Evening star., 1945-09-06

tree 10 rent new ""eh A''
homes-if they can find some one to
rent from.
Actually, most of those who at
tempt to return will find their new
freedom does not amount TO much.
In the case of the aliens, many will
find their property has been
escheated to the State, under State
alien land laws, and they cannot
even claim compensation. In the
case of the Japanese American cltl-
zens. they will find themselves un-
wanted, despite the number OF their
sons with splendid Army records.
Brutal Business.
The treatment of the West Coast
japanese during the war is not one
of the nicer. chapters in the story
of the war just ended. With regard
to the aliens, the best that can be
said is that the treatment has been
less cruel than that dealt our own
people caught in Japan at the wars
outbreak. With regard to American
citizens of japanese parentage-a
third of the total number-we can
not say that. 1t has been a brutal
business and the Supreme Court
had to stretch the Constitution
pretty thin to cover it with SEM
blance of legality.
Credit is due to the War Reloca-
ton Authority for mitigating the
hardships of the helpless victims,
old and young. Milton Eisenhower,
director during the removal period,
and Dillon S. Myer, carrying the
thankless undertaking the rest of
the distance, did their best to make
our native American decency prevail
over our prejudice and passion. They
succeeded to some extent, but it was
beyond their powers to correct the
essential injustice of the whole op-
Grafton.
This demonstration of our own
inability to make our democratic
system work invariably with fair
ness and justice should offer a warm
ing against what we are proposing
to attempt in Japan. We are pro-
posing to occupy Japan until we are
satisfied that Japan has set up a
system of government that meets
our own ideals I'VE intend" in the
language of Secretary of State
Byrnes, Ito have removed all OBJ
stacles such as oppressive laws and
practices, which in the past have
closed the doors to truth and have
stifed the free development of de-
mocracy in Japan"
II we would just recognize in ad-
vance that this is something we can
not do, that this is something only
the japanese can do for themselves,
We would save ourselves vast trouble
and vast expense.
Will Be Tolerant.
It IS one thing for Gen. MacAr-
thur to declare his purpose to dis
charge his responsibilities with JUS
tice >and tolerance" His army will
obey mis- orders and there is every
reason to believe that his orders will
be just and tolerant.
But it is another thing for Gen.
Macarthur, or anybody else, to un-
dertake to reorganlze the whole sys--
tenn OF life and government in that
alien land with a view toward
achieving perfection not yet
reached in our own country. The
general, who reveals himself as
realist at times, might save himself
a lot of trouble by asking now if
that actually is the assignment given
him. The general never has been
one to minimize his own capacity,
but it's fair guess that if he were
asked how much he hoped to &C
complish in Japan he would answer:
The complete standardization of
Japan through the elimination OF
- her land, sea and air forces: the
destruction of her war material and
war industries; the complete protec-