The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-17
By SYDNEY GREENBIE.


settle her international difficulties
as well as she can alone or under a league
of nations, California is making n test of her
right as State within the nation to settle
foreign affairs. The State Legislature
of California is placing before the people for
their direct decision the question of the Jap
anese In their midst. 1t Is putting It up TO
them whether the Japanese shall be allowed
to get round the exclusion laws and the gen.
tlemens agreement. It Is asking them to
bar these Orientais from possible citizenship
and from taking title to land In the name of
their infants who, being born here, are auto
matically citizens
In measure the situation is somewhat
like that which obtained in Australia during
the war. The British Government was try
ing to placate Japan. Australia, afraid OF
Japan, made no attempt to placate Great
Britain Twice by referendumthe Australians
turned down CONSUMPTION because they said
they needed the men at home. Some did
not hesitate to state openly why. Premier
RYAN of Queensland was one Of these and
was threatened under the Defence of the
Realm act And the anti-conscriptionists
shouted on the street corners-Japan.
In this matter of keeping their respective
ada and Australia antagonism to their supe-
sior Government But whereas Australia
in spite of the Anglo-Japanese alliance has
definitely excluded the Japanese, California
has been Unable to frame legislation TO suit
its own ends because of the Federal Govern
ment The result has been that in Califor-
MIA the problem continues to hang on and
Japanese continue to come in in defiance OF
California's objection and the international
agreement.
Had California succeeded in including the
Japanese in their exclusion Of Asiatics when
the door was shut against Chinese and Hin
dus there would now, of course, be no such
uproar on the coast. But having accepted
Japan's promise to keep laborers out of her
own accord California waited. To-day the
number of Japanese in California, and In
America in general, has greatly increased.
And. what Is worse they have so entrenched
themselves that they cannot now be dis
lodged without considerable injustice to
them.
Centlemen's Agreement Violated.
Let us review for a moment the entire sit
uation from the time Of the exclusion OF
chinese in 1884 Exempting Japanese from
the Exclusion act only left the way open for
them With Chinese Japanese are never
able to compete Therefore, as soon as CHI
nese were barred Japanese began to come In
from 5000 year up. The numbers huctu-
ated from $4,000 to 10000 a year between
1902 and 1907. In 1908 total OF ls'ooo
came in.
AT that time came the gentiemen's agree
ment. The Japanese Government promised
IL no general exclusion act were passed TO
see to 1t herself that no laborers received
passports for America. For four years the
figures show that the tide was stemmed.
only 5000 to 5000 entered, ostensiby dipio-
mats professionals. business men and stu
dents. But In 1913 the figures jumped TO
1000. Since then they have continued 10
climb. reaching 10000 In 1919.
There In obviously a breach somewhere In
the fentlemen's agreement. Observers IN
california claim that innumerable Japanese
have struggled themselves In by way OF
Mexico II is further claimed that while
Iaborers are definitely prescribed In the
understanding the pretence OF being stu
dents and farmers is used largely py men
10 enter. throwing off that robe for the
laborers garb as soon as convenient. Fur
thermore, the Japanese recognition OF mar
rage bv proxy has made II possible for
unmarried men here to send for women who
are married to them In Japan Immediately
before leaving for their unknown husbands
in America The picture bride" claim the
Cplirornians, is only another type OF Ia
1 orer---and the worst of them all, for she
presents her husband with olIsprlhs Us soon
rs II is biologcally possible after her real
marriage here takes place and as regularly
thereafter as Il Is possible for a woman to
bear them. This. too, the Japanese Govern
ment claims to have stopped, though year
o.o when returned, the steamship was full
Of Japanese women. The consequenc is
that according to one statement (hotly con-
tradicted by others). the birth rate of jap
anese in California Is three times that Of
whites
Taking the case Of Hawaii to heart. the
fs,lifornians have much to discomfort them.
The japanese in those islands will soon oe