Evening star., 1943-10-12

2 ,
ship is the fol- David Lawrence.
lowing:
Nations like individuals, make
mistakes. We must te big enough
to acknowledge our mistakes of the
past and to correct them"
The Chinese are the only people
actually named in our laws as an
excluded class, the term applying to
other peoples barred being "Ori-
entails" This doubtless has been
used so as to avoid direct mention
Of the japanese. 1t is to be OBJ
served that MI Roosevelt makes a
significant reference to the Japa-
nese in this paragraph:
while it Cthe proposed action)
would give the Chinese a preferred
status over certain other Oriental
people, their great contribution to
the cause of decency and freedom
entities them to such preference. y
Original Objection.
American friendliness to China
has been consistent through the
last so years and yet the Chinese
people have been excluded from
America. The original objection
came from labor organizations
which feared that the cheaply paid
Chinese coolies would be brought
into America to work on JOBS which
our citizens, requiring higher
standard of living, would not be
able to hold without much higher
pay.
But in 1921 the quota system was
introduced by Congress- That law
provided that a certain percentage
of the various natiocaiities alIsady
resident in the United States would
be admitted and subsequently tfe
statutes have been revised, but
always with the quota system re-
tanned. Thus, at present -hc quota
for European countries is figured
on the basis of the number of those
natlonalitieS resident in America
in 1920 as it is related to total OF
100000. If certain nationality had
5 per cent Of Americas popula ton
in 1920, then the quota would be
per cent of 10000, or 800. The
countries Of this hemisphere are
h,It
grafton laws excluded all nationaIi-
ties which had been previously
barred. which means that both Chi
nese and japanese have not been
admitted to entry for many years.
When Charles Evans Hughes was
Secretary Of State III the Harding
administration. he begged Congress
to allow the japanese to come in
under quota. Actually, it would
have meant only about 100 mmi-
grants from Japan per year. The
number was insignificant. but the
japanese wanted very much TO De
removed from the excluded class
and to be placed under the same
quota system that applied to Euro
pean peoples. The japanese felt
that this would lift the discrimina-
ton which they believed had been
leVeled against them and would not
keep them on the same basis as the
Chinese.
Tables Reversed,
Now the tables are reversed. If
Congress passes the legisla ton rec
commended by President Roosevelt.
it will be the Chinese who will be
the first to be lifted out of the ex-
cluded class and the japanese will
remain with other Orientals. There
was time when the japanese might
have been given the same treatment
but the opponents of the proposal
as 1t affected the japanese feared
that to lift the bars for the japanese
would mean lifting it for the Chi
nese.
Mr.. Hughes expressed himself
vehemently on the point. and the
japanese Government recalled its
Ambassador as mark of disap-
proVai. At that time the liberal
elements were dominant in Japan.
while the milltaristS and FaScjstS
were striving to develop an intense
ratlonalism. The militarists and
Jingocs of the 20s made effective
propaganda use of the hesitancy OF
the American Senate to let 100
japanese into the United States.
Thouehtful opinion of the period,
both in the press and among public
men, leaned toward the IDEA that
America had made a grave diplo-
matte mistake.
With the present feeling toward
Japan, it is doubtful whether az
mission of japanese to America in
the postwar period will be permit.
ted. Certainly, the recent behead-
ing of an Allied flyer and the execu-
ton Of the American flyers has given
the American people the idea that
the japanese are not civilized. IT
will be long time before the lib
erals in Japan will be able to erase
the impressions now being made by
the japanese ruling class, appar-
emily without protest by the liberals
Rcproduct!on Rights RescrvedD