The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-13
ans Equality Claim and Its Relation the Peace Conference
National Pride
Rather Than Free
hmm igration Is
Given as Chief
Basis of Japanese
Demand

|sions Of the Imperial Government At
TOXIC of friendship, confidence and re-
gard and tho assurances Of its de-
Termination to maintain peace wero
entirely sincere.
Then I asked him about popular
sentiment in Japan. and he thereupon
became very earnest and thoughtful.
I called his attention to the fact that
during my stay in Japan, popular SEN
timent was virtually non-existent
there, owing to the profound rever-
ence for the sacrosanct person of the
late Mikado, which precluded his peo-
pie from ever dreaming Of Offering
resistance to the DEGREES Of monarch
whom they regarded as too holy 20
admit of their raising their eyes TO his
face. I mentioned that a popular SEN
timent had sprung up since then In
Dai Nippon. and we discussed It's
marvellous growth.
Long a student OF Japanese affairs
Kitchener expatiated on It's phenome-
nal development and on its potential
tiles in the future. He expressed the
conviction that the Government was
then still powerful enough to keep It
under proper control. but added that
It would not always be so, and that
some day popular sentiment with the
progress Of democracy In japan. would
become too strong for the Imperial
Government. when that time comes"
he concluded, even more gravely than
before, "our American friends had bet
| ter look out"
Now a Powerful Factor.
To-day, while popular sentiment
In Japan has not got beyond the re-
straining influence of the Government,
it has become a very powerful fac
tor in the politics of Dai Nippon,
which the Emperor and his leading
ministers and statesmen are obliged
to consider, and to take into very seri-
Gus account. Formerly the Toxic Gov
ernn1ent ruled over the people in
somewhat autocratic fashion, by the
Right Divine of the Mikado, who could
show an unbroken lineal descent from
the deified ancestress of his dynasty
who reigned 5000 years ago. To-day
the Emperor, a constitutional monarch
rules very largely through the will of
his people. The day is not far Off
! when in the natural order OF things. he
will become entirely subject to popu-
| lar will and sentiment, and like the
| constitutional monarchs of Europe, the
servant of his people.
II once this question Of racial dis
elimination were solved by the United
States. the principal. nay. the all i'm
portant cause of friction betwee.,
America and Japan would be removed,
and Uncle Sam would be restored 70
the pre-emfnent place which he en-
joyed when I resided in Toxic, as being
the principal, most valued, and most
trusted friend OF Dali Nippon. because
of his being credited alone among all
foreign Powers with complete disin-
terestedness and unselfshness with
regard to Japan.
The other issues between the tS7o
countries are of relatively trifiing sSn-
portance, and could be settled without
difficulty or delay. Thus, the feeling
of Japan on the score of the objection
to grant tie full rights Of citizenship
to Japanese residents in this country
has recently been greatly assuaged by
the action of the Federal courts at
Honolulu and on the Pacific coast in
according letters of naturalization to
all those Japanese colonists in the
Sandwich Islands who had enlisted in
the United States Army, and who had
served under the Stars and Stripes
during the Great Wharf.-The courts
granting citizenship in accordance
with the amendment Of naturalization
laws enacted by Congress and an
proved by the President on May o
1918. They have earned their citi-
zenship. and since they have shown
to their countrymen the way 1t can BE-
acquired. namely, by true and loya
service to the United States-a way
open to all aliens Of good character
there can be no longer any question
of race discrimination.