the treaty stipulations which at pres.