Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02
National Commerce Group
Acts on Initiative of Pacific
Coast Business Men.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

these countries be put on the quota
basis, the same as European nationals.
, 1t is expected that the Chamber of
Commerce directors will in due course
take steps toward legislation by Con-
gress at the coming session.
| Although the japanese government
has consistently RETAINED from making
| any formal diplomatic request for re-
moval OF the exclusion provision. the
issue rankles like a thorn I'm Japan's
side. On recurring occasions in the
Toxic Parliament, japanese foreign
expectation that the United States some
day will right the wrong all Japanese
feel was put upon their racial pride by
this country seven years ago. The last
| utterance on this score was made by
Baron Shidehara in the Diet at Toxic
on January %, 1881. The former jap
anese Ambassador at Washington said:
"On the question Of the United States
immigration law, which for the past
seven years has been weighing heavily
on popular sentiment in this country,
there is no longer any doubt that our
position Is now fully understood and
appreciated by large majority OF the
| American people. We shall watch
| further development of the question
with unimpassioned but keen interest"
Revision Considered.
About a year ago Representative
Albert johnson, Republican OF WASH
ington, one of the authors Of the 1924
act and still chairman OF the House
Committee on Immigration, announced
that revisonary legislation was under
consideration. The late Mr.. Hanihara,
who was Japans Ambassador to the
United States during the enactmen:
of the exclusion law. made a speech in
Toxic at a farewell dinner in honor
of William r. Castle. jr., now Under
secretary of State. Ambassador Hani-
hara, whose celebrated grave conse-
quences" phrase in letter to Secretary
Hughes about the impending exclusion
law irked Congress into its passage.
spoke bitterly of the slight offered his
people Chairman Johnson, evidently
moved by Mr.. Hanihara'S remarks, T.
ponded with the following statement:
In due tine, after certain immigra-
ton legislation has been disposed OF, /
expect TO move for an. amendment to
the 1924 act that will give to Japan
its proportionate quota. This would
end the feeling that has existed in con-
nection with that phase OF the 1924
act. The amendment will not AFFECT
the integrity of the 1874 act"
The Chamber of Commerce OF the
United States presumably will not pro-
| coed to bring pressure TO bear upon
Chairman Johnson of the House I'M
migration Committee and Senator john
son, Republican. of California. chair
man of the Senate Immigration Com
mittee. to promote quota legislation for
Japanese and other OrientalS now under
the ban. The committee of Western
business leaders, who a.S sponsoring
| the project. include important captains
OF industry from California, Oregon'
Washington, Minnesota. Illinois, Texas,
Utah, Michigan and Ohio. as well as
business men from several Eastern and
Southern States. They are frankly
actuated by the fear that unless
Uncle Sam gives Japan a square deal
on immigration. American trade in the
japanese market Will seriously suffer.
| Asa G. Briggs of st. Paul, chairman of
the Chamber OF Commerce immigration
Committee, said:
Time Is Opportune.
1T was the committees judgment
! that initiative for a change in our laws
along the lines suggested should come
from that part of the country most di-
rectly interested. Present conditions
make this a most opportune time for
serious consideration of this subject on
the part of all our citizens. The question
| is a practical one covering the rela-
tons between great nations that should
| be on the friendliest terms. The num-
! Der of immigrants would be so small as
| to be negligible. The quota for Japan
would be approximately 18S year and
for China los year
The effectiveness Of the quota limit
| system for restricting Far Eastern i'm
| migration was emphasized by Secretary
of Labor Davis in his 1880 report in
which it was said: The quota limit
system. which is now chiefly applied
! to Europe, would, with possibly some
adjustments, afford adequate or in
some instances even more complete
control of Oriental immigration than
| now exists under the various earlier
statutes relating thereto"
| The statistics of the Immigration Bu-
reat show that in the six-year period,
| 1925 to 1880. inclusive, 5000 more Chi
nese and 10000 more japanese de-
parted from than entered the United
States. Although the Chamber of
Commerce Committee deduces from all
this that real immigration" from
China, Japan and other countries of
the Orient has been almost entirely
stopped" sharp issue Is taken with the
chamber project by the California
Joint immigration Committee at San
Francisco. This body speaks for the
California American Legion, the State
Federation Of Labor and the Native
Sons of the Golden West. The COM
mittees policy calls for exclusion of
all aliens ineligible for American citi-
zenship. It contends that the quota
| for Japan and other Asiatic countries
would in effect repeal the exclusion
permission since 1t would admit ss i'm
migrants the unaSSimilable races of
Asia, whose entrance is expressly for
hidden by the law.
| Disputes Trade Loss.
| The militant spearhead of the Cali
fornia Joint immigration Committee,
v. S. McClatchy, its executive secre-
tary, also disputes that American trade
with Japan Is being undermined by
continuance of the exclusion law. Mr..
McClatchy says:
! at had been claimed that loss Of 20
per cent of the lumber trade Of the
Pacific Northwest with Japan in 1929
was due to i'll will because of our i'm
migration policy, and that CALIFORNIA;
canned goods trade had suffered
! for similar reason. 1t appears, how
ever, that for five years following pas
sage of the immigration act Of 1924,
the Pacific Northwest enjoyed very
large and lucrative trade in lumber
with Japan; that the 1929 slump was
not due to i'll will on Japan's part,
but to general world conditions, to
Japan's 1essened purchasing ability, to
substitution of other building materials
for wood, to competition Of Canada and
Siberia, etc. Japan's luxury tax was
an economic measure to adjust her
foreign trade balance by forcing her
people to do without imported luxuries,
or to accept japanese substitutes there
| for. 1t affected British commerce more