AMERICAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 20, 18 October 1907, Page 5

AMERICAN LETTER.

, THE PACIFIC COAST. (from Our Own Correspondent.) San Francisco, September 11. . If ■ I revert frequently to tho racial situation in California, it-is because tho geneurtl racial question is ono of the subjects of common interest in all tho white lands of the Pacific.. War Talk in Tokio. Tho Japaneso war talk has practically disappeared from the American papers, where, by the rules, of yellow journalism, most of it occurs. The people of the States haven't the slightest intention of going to war with anybody— thoy are too -much occupied in business and affairs. Nevertheless, tho Pacific is being" patrolled by Government ships, and of tins there is great need, especially in the North Pacific, where the repots* as to the frequency of outrages perpetrated by Japanese poachers in the seal preserves are somewhat disquieting. On the Japanese side there is still much incitement to war. Among the western arts which the Japanese have learned and made their own is "yellow journalism," and in the practice of this art they promise to surpass, oheir, teachers. Recent issues of tho .most widely circulated journals of Japan seem to indicate that tho newspapers of that country arc determined to force war with the United States. Thoy aro filled with the most lurid cartoons and fanciful representation of life in this 1 country. They argue that Japan conquered tho great Russian' Empire, and it would easily win in a contest with tho Jnited (States, a corrupt democracy. On the supposition that this is the richest country in the world they could collect an enormous indemnity.' The indemnity idea..seems to be very (popular.' This could bo expended in armies and armamont,' with which Japan could conquer tho world. ■ Japanese Press on our Liberty. At a time when President Roosevelt and others are eulogising Japan, and a Chicago professor is asserting that the "yellow" or "brown" peril could, not possibly bo worse than the "white" peril—asking whore is the red man and the black man under white regime?—tho Japanese papers are representing Amoricans as murderers, savages, and ruffians. America is pictured as the land of the rich (which it is in spots), and as being devoid of sense of freedom and justice (which is also true in,places). , ■ A Tokio illustrated journal pictures Lincoln in the' act of breaking up the Statue of Liberty with a hammer, giving as comment: ■ 'There stands in Now York a bronze statue of Liberty,; 150 feet high, three times as big as our great Biiddha in Nara. As timo rolls on, however, tho ideals of Liberty and Justice, so, endeared to the builders of. the Republic, 'have given place to race prejudice, religious persecution, and territorial expansion. Wero tlje freedom-loving Lincoln living he .would bo sure to take up his hammer and indignantly break up tho ' Liberty statue, fortunately or unfortunately the statue is whole, and: the liberty perished."

A, Striking precedent. Regarding the contemplated visit of Secretary Taft to Japan, the same journal says: "After th 6 visit of.tho Russian War Minister, General Kuropatkin, to Japan' wo had the Russo-Japanese War. Aftor the visit of the American War Secretary, Mr.,Taft; wo shall have '-: ——. lii.anothor journal oho reads: "The United States is now far l from being a land of Liberty and a niodol Republic.' On the contrary, the country stands on the vcrgo of being thrown into chaotic abyss: The handling of the country'is at the mercy of the mean, baseless rogues," etc., ctc. The .carjtoons show the -American savages casting sweot littlo Japanoso children through tho windows of, school, houses, and l murdering w r oll-dressed Japancso bankers-in-tho street. The misrepresentations /are grotesque in the extreme-rbut by .such means i.not infrequently one pooplo is incited .to war with another. It was by exactly such means that the North and the South were 'brought' tti battle over a'few black slaves in 18G1.■ English in Japan.. The journals .just' quoted from, preeminently modem in spirit, are printed in both Japaiieso and English. Recently a Japanese baron, Kikuchi, advised: his countrymen to abolish their, own language and adopt the' English—with revised spoiling, lot it be noted—his argument being that their own .language could novor become universal like the English. I am suro wo have no ob-, jection to loaning the Japanese a language,', as wo havo loaned tliem nearly everything olse we possess, especially'if we could provido that it ! bo used with reason and candour, and not for the purposo of crying war when thoro is no war. ' ; • ; ■ The Real Japanese Question In palifornia. Nevertheless,, wo. in America' liavo a,-griev-ance, and everything points to the passing of a rigid Japanese exclusion 'law 'similar to tho Chinese Act.' The reasons ;ror excluding tho Chinese were briefly these: Thoy were nonassimilable; 1 they did not blend with the white population' as European emigrants 'do'; their standards of living were lower' than ours; and if unrestrained .they would come in such numbers ■ as to drivo out tho nativo population and convert such a'State as California into.a Chinese colony! , • Now these objections hold with equal, if not' greater,' force against the Japanese. In fact, the Japs- are 'inferior to' the ' Chinese as labourers and mechanics, and aro not so exact in their business .transactions. Tho facts disclosed in a report of the California Commissioner "of Labour bring out the real Japaneso question. From this report Iqupto a .few pertinent, statements: — "An investigation made at Vacavillo, in the • Vaca. Valley, shows that the Japaneso camo into that valley ahout fifteen years ago,' and commenced .working, at very, low wages. Thoir numbers increased until" they' not only displaced tho white labour but rail out the Chinese. They then began to rent orchards, paying cash in advanco, thereby undermining tho Cliineso, wlio generally paid with a share of the crops. { This condition developed,until the Japanese control by lea so or purchase half of the fruit farms in tho valley." ■ "They cultivate .indifferently for immediate results, to the serious detriment of tho property." ' 1 ' " , i ' "Largs shipping firms-'.givo tho 'Japanese' credit and backing, and aid them in obtaining leases, oil account of their ability to control labour.".' "Ninety per cent.' of all the people met in driving on country roads arc iJapancso." '".Land values have shrunk one-third in the last .-fifteen years." "Tho Japanese stores aro doing moro than fifty'per cent, of the general ..merchandise business, and more than ninety per cent, of the farm supplv business." And much moro to the same effect. / . ' Discrimination, War or no War. ' This is the situation in a nut-shell: Th'ero is need on tho Pacific Coast of workers of all kinds. There is moro to be tlono than white, labour can do. Yet in a Republic such as this it is not possible to segregate a labour class and regard them simply by thoir capacity for work. The task of assimilating Asiatics with our people is beyond tho capacity of oven 'a country that has received this year not fewer than 1,285,3-19 immigrants Iron) other lands. War or no war, tho Japs will continue to receive our disfavour, nnd ho discriminated against in a policy of sclfj,*'Otcetion.' The Labour Problem on the Canal Zone. There was some talk at first of bringing in Chinese, and Japaneso coolies to build tho Panama Canal. This special labour problem has now been solved by the introduction of workers from Southern Europe, particularly from Spain, Italy, and Greece, Le Roy I'ark, the labour agent of tho Canal Commission, has hired within, the year some six thousand of the best workmen' of these countries. 'The pay of two dollars a day in gold makes them very willing to emigrate. The best workmen came from Northern Spain. These, by the way, were the men who originally settled Mexico and tho Pacific Coast. Nearly all the place names in California are Spanish. An effort is now boing made by the immigration agents of Hawaii to bring families from Spain and Portugal to

settle in those islands. Nearly five thousand immigrants from those countries have conic to Hawaii during the present year. This element will change the Asiatic complexion of the territory. The Irrigation Congress. "Save the forests, store the floods, reclaim the deserts, make homes 011 the land" —this is tho motto of the National Irrigation Congress, which this year was held, in Sacramento, California, the first week in .-September.' The interest in the four, .objects stated in the motto of the' Congress, is with us as wide as the continent, but belongs more particularly to ( the States west of the Rocky -Mountains. The gathering at Sacramento was truly national. Ten thousand visitors came from Eastern States. The Governor of Oregon was President of the Congress. Vice-J'rosideiit Fairbanks was one of the speakers. President Roosevelt had a personal representative present in, the person of ilr. d'inchot, the national iflrcster. Symbolical parade. Sacramento was decoratcil in holiday, attire, for tho occasion. The State Fair was 111. session during the same period, and as California is largely under irrigation tlio exhibits were practically the results of irrigation. Some of the subjects discussed are given below./ The Congress closed with a unique "irrigatioii parade," the main feature of which was a representation by allegorical iloats, of tho" history of irrigation, beginning with ancient Egypt and ending wntli the fruits and flowers of California, symbolising the modern era. The Chinese Water God was there, an cnorriious dragon carried by one hundred Celestials in gorgeous costume. India was represented by twenty native Hindus in appropriate garb; The trek of the Mormons across the desert —the Mormons- wore the original irrigators of the West was illustrated bv a genuine "prairie schooncr". that-ca?ne West in 'J9. In- future letters I shall give something of tlio history of the four-movements suggested by the motto of tlio Congress. . For instance, 111 the reclamation work of the Government some 40,000,000 dollars are being expended in twenty-five great irrigation projects. Among. the topics discussed at the Congress were the following: "The Reclamation Act, Conservation of Soils," "Irrigation and Drainage Investigations," "Irrigation and Dry Farming," "Irrigation bv'Private Jinterpriso," "Municipal Irrigation, Systems," "The National Forest Service," 1 'Country Life Education," "Irrigation and Sugar Beet Culture," "The Public Land Laws," and the like. '