Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-07-23
HOUSE PROBES
JAPANESEPAC
INCARCERATION
Report That Hawaii Is
Flooded With Yellow
Labor, Starts Quiz.
Agreement of 1908 Is
Asked for by Investi-
gators in Congress.

Washington, July 22-The Japa-
nese exclusion question broke out in
congress again Friday Informed that
| Hawaii was being flooded with Jap
! anese, the house immigration commit
tee asked the state department to
furnish details of the ''gentleman's
agreement of 1908 with respect to
japanese control of immigration to the
United States. Diplomatic corre-
spondence leading to the understanding
which the committee was told does
not apply to Hawaii, never has been
made public. and the committee de-
cided not to abide by it.
Despite contentious of some mem
bers that discussion of the matter at
this time might impede plans for in
ternational conference on disarmament
and Pacific questions. the committee
decided to go into the 13-year-old
immigration arrangement after it had
the division of far eastern affairs of
the state department and had received
telegram from v. S. McClatchy.
Sacramento publisher, dealing with the
general subject of Japanese immigra-
ton.
Hawaii Not Included.
Mr.. McMurray told the committee
that Japan had never regarded the
agreement as applying to Hawaii and
added, incidentally, that inasmuch as
Japan, this country was automatically
bound until the other party to the
understanding should withdraw.
His statement concerning Hawaii
brought from Chairman johnson the
exclamation that the time had arrived
for a declaration that Hawaii is
part of the United States with re-
spect to Japan and all others
Mr.. McMurray said that the Japan
ese government had regulated the num-
Der of laborers to Pacific ports and
those to Hawaii were issued through
an informal arrangement worked out
with the sugar planters of the islands
by the Japanese consular offices, VINO
were informed of the number required.
Mr.. johnson interrupted to say that he
understood the number allowed to go
to Hawaii each year was really below
the requirements. position taken by
Japan in order to prevent break IN
wages.
Labor Agent Denies.
The statement concerning the agree
ment between the employers and the
Japanse government was immdiately
denied by Royal D. Mead, special la
Dor agent of hte planters organization.
From that point, every angle OF the
exclusion question was touched or IN
some form or other and members OF
the committee freely expressed dissat-
isfaction with loopholes which they
said apparently were left in the agree
ment. They denounced the practice of
picture brides" to enter
this country which practice continued,
said Chairman Johnson, despite the Dip
lomatic understanding.
Because of the deGcacy of the sub
ject, Mr.. McMurray answered most
questions guardedly and some were
not answered at all 1t was said that
if the correspondence is Forthcoming.
it would be gone into behind closed
doors.
To Confer With Hughes.
Mr.. johnson was not at all certain
that the diplomatic exchanges would be
supplied by the department and he
planned to confer on that phase with
Secretary Hughes and other department
heads He said, however, that he saw
no reason why the documents should
not be made available to congress and
deplored the fact that half dozen or
more such understandings as that en-
tered into with Japan had not requir-
ed ratification by the senate.
Mr.. McClatchy's telegram which was |
read prior to Mr.. McAIurray's state |
ment warned of impending racial, po-
itical and economic control by the jap |
anese in the islands unles the Ameri- |
,an government acted immediately.