The Citizen

Japanese Question,

President's Comment on Secretary Metcalf's Report.

Washington, Dec. 19.—President Roosevelt transmitted to congress Secretary Metcalf's report on the Japanese situation in San Francisco, accompanying it with recommendations of his own. The president says:

The report deals with three matters of controversy—first, the exclusion of the Japanese children from the San Francisco schools; second, the boycotting of Japanese restaurants, and third, acts of violence committed against the Japanese.

As to the first matter, I call your especial attention to the very small number of Japanese children who attend school to the testimony as to the brightness, cleanliness and good behavior of these Japanese children in the schools, and to the fact that, owing to their being scattered throughout the city, the requirement for them all to go to one special school is impossible of fulfillment and means that they can not have school facilities.

Let me point out further that there would be no objection whatever to excluding from the schools any Japanese on account of age. It is obviously not desirable that young men should go to school with children. The only point is the exclusion of the children themselves.

The number of Japanese children attending the public schools in San Francisco is very small. The government has already directed that suit be brought to test the constitutionality of the act in question; but my very earnest hope is that such suit will not be necessary and that, as a matter of comity, the citizens of San Francisco will refuse to deprive these young Japanese children of education and will permit them to go to the schools.

The question as to the violence against the Japanese is most admirably put by Secretary Metcalf, and I have nothing to add to his statement. I am entirely confident that, as Secretary Metcalf says, the overwhelming sentiment of the state of California is for law and order and for the protection of the Japanese in their persons and property. Both the chief of police and the acting mayor of San Francisco assured Secretary Metcalf that everything possible would be done to protect the Japanese in the city.

I authorized and directed Secretary Metcalf to make that if there was failure to protect persons and property, then the entire power of the federal government within the limits of the constitution would be used promptly and vigorously to enforce the observance of our treaty, which treaty guaranteed to Japanese residents everywhere in the Union full and perfect protection for their persons and property; and to this end everything in my power would be done, and all the forces of the United States, both civil and military, which I could lawfully employ, would be employed.