The Washington times., 1924-04-17
1. s. LACKS
Definite
Z "
POLICY
floods of Laborers and ''Pic-
ture Brides" Get in Despite
0entlemen's Agreement.
By TOM EvERITT,
Cosmopolitan News Service.


The decision Of the United
States Congress to raise q bar
rier against the immigration Of
Japanese promises to settle a
question that for more than sixty
years has been the object of skill
3ul Diplomatic juggling.
In all that time, this country
has evidently been without q def
mite written policy Of japanese
immigration.
There is plenty Of law on ORR
entail immigration. It provides
that members Of the yellow races
Ineligible to citizenship shall be
excluded from these shores. But
Japan has been invariably ex-
cepted from it.
End Of Statesmansllip.
Japanese statesmen have insisted
that their race must not be de-
meaned by being specifically held
eSeAGO
ut to enter this country, American
diplomats would insist that this
country has a policy Of exclusion
OF Orientals and that policy must
be enforced.
The diplomats Of the two coun-
tries would put their feet under
the same conference table, and
when they arose, shook hands and
took their farewell, the American
people would find that they had
effected an unwritten gentle
mems agreement" the effect of
which was that America would not
insist in writing that the Japanese
must be barred but the Japs them
selves would take reasonable steps
10 keep their own people from mi
grating to this country.
That practice Of quiet statesman
ship is now about to come to an
end as q result Of Ambassador
Hanihara's letter, which, Senator
Reed, Of Pennsylvania, said, con-
tanned "a yelled threat against the
United States Government. .
In view OF the Impending conapli-
cations, narrative of the Japa-
nese situation is OF interest.
Less than seventy-five years ago,
Commodore Perry, under intruc-
tons from President Millard Fill
more, made treaty with the Sho-
gun OF Japan which opened some
Of the ports of that country to the
United States. The treaty was de-
void Of reference to immigration.
A few years later the flood Of
Japanese immigration began to pour
into the United States. BY 1891, it
had reached its flood tide. .Immi.
grafton OF Jaf.Gnese lahorerS, whose
entry would break down wages and
living conditions, caused California
and the Pacific coast to complain.
Japan resented the complaints.
Demands by Japan.
Japan did not allow an alien to
own an inch of land In Japan. She
excluded Chinese. Koreans. and
other Asiatics from her shores. And
she was demanding that the United
States permit the Japs to do hero
what she would not allow the people
of other countries to do there.
In 1894, Secretary Of State Walter
@. Gresham negotiated a treaty
with Japan. She insisted upon free
immigration TO and settlement Of
her people in this country.
Gresham maintained that our
policy was to prohibit the entrance
Of unassimilable yellow peoples. The
controversy ended in a draw. Moth
ing was done about it.
The situation became so acute in
the succeeding years that President
Roosevelt, in 1907, undertook to
settle the differences between the
United Stats and Japan by effecting
the '''gentleman's agreement"
The purpose OF that agreement
was tn prohibit Japanse laborers
from coming to this country. Japan
agreed to take up the burden of
enforcing the agreement. It agreed
to give no passport to Jap laborers.
The wives, parents, or children of
those already in the States were tt
be admitted. An agreement was
unwritten.
picture brides" then started to
come. Under Japanese social and
religious customs, a man can select
his wife by photograph.
Getting Women In.
Photos Of Japanese women would
be sent to Jap bachelors in this
country. The marriage of the
Japanese girl in Japan to the Japan