Japan and the California Problem Part 4

"Yellow Peril."

The imaginary fear of an Asiatic influx, cleverly fermented by agitators, is certainly a strong cause of j.a.panophobia. Somehow we have a historical fear of foreign invasion. This fear is inculcated and whetted among the Californians by a hideous picture of a j.a.panese Empire, that, like medieval Mongolia, would send a storming army of invasion. One might gather from the reports of the Hearst papers in California that the Pacific Coast of North America was invaded by a j.a.panese army on an average of once a month. Whether misled by jingo journalism or aroused by the exaggeration of agitators--whatever the cause--it is simply amazing how large a portion of the California people honestly fear the utterly impossible eventuality of a j.a.panese invasion.

Quite recently another form of menace was suggested, which, because of its more plausible nature, has been widely circulated. It is the fear based upon conjecture that the j.a.panese will soon control the entire agricultural industry of California and that they will ere long overwhelm the white population in that State. This apprehension was by far the most effective force in deciding in the affirmative the initiative bill voted on by the California electorate on November 2, 1920.

Propaganda.

Propaganda is autocratic power in a democratic state; it is a subtle attempt at controlling social sentiment by influencing the people's mind through its unconscious entrance. Freud teaches us that each of us is in a sense a complex of boundless wishes. We wish vastly more than our environment offers us; hence, most of our wishes have to be suppressed, thwarted. Now, propaganda appeals to this weakest part of man; it promises us an opportunity to satisfy our arrested wishes. "You are badly off, my friends," a propagandist would say to honest laborers, "because the j.a.ps are here to bid your wages down. We are trying to get rid of them for you, and for this we want your help." A similar appeal can be made with immediate good results to almost all cla.s.ses of people who have some unsatisfied wish--and all men do have such wishes.

Racial Difference.

It is clearly untenable, however, to argue that the j.a.panese agitation in California is wholly due to imaginary fear and aversion created in the minds of people by politicians and propagandists. The j.a.panese themselves are responsible for conditions which often justify some of the accusations, and which prompt exaggeration and misrepresentation. In the first place, the j.a.panese are a wholly different race, with different customs, manners, sentiment, language, traditions, and--not of least importance--of different physical appearance. Were these differences merely in kind, they would not be very repugnant, but when such differences involve qualitative difference they are particularly repulsive. It is, of course, impossible to pa.s.s judgment upon the relative superiority in all respects of things Occidental and Oriental; but western civilization naturally seems incomparably superior to American eyes. Mere difference of race alone gives no unpleasant feeling. When it is also a difference of quality, at least in appearance--and in this all must agree--it arouses our aesthetic repulsion.

Even if a man be of different race and as ugly as a Veddah from Ceylon, if he remains a solitary example, or one of a very limited number of his kind, he would not only not arouse our antipathy but would even stimulate our curiosity, and many of us would spend money to see his quaint customs and manners. But when his followers increase in number and establish themselves in our midst, and carry on the struggle for existence until they are in the way of fairly matching ourselves, we begin to be alarmed and unconsciously learn to hate them. This is an exaggerated ill.u.s.tration, but it is precisely the process which has been taking place in California relative to the j.a.panese. The fact that the j.a.panese are looked upon rather favorably in the East is because there they are comparatively few in number and are not compet.i.tors of the Americans in the struggle for existence.

j.a.panese Nationality.

To a certain extent, the anti-j.a.panese sentiment in California as well as elsewhere is accentuated by the national principles of the j.a.panese Empire. It has a system of government which for various good reasons is unique. It embraces many points that are considered, from the standpoint of the Anglo-Saxon, undemocratic. The smooth operation of democracy has been hindered by some inherent defect in the national system, by lack of experience in representative government, and by the influence exerted through an unconst.i.tutional power represented by the elder statesmen. To make the situation worse, by means of unscrupulous journalism, the American mind is duly impressed with the a.s.sumed bellicose and Prussian character of the j.a.panese Empire, the hatred of which becomes anti-j.a.panese sentiment in general.

The j.a.panese Government, again, adheres to a policy of extreme paternalism with regard to her colonists abroad. It seems true that in case of an aggressive and military government it is from necessity the devotee of a pure race and a solidified population, as Mr. Walter Lippman stated.[10]

At any rate, j.a.pan does not wish her subjects to be naturalized nor does she encourage them to lose their racial or national consciousness. This is clearly seen in her policy of dual nationality (which we shall have occasion to discuss later), which aims to retain the descendants of the j.a.panese who are born in America, and hence are citizens thereof, as subjects also of the Mikado. It is likewise observable in the spirit of j.a.panese education, which is fundamentally nationalistic, as it was referred to in the second chapter. Such a policy of nationalism inevitably incites the suspicion of countries to which j.a.panese immigrants go, and discourages the people from making an attempt at a.s.similating the j.a.panese. This, together with their nationalistic training and education, renders the a.s.similation of the j.a.panese exceedingly difficult.

Modern Nationalism.

What accentuates the difficulty in the situation is that the countries which receive such j.a.panese immigrants also uphold a policy of nationalism, which runs full tilt against the "influx" of immigrants who do not readily become amalgamated or a.s.similated. The inflow of such a population, they claim, threatens and endangers the unity of the nation, and therefore it must be stopped or resisted. This is the capital reason which is being ascribed for the discriminatory effort against the j.a.panese in California by the leaders of the movement.

Congestion in California.

The j.a.panese, moreover, manifest a strong tendency to congregate in a locality where they realize a social condition which is a poor hybrid of j.a.panese and American ways. The tendency to group together is not a phenomenon peculiar to j.a.panese immigrants alone. Such a tendency is manifested by almost all immigrants in America in different degrees. In the case of the j.a.panese, however, several additional factors operate to necessitate their huddling together--they are ethnologically different; English is an entirely different language from theirs; their customs are wholly different from those of Americans; their segregation offers advantages and facilities to some Americans who deal with them. The external hostile pressure naturally compresses them into small groups.

Whatever the cause, it is true that this habit of collective living among themselves r.e.t.a.r.ds the process of a.s.similation, and, moreover, makes the j.a.panese problem loom large in the eyes of the white population living in adjoining places.

Fear and Envy Incited by j.a.panese Progress.

In addition to this, a point to be noted is the increase in number of j.a.panese and their rapid economic development within the State of California. The question of immigration becomes inextricably mixed up in the minds of the populace with the problem of the treatment of those who are already admitted. They act and react as causes and effects of the agitation. The apprehension of a j.a.panese "influx" expresses itself in a hostile att.i.tude toward the j.a.panese already domiciled there. Conversely, the conflict arising from the presence of j.a.panese in California naturally prompts opposition against j.a.panese immigration. Now, it so happened that recently, and especially since the war, the number of j.a.panese coming to the United States through the California port has decidedly increased.

This is due to the increased arrival of travelers, business men, officials, and students, as a consequence of the closer relationship between America and j.a.pan, as we shall see in the next chapter.

Nevertheless, it incites the fear of the Californians and induces them to adopt more stringent measures against the j.a.panese living in that State.

On the other hand, the economic status of the j.a.panese in California has been steadily developing. They are entering in some directions into serious compet.i.tion with the white race. Thus, in agriculture, their steady expansion through industry and thrift has caused alarm among small white farmers. Added to this is the high birth rate among the j.a.panese, which, because of their racial and cultural distinction, forms a problem touching the fundamental questions of the American commonwealth.

Summary.

By the foregoing a.n.a.lysis of the situation, we see that although the problem of the j.a.panese in California has been made the subject of political and private exploitation, and thereby rendered unnecessarily complicated and acute, it is, nevertheless, a grave problem which contains germs that are bound to develop many evils unless it is properly solved.

In the following chapters we shall study the status of the j.a.panese in California in respect to population and birth rate, their agricultural condition, their living and culture, and their economic attainments, with a view to elucidating just wherein lie the precise causes of the difficulties.

CHAPTER VII

FACTS ABOUT THE j.a.pANESE IN CALIFORNIA--POPULATION AND BIRTH RATE

A knowledge of the facts regarding the j.a.panese population in California is important, because it has been a point of sharp dispute between those who insist on exclusion and those who oppose it, the former arguing that the j.a.panese are increasing at an amazing rate through immigration, smuggling, and birth, threatening to overwhelm the white population in the State, the latter contending that they are not multiplying in a way menacing to the State of California. The fact that such a dispute prevails in the matter of the number of j.a.panese suggests that it is, at least, one of the crucial points on which the whole problem rests. This is true in the sense that, if the j.a.panese in California were decreasing in number as the American Indians are, it would be totally useless to waste energy in an attempt to quicken the final extinction. If, on the other hand, they were to multiply in a progressively higher rate so as to overwhelm the white population, it would certainly be serious both for California and for the United States.

Number of j.a.panese in California.

This being the case, it is but natural that the enemies of the j.a.panese should exaggerate the number of j.a.panese living in California. The leaders of the movement for excluding j.a.panese estimate their number as no less than one hundred thousand. The report of the State Board of Control of California, prepared for the specific purpose of emphasizing the gravity of the j.a.panese problem in California, enumerated the population of j.a.panese in that State at the end of December, 1919, as 87,279. This number turned out to be 13,355 higher than the number reported by the Foreign Office of j.a.pan,[11] which was based on the Consular registrations (including American-born offspring of the j.a.panese) and the count made by the j.a.panese a.s.sociation of America. Most fortunately, the preliminary publication of a part of the United States Census for 1920 removed the uncertainty arising from the discrepancy by stating the exact number of the j.a.panese in California to be 70,196. The possible cause of the over-estimation by the Board of Control is to be found in its method of computation. Instead of counting the actual number of residents, it simply added the number of net gain from immigration and the excess in birth over death statistics to the returns of the census of 1910, overlooking the fact that in the meantime a great number of j.a.panese were leaving California for j.a.pan as well as other States of the Union.

The present number of j.a.panese is a minor matter compared with its dynamic tendency. The rate of increase of the j.a.panese population in California in the past may be easily obtained by comparing the returns of the United States Census.

The following table indicates the number and rate of decennial increase:

NUMBER OF j.a.pANESE IN CALIFORNIA ACCORDING TO THE UNITED STATES CENSUS.

=========================================== Year. Number. Decennial Percentage of Increase. Decennial Increase.

----- ------- --------- ------------------- 1880 86 ..... .......

1890 1,147 1,061 1,234 % 1900 10,151 9,004 785 % 1910 41,356 31,205 307.3% 1920 70,196 28,840 69.7% ===========================================

We see from the above table that after half a century of j.a.panese immigration to the United States, California's net gain amounts to a little over 70,000, the number having increased at an average rate of 14,025 per decade, or 1603 per annum. We also observe that the percentage of decennial increase gradually decreased from 1234 per cent. to 69.7 per cent.

It is useful to compare this development of the j.a.panese population with that of California in general, because it gives an idea of the relative importance of the j.a.panese increase. This is shown in the following table, in which the decennial rates of increase between them are compared:

COMPARISON OF POPULATION INCREASE OF CALIFORNIA AND OF j.a.pANESE IN CALIFORNIA.

================================================================== Year. Number. Decennial Rate of Rate of Percentage of Increase. Decennial j.a.panese j.a.panese to the Increase. Decennial Total Population Increase. of California.

----- ----------- ----------- --------- --------- ---------------- 1880 864,694 ......... .... .... .0099% 1890 1,213,398 348,704 40.3% 1234 % .095 % 1900 1,485,053 271,655 22.3% 785 % .68 % 1910 2,377,549 892,496 60.0% 307.3% 1.73 % 1920 3,426,861 1,049,312 44.1% 69.7% 2.04 % ==================================================================

Thus we see that while the percentage of decennial increase of j.a.panese has been fast decreasing since the census of 1890, descending from 1234 per cent. to 785 per cent. in the next census, and to 307.3 per cent. in 1910, and 69.7 per cent. in 1920, that of California is headed, on the whole, towards an increase. We also notice that the percentage of the j.a.panese population to the total population of California also shows a tendency to slow growth, increasing only three tenths of one per cent.

during the last decade. As a general conclusion, therefore, we may say that the rate of increase of j.a.panese in California is slowly declining while that of the total population of California is steadily increasing.

In the next place, how does the status of the j.a.panese population in California compare with that in the continental United States? In the following table, we compare the rate of increase in California and the United States, and enumerate the percentage of the number of j.a.panese in California to the total number of j.a.panese in the United States:

j.a.pANESE POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND CALIFORNIA.

===================================================================== Census. j.a.panese in Decennial Rate of Rate of Percentage of Continental Increase of Decennial Decennial j.a.panese in United j.a.panese in Increase. Increase of California to States. Continental j.a.panese in entire j.a.panese United California. population of States. United States.

------------------- ----------- --------- ----------- --------------- 1880 148 ...... ....... ...... 58.1% 1890 2,039 1,891 1,277.7% 1234.0% 56.2% 1900 24,326 22,287 1,093.0% 785.0% 41.7% 1910 72,157 47,831 196.6% 307.3% 57.3% 1920 119,207 47,050 65.2% 69.7% 58.8% =====================================================================

The table indicates that the percentage of j.a.panese in California to the total number of j.a.panese in the United States is rather high, justifying the complaint of the Governor of California that during ten years, between 1910 and 1920, "the j.a.panese population in California _increased_ 25,592, but in all of the other States of the United States it _decreased_ 10,873.

Perhaps, in this last-named fact may be found the reason that makes Oriental immigration a live subject of continued consideration in California."[12]