Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-04-22
CALIFORNIA SEES
POLITICS IN MOVE
To BAR JAPANESE
BY LEE OVERMAN
Copyright 1924, by the Consolidated Press
AsSociation-Specisl Leased Wire
to The Atlanta Journal)

to The Atlanta Journal.)
SAN FRANCISCO, April O19.-Cali-
fornia which really stands in the
background as the pivotal figure of
con eressional legislation against Jap
aneGe immigration, today Is seem
ingly less concerned over the out.
come of that legislation than is
Washington.
II there is any public feeling here
regarding the note of Ambassador
Hanihara, speaking of grave conse-
quences" or regarding the congress
ional action, it succeeded in evoking
such feeling is not largely in evil
derce.
Prevailing opinion seems to be
that California settled her own jap
anese problem when she enacted
anti-alien legislation and had it up
held by the United States supreme
court. Having banned the Nipponese
from agricultural activities-the one
field in which the white Californian
could not compete with them eco
nomically-and having achieved that
end without con gressional aid, the
golden state isn't interested any
further.
The fact OF the matter is, as has
been shown by developments of the
past past six months, and as is ex-
pected to be further proved by deVel-
opments of the next six, California,
| together with Oregon and Washing
ton, which have similar anti-alien
land acts, have a japanese immigra-
| ton problem
Japs Like Coast
! The barring of the Japanese from
agricultural activities in these three
states, has taken care of that. The
three Pacific coast commemorative.
! particularly California, have long
been the dreamed-of goal, the Japa-
nese do not want to go elsewhere in
the United States.
| This is proved by the efforts of
| twenty-four other states during tn
! last six months to induce ousted Jap
anese farmers from the Pacific coast
| to take up farming within their con-
fines. Practically every offer of this
| kind was investigated. Several thou
sand Japanese farmers made the trip
| eastward in person to look over the
opportunities offered but seemingly
| the outlook did not appeal to them,
| for all but q few have returned.
| They would rather be day wage
earners on farms in California, adj
mits japanese Consul General Oya-
ma, of San Francisco, than be farm
owners free of racial restrictions IN
states further eastward, that boast
| less favorable climates.
1t is probabl that recent OFFERS
| of the Mexican government to estab-
| Iish Pacific coast Orientals on farms
south of the Rio Grande will meet
with refusal. The obstacle to the
Mexican plan, states the Japanese as
| ISOLATION of America, is a financial
one. The land offered is rich in ag-
ricultural possibilities but it lacks
warehouse facilities and, equally inn
portant, a. place to market crops. To
provide these facilities and to estab-
| lisn markets would cost an immense
sum Of money. The Mexican govern
ment is willin gto provide only the
| land.
AS for the Japanese already here
remaining and working as farm
| hands, that is something that will be
( N%SelANCH 1890
| white farmers. There always has
been a dearth Of farm labor in Cali
| fornia and the ousted Oriental agri-
culturists, denied the right to farm
on their own hook, would fill long
| felt want.
| Politics Seen
| SO far as can be learned, CaHfor-
mans do not consider that they have
! serious problem in assimilating the
! Japanese already in California. TAX
| ing the Japanese consulate's own
statements, there are approximately
| 80, 900 Nipponese now here. or these,
approximately one-fourth are women,
one-fourth children, one-fourth mar
ried men and one-fourth single males.
| The problem of assimilation is car
ing for itself in so far as the children
are concerned. The single males are
footloose and able to shift for them
selves. Many of them already are
planning to return to Japan, or to
take up farming activities elsewhere.
| This leaves approximately %, 500
married women to be assimilated into
CALIFORNIA; economic structure. 1t
they are willing TO stay as farm wage
earners they probably will be readily
absorbed.
In some quarters here there is =
tendency to believe that the belated
action OF congress on anti-Japanese
legislation il largely for political con-
sumption. 1t is pointed out that
when California, Oregon and Wash
ington were supplicating for federal
assistance in combating the influx
of little brown" farmers, Washing
ton always turned a deaf ear. Now
that three states, without any con-
gressional assistance, have estab-
lished their own effective barriers,
through antialien land acts, there is
tendency to think that the long de-
laYed legislation will serve no useful
purpose.