Amador Ledger-Dispatch, 12 February 1909 — THE JAPANESE QUESTION [ARTICLE]

THE JAPANESE QUESTION

How a Correspondent Looks

At It.

Feb. 7— On reading in the daily Chronicle of the passage by the assembly ol the bill debarring Japanese from attending the public schools of Caucasians, and foraing them into Beparate eohools, 1 oannot help making comment; upon the situation. With me it has seemed like a dramatic farce. The war cry is nothing but the veriest balderdash of those behind the scenes. The cry is "Don't pass anything as laws of your land that oannot bo taken and digested by the little brown men, else you will convulse the country with a war." If we ate to be dictated to by the policy of the Japanese embassy, hadn't we better invite them to oome over and make our laws for as. The Japanese when they come here oome to stay permanently. In convocation with a Japanese on board of a steamer coming from Seattle to Han Francisco, 1 aaked him if he intended to return to Japan. "Mot to live," he replied, "1 intend to stay here." "Do your countrymen have the same intentions"? They do," was his reply. 'Why?' "Because, " be replied wo can make more money hero and live better. The majority there have no show. It is only a pittance they get for their labor; they are slaves there, they are freemen here." Now this is the exact action of all Japanese in America. President Roosevelt has made a good president in some respects, lie has, and is now trying to be a dictator. If we are to be diotated to by the president in making our laws why not delegate him with supreme power, and let him turn the laws out to us through rotary improved. His presser, Grove L. Joiinson is patrotio, in his. endeavors. Mentally and forensically he is the peer of James N. uillett and Theodore Koosevelt. James N. Uillett was elected to execute the laws, or see that they, were executed, not to make them. He has no right to tamper with them, only he may put his veto on them if he does not like their tenor. It must be very embarrasiug to the legislature now conveued at the capitol, to be considered incompetent to make the laws they were sent there to make. lam not in . favor of war with Japan without cause, neither do 1 believe the Japs intend, or are fools enough to fight us. lam in favor of the dignity of this nation on the true basis of its actual standing. The altitude of this government toward the Japanese, notwithstanding all this nice diplomacy, appears to be like the ittle boy that whs forced upon the top of a feuce post by an old hen with young chickens. After he was on the post bo shook his fist at the hen with the exclamation that he could whip any hen that ever sat." 1 consider it beneath the dignity of this nation to show the fear of war that they have apparently shown. Japan with her 40 million of people is virtually slapping the faoe of America, with close on to 100 millions. Now as regards to Koosevelt, not one of the illustrious men that have oooupied the place he now holds ever offered to diotate to v sovereign state. Now Johnson has said rightly that the Japanese are immoral and are not (It to associate with iiliildrmi of the Caucasian race. We have tut ill' laws for the protection of American Industy, yet we open the doors to sluves of the Orient, and allow them to oome and compete with our sous and daughters in a struggle for exißteuoe. Now, 1 am not in favor of seeing any class starve, yet 1 am still not in favor of allowing an association of slaves to oome mill commingle with those we are, as pareuts and patriots, obliged by all the rules ot love tor our kind to protect. The great howl is that the Japauese are liable to go to wai and pounce upon the Philippines and wrest tlium from us. The United States bought the islands audjif Japan covets them we must either, show the white feather like cowards or defend them like a tree and uutrammeled nation that we are and ought to be. Now, in my hurublo opinion there is more fear uf gettinu into a war over the Philippines with Germany, than with Japan Besides they would be more formidable. 1 was one of the those at the beginning of the Jupa-uese-liussiau war to prediot that Kussla with all tior power would lie whipped by Japanese. 1 wus co certain of it that 1 wou a bottle of wine, which 1 did not drink, of one of my