The Republican journal., 1920-10-28
Japan IS INTERESTED

for the next meeting of the Assembly of
the League of Nations in Geneva, in
which each nation, principality and
state which has signed and ratified
the Covenant is entitled to one vote.
The purposes for which this meeting is
called have not yet been definitely stated.
1t is probable, however, that the discus
sions will take wide range and that the
meet ng will continue for several weeks.
There will doubtless be large attend
ance from England because that coun-
try has not yet entirely lost the hope
that the nations of the world will ''un-
riertake to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the territori-
al integrity of her divers and srndry
holdings even those in Africa which she
took by treaty, as the SPOTS OF war,
from Germany less than year and
half ago. The news of the day does not
indicate that any other nation, except
japan, has any notable interest in the
coming meeting of the Assembly. The
Japanese have made very large hotel
reservations. Since Japan can have but
one vote and not more than three repre-
sentatives in any meetings of the AS
sembly the query arises, why she is pre-
pairing to send retinue of several hum
.dred to Geneva2 After she had secured
aShantung at the peace conference and
the so.called race question had been
dropped, she showed little or no interest
in the further proceedings, and her new
~ awakened interest seems to portend
that she has something to propose which
seems to her to be of very great impor-
lance.
It is believed that Japan will bring the
race question before the Assembly and
endeavor to make it an international
question the settlement of which to be
within the control of the Permanent
Court of International Justice which is a
part of the machinery of the League OF
Nations. The race question, as far as
Japan and this country are mutually in
volved, in brief, is this: Japan desires
unr estricted entry for her people into
the United States, and our people, es-
pecially and emphatically those in Cali
fornia, do not want them.
About forty years ago the people of
california made strenuous objection to
the coming of Asiatics to their State and
IN 1884 Congress passed an act excluding
the Chinese and Hindus. The Japanese
were not excluded by this act because
very few of them at that time had come
hither. After the Chinese were barred
The Japs began to come in small but an
.11ually increasing numbers till, in 1908,
there was an influx of several thousand
This renewed the agitation for their en-
lire seclnsion and Congress was about to
put them on the prescribed list when the
Japanese government promised, if such
exclusion act was not passed, it would
see that no workers of their nationality
should be allowed to leave home for
America. This agreement was fairly
well kept for few years. The Cali
iornia claim now is that since 1918 the
average annual influx has increased
9hree- fold. This claim is probably exag-
ger ated but it is estimated that there are
now in this country about 10000 Japs
and the census says that about 10000 of
these are in California. Some rs, 600 of
these are farmers who with their wives
and children work on the land. Their
sta ndard of living is low and their will
lin gness to work is great. They save
their money and with their savings &C
aauire land. In California they own or
hold by lease a landed area about as
large as Waldo County. Wherever
colony of these farmers gets a foothold
their industry and mode of living enables
Them to undersell the white farmer till
ne is willing to sell or lease his land 1t
Is said, probably with truth, that the
birth rate among these people is three
times that of the whites. The people of
California are, for the most part, in re-
bellion against the further increase of
the Japanese in their State. They be-
3ieve that their home government has
not kept it's promises to ours, and they