The New York herald., 1921-04-17
Surplus Population Might Be Sent
From Japan to Siberia and Mexico

cles and royalties from my book on
Japan-and years salary as instruc-
tor for the Japanese Government. l
am as guiltless of collusion as Mr.
Pitkin seems to be.
Fortunately for me as critic, how
ever, I cannot find much that needs
rebuttal in what Mr. Pitkin has writ
ten. All I can say is that having
such a sane view of the Japanese sit
uation from our end without ever
having been in Japan. / only wish
that he had made that 4,200 mile jump
across the Pacific. AS a book written
by one who has not been there. ii
is splendid. But it lacks the psyche
logical background to the understand
ing of the Japanese themselves. True.
Mr., Pitkin makes no attempt to ac-
quaint us with them. He is dealing
with the problem as one which con
Germs America, as one which il solved
over here, will be solved fairly well.
But he declares that IL only we allow
the japanese Government to trans
plant some of its living millions to
Australia. to South. America, to. Si-
IBERIA and Mexico everything will go
well, because the Japanese Govern
ment is highly organized power
devoted to the well-being of its people;
it has introduced acestern sanitation
and hygiene, local hospitals and nurses
and other Improvements making for
public health"
The italics are mine. The statement
makes me ask where? Where is the
sanitation? But in such points Mr.
Pitkin fails to cinch the mind of the
Japanese Government. 1t is not con-
cerned with the welfare of it's people,
as the riots Of 1918 clearly showed.
Had Mr.. Pitlkin as clear an under
standing of the people and rulers of
Japan as he has of the problem as II
impinges on our lives he would have
made remarkable contribution to the
literature on this subject. But that is
not what he set out to do. He asks,
Must we fight Japan" a, question
which implies his conviction that we
must not. And throughout his book
he makes it clear that what we must
fight is such conditions here in Amer
ica as discourage Americans from uti-
lizing the country to their own ad-
vantage. He devotes considerable
section to the discussion OF our agra
ran crisis. In his chapter on "The
Greater Crisis Beneath the Japanese
Is.sue," he deplores the conditions
which have virtually driven Americans
off the land.
What he has to say on this question
will not please some Californians. 1t
will not please some farmers east OF
the West. Says Mr.. Pitkin: THE Jap
anese were first able to gain a foot
hold in California as laborers on farms
because they We're more reliable than
white men. The white California farm
aborer Of fifteen years ago was
very inferior type Of workman, not be-
cause he was not intelligent and could
not work bat because he lcould not
hare been farm hand unless he aDds
abnormal in some phase OF his con-
duct" The italics are Mr.. Pitkins.
He means that in his opinion the con-
ditions under which farm hands were
expected to work did not attract the
right kind OF men. He urges COM
rlete reorganization of our farm life
To save the situation.
The errors in the book are excep-
tional. But one or two of these may
be pointed out. Mr.. Pitkin says: Not
even the title of viscount prevented
him (Mr. Hara) from greatly extend
ing the freedom of the press and pub
lie speech" The Japan Chronicle has
repeatedly decried Hara's suppression
Of the press. and Japanese in this
country have themselves declared
that there is no such thing as freedom
OF speech or Of the press in Japan to-
day. Again, in his chapter. "As Japan
Sees U.s." Mr.. Pitkin leaves the i'm
preston that were II not for our OBJ
scene moving pictures and our news
paper headlines and reports of crime
Ianan would assume q different atti-