e Government is loyally and in good faith doing its
part to carry out this policy, precisely as the American Government
is doing. The policy aims at mutuality of obligation and behavior. In
accordance with it the purpose is that the Japanese shall come here
exactly as Americans go to Japan, which is in effect that travelers,
students, persons engaged in international business, men who sojourn for
pleasure or study, and the like, shall have the freest access from one
country to the other, and shall be sure of the best treatment, but that
there shall be no settlement in mass by the people of either country in
the other. During the last six months under this policy more Japanese
have left the country than have come in, and the total number in the
United States has diminished by over two thousand. These figures are
absolutely accurate and cannot be impeached. In other words, if the
present policy is consistently followed and works as well in the future
as it is now working, all difficulties and causes of friction
will disappear, while at the same time each nation will retain its
self-respect and the good will of the other. But such a bill as this
school bill accomplishes literally nothing whatever in the line of the
object aimed at, and gives just and grave cause for irritation; while
in addition the United States Government would be obliged immediately to
take action in the Federal courts to test such legislation, as we hold
it to be clearly a violation of the treaty. On this point I refer you to
the numerous decisions of the United States Supreme Court in regard to
State laws which violate treaty obligations of the United States. The
legislation would accomplish nothing beneficial and would certainly
cause some mischief, and might cause very grave mischief. In short, the
policy of the Administration is to combine the maximum of efficiency in
achieving the real object which the people of the Pacific Slope have at
heart, with the minimum of friction and trouble, while the misguided men
who advocate such action as this against which I protest are following a
policy which combines the very minimum of efficiency with the maximum of
insult, and which, while totally failing to achieve any real result for
good, yet might accomplish an infinity of harm. If in the next year or
two the action of the Federal Government fails to achieve what it is now
achieving, then through the further action of the President and Congress
it can be mad