The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-12-22
Clipped Here and There

. . 4 . q
The laws of the state of Washington
forbid the holding Of land in that state
by Orientals. A bin of similar tenor
was killed in our last legislature. The
failure to pass this bill has lent activ-
ity to the efforts Of Japanese to get
title or leasehold on lands in the envi-
rOns of Portland. Between the east
city limits and the Sandy river lies one
of the finest garden sections in the
west. and here the Japanese for ten
years or more have been getting a
fOOthOld.
Within recent weeks leases in this
section of no less than five farms to-
falling about $40 acres, have been made
to Japanese gardeners. These leases
are made for five years, and at figures
that run as high as $500 an acre per an
mum. Beside these, two small hold
! ings have been sold to Japanese out
right. No American can afford to pay
such rents and in this district these
gardeners are offering S4 to S. a load
/ for stable manure. The American
who can make load of this fertilizer
worth 81 on his land is skilled above
/ the average.
1t is worth the while Of our people to
visit the fields of these japanese gard
| eners and study their methods of hand
| ling the soil and crops. 1t is said that
] in California a japanese gardener will
raise three and a half times as much
from a plot of land as an American
can raise on a like plot. Some such
difference obtains right here about
Portland.
Ordinarily the japanese field is free
from weeds. the rows are as straight
as an air line, there are no vacant
places in the rows, the planting is done
on time. and usually earlier than that
Of the American field, and fertilizer
and finger work are never spared.
Moreover one crop quickly follows an
other, and sometimes three crops are
raised in a single season. Today the
Americans farm is laid by for the
winter. but in the japanese fields little
green rows of winter crops are already
up and coming vigorously forward.
What shall we say? What shall we
do? Is the man from japan a menace
to American agriculture, or is he
multiplier of American agricultural
wealth? Can we ednure him? Can
we afford to get along without him?
When white people first came to
America they said IN substance to the
Indians. "You have no inherent right
to all the ground you can hunt over.
We have an inherent right because we
bring forth from this soil more human
food than you do. We belong here.
We will pay YOU only the price Of your
hunting privileges in the land. - And
so we settled the problem, and we
think we settled it right.
The japanese may say to US with
some show Of justice: "Hou white
men have no right TO all the soil you
can tumble. We japanese really cul-
tivste soil. We get more human food
70 the acre than YOU DO. therefore we
have a fundamental right to this soil.
We will pay you only full value for
your fumbling privilege IN this soil "
If food were all. If the important
question in Oregon is to develop the
states natural resources IN the short
est tine and 90 the utmost limit, then
japan has = strong claim t. place IN
Oregon agriculture. But life is more
than meat and the body more than
rsiment This is a question between
races that csnnnt blerd, however much /
they mingle. This is the beginning Of
another national race problem. Vel
have one such already, one that will