New-York tribune., 1921-03-08
Japanese Merits
A FriendIicr Estimate Than Wallace
Irwin's in a Recent Letter

To tho Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Had l no more data on which to
base a Judgment than those which are
presented by Wallace Irwin in his let
ter on the Japanese in California,
which you recently published, l could
not have reached the very questionable
conclusions which he deems judicious
to place before YOUR readers as worthy
their confidence. But in addition to
the facts he presents | have had per
sonal contact with the nationalisies
he has tho bad taste to hold up
to scorn as the "yellow races" The
color Of the skin is undoubtedly
issue is the nature of the ego, the
psychology, the mentality which has
its homo in the variable body-almcst.
infinite as it is, both sacialiy and in
dividually.
Suppose the Japanese on the Pacific
Coast number as many as the tenth
Of per cent of the population Of the
United States. In intellect they are
alert and competent. Physically they
are sound and strong, with an inveter-
ate passion for work. To them may be
applied the epigram: "a sound mind
in sound body" They do not become
dependents Cast, friendess, in any
part Of the world, their ability and
willingness to work at anything to
which they may be introduced and
'shown" place them on their feet in
q little while with tools, and then With
machinery and leased land, the use
and development of which the owners
have been more than glad to relinquish
to them.
They work not only from sunup to
sundown, but as much longer before
and after as there is light for a use
ful stroke. They are men who justify
their presence in the world by bestow-
ing such surplus of productive labor
as contributes most generously to the
maintenance f%the dependents and
those who are at the on-workng
ages.
The japanese and the Chinese are
not obliged to and do'not live by rob
berry or by chicanery. Furthermore,
the cl0mor against them is not of the
minority. They do not crowd into the
channels of wagepaid labor; prefcrring
the responsibilities of leasing and
clearing, planting and cultivating OF
unproductive lands; and the owners of
such lands are not merely willing, they
are pleased and eager to let them
have leases on terms that are salts
factory to both parties to them. They
help very substantially in promoting
the balance of trade from year to Year
in favor of California. Ii the owners
Of the land denied them opportunities
they might thus do something to. drive
them away into more tolerant ccm-
munities.
Are we to forget the profoundly
favorable impression which Admiral
Perry, in 1854, gave the Japanese
of the American people by the
friendly and chivalric manner in which
he introduced the latter to them-h ow,
after being admitted with his feet
into the Japanese port and present.
ing there his proposition for amity
and racial Intercourse, he retired with
his fleet beyond the jurisdiction of
Japan and awaited the consideration
of his proposal, without the shadow
Of threat or coercion? By that act
1 of gentlemanly courtesy the Japanese
received their first profound convic-
tion of the innate nobility of the Amer
can character. Are we also to forget
the like evidence of character we gave
to the Chinese when we returned to
them the $l1,oo9,0oo of the indemnity
exactcd by the$allied powers at the