The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-04
Frederick Hask1n's Letter
"a, q Eaa
The japanese Rush TO America.

Washington, D. c., March 2.-Ra-
cial conflict between japanese and
white persons on the Pacific coast.
If steps are not soon taken to stop
the steady inflow OF japanese immi-
grafton, is predicted by V. S. Nc
CATCHY of California, and others
who testified recently before the
house immigration committee. The
committee and the state depart
ment are expected to take up the
question of Japanese immigration
again later in the year.
Meanwhile, under the gentle
mems agreement the Japanese
continue to import large numbers
of their nationals. The agreement,
which was supposed TO have the
same effect as an exclusion law,
has proved fiiInsy barrier with
innumerable loophoies. as immi-
grafton figures since 1897 show.
The Japanese have shown re-
markable ingenuity in finding these
ioopholes. The agreement was
supposed by Americans virtually to
put an end to Japanese immigra-
ton, with the reasonable excep-
ton that those in this country
might send back for their wives
and children The possibility of
this privilege soon began to sur
prise the American government.
Comparatively few of the jap
anese men in this country had left
wives in the orient. But Japanese
bachelors began to send their pho
nh G IN nd to
married by picture to japanese
maidenS who then came to Amer
lea as wives.
The agreement allowed children
to be admitted, and this was taken
by the japanese to include adopt
ed children.
Mr.. McClatchy says: ANY jap
anese in this country may formally
adopt a number Of children, or men
or women, in Japan, younger than
himself, and these children after a
certain period have the right of en-
try into this country. The children
may later divorce themselves from
their adopted parents and then
bring over their blood relatives;
and so the flow of Japanese is
maintained, regardless Of our IN
derstanding of the agreement
This scheme has been used, but
it has never been SO popular as
the picture bride system, probably
because extensive importation OF
adopted families would be sure to
raise queries and bojectetaoshrdl
raise queries and objections in the
United States
New System of Marriages.
The picture brides eventually
aroused such protests, and Japan
amicably agreed to stop giving
them passports, but an equally ef-
ficient system Of supplying brides
to wfeless Japanese was soon in
stituted, so that more brides than
ever are being imported
The stream Of japanese brides is
the most disturbing factor in the
Japanese question now. In 1900,
before Japanese exclusion was Sc
threatened, there was only
one Japanese woman in the United
States to IS men Now statistics
show one to every three men, due
to considerable extent to the pic
ture bride invasion, and lately to
the kancodan bride system
japanese in this country worked
fast during the Il years in which
picture brides were not banned, but
after that method of marriage
aroused protest there were still
forty or fifty thousand unmarried
Japanese men in the United States.
The solution was the Kankodan-I
excursion.
It was pointed out TO the Jap
anese bachelor in America that
there was no reason why he could
not take a flying trip to Japan, be
in person, and bring back
a wife, especially if excursions
made such voyages cheap. The
main difficulty was the law by
which any Japanese male adult Of
military age who returned to Japan |
and stayed more than 80 days was
liable to CONSUMPTION duty The
Japanese in this country protested
that so days was too short a time |
to allow for finding a bride. So the |
law was altered to allow a 90-day |
5tay-for japanese seeking wives i
only. Other japanese returning on |
business or pleasure still have only |
30 days immunity.
Toxic Encourages Marriages.
Individual Japanese would not be
likely to return in large numbers |
70 seek wives without encourage |
nent. Mr.. McClatchy says that a
composed of members