The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-30
immigration Ban Still Is
Sore Subject Among
Toxic Leaders.
WOUND REMAINS OPEN
Aged Statesman, Friend of
America, Says Stand
Is Unjust.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
scrippx-Hovard Foreign Editor


ban on japanese immigration, es-
tabnshed five years ago, is far from
being a dead issue, despite what ap-
pears to be the growing impression
on Capitol hill.
That the subject should be dis
cussed before the Institute Of Pacific
Relations, now in session in Kyoto,
Japan, with a full delegation of
Americans in attendance, was in
evitable. In a significant message
to the gathering from Viscount
Shibusawa, whose illness prevents
him from being present, he said:
THE controversy arising from
American immigration legislation in
1924 is not closed. The wound in
flicted SO needlessly on our national
honor still is open and will remain
open until the matter is settled
rightly.
II think 1t is necessary to make
this plain statement" the aged Wis
count explained, because there
seems to be an impression in Amer
lea that the incident is as good as
forgotten IN Japan.
Friend of America
ViScount Ei-Ichi ShibuSawa,
grand old man" of Japan, is near
ing his ninetieth birthday. His body
is bending under its weight of years,
but his mind is as keen as ever. He
has the reputation of being one of
the best friends America has in the
Far East and he has visited this
country, where he was feted greatly,
a number of times, notably in 1902,
1910 and 1915.
Like Secretary Andrew Mellon,
the viscount is business man,
banker and multi-millionaire, but
served his country as a high official
of the treasury during the early
years of the restoration.
The very anti-theSis of a lingo,
having devoted many of his best
years to creating a more friendly
sentiment in his country for the
United States, his words we'll may
be taken at their face value.
The Japanese feel they should
be placed on a quota basis like
other people They contend that
under the existing quota law only
about $50 of them could be admitted
every year. and that this number
is so enthusiastically small compared
with our enormous population, or
even with the large number of other
nationals admitted annually that 1t
could not possibly have any visible
effect on our standard of living, or
on any of our social, econor,ic or
other institutions.
Japanese Watch and Wait
Ohicially the attitude of the
Japanese government is one OF
watchful waiting. For the moment
no diplomatic moves with a view to
reopening the question are contem-
plated. What is ardently hoped,
however. is that the government at
washington will, of its own accord,
see fit to treat Japan as it is treat
ing other advanced civilizations and
thus remove what every Japanese
feels to be standing reflection on
his race.
Upon leaving America fo- the
Orient last summer, I asked one
of the most prominent members OF
the senate foreign relations commit
tee If he felt congress might take
such step. In substance his reply
was:
"I certainly see no signs of such
a thing at present. Anyway, it
seems to me that if possible the
whole matter should be left Just
where It IS"
This is the attitude to which Wis
count Shibusawa referred in his
message to the Institute Of Pacific
Relations.
Matter Not Forgotten
This writer is in position to state
that if the Dan on japanese imml-
grafton has been forgotten in this
country. such is emphatically not
the case in Japan. During six
weeks tour of that country earlier
in the wear, I found this question
uppermost whenever japanese and
Americans met Everybody wanted
to know if anything was to be done
about it, any time soon.
Eventually. unless the United
States of its own volition finds a
satisfactory solution, this issue, d.
rectly touching the national honor,
as the japanese view it, will bob up
again to make fresh trouble between
the two countries.