WANTS MILLION JAPANESE TO AID STATE FARMERS

Frank Terrace, Pioneer of Orillia, Starts Fireworks at Hearing Before Congressional Committee

PEONAGE SYSTEM, SAY MEMBERS OF BOARD

Texan Declares White River Valley Man is Advocating System of Slavery When He Makes Such Proposal

Admission of 1,000,000 Japanese to be employed in clearing logged-off lands in Oregon and Washington, then returned to their homes in the Orient, urged upon the House committee on immigration and naturalization at its hearing in the Federal Building this morning by Frank Terrace, a pioneer farmer of Orillia, precipitated a lively tilt between the White River farmer and Representative John C. Box of Texas, who maintained Terrace was offering, the same argument in favor of slavery that was advanced by Southern colonists when the Constitution was adopted.

Chairman Albert Johnson of Washington and Representative John E. Raker of California, who joined in the controversy, insisted Terrace was advocated a peonage system. But Terrace persisted in his declaration that white labor could not be obtained for clearing logged-off land and that the employment of Orientals was the only alternative offered if the agricultural lands now covered by stumps is to be made available for farming purposes.

"I have spoken and worked for good roads in nearly every section of the country; I have urged extension of telephone and electric light facilities to make the farms attractive to our American boys and girls," insisted Terrace. "But it is true our American boys won't clear the farm lands. Maybe if the land was made ready for them and ideal home conditions provided they would go back. The only other alternative is to starve them into it and they may be starved, too. Why, if the Japanese were withdrawn from the White River Valley today, Seattle would go hungry tomorrow."

Takes Fling at Bridges.

Terrace, who never has found it possible to agree with Robert Bridges, a neighbor and choice of the Nonpartisan League for governor, took a fling at Bridges in telling of White [River] farming conditions.

"There's a demagogue in our valley who has four farms and four boys, who is a candidate for governor and who is going about the state denouncing the Japanese," he said. "Yet he has rented two of his farms to Japanese and two of his sons, who won't live on the farm, are here in Seattle driving jitney busses."

Rev. Dr. W.J. Getty told the congressional committee that complaints had been made among church members that the Japanese were among the most flagrant violators of the liquor laws; that they disregarded state laws and city ordinances against opening places of business on Sunday; that they lived in unsanitary surroundings and Japanese truck gardeners monopolized the public market which was supported by white taxpayers.

Representative Isaac Sigel of New York questioned the charge of bootlegging as made against the Japanese and arrangements were made to produce police and court records.

The Auburn Minute Women, an organization of 232 White River Valley white women, sent the committee a resolution of protest against granting citizenship to children of aliens who themselves were not entitled to naturalization.

A resolution of the Seattle Ministerial Union condemning the amendment to the federal constitution introduced by Senator W.L. Jones and designed to prevent Orientals from becoming citizens, denouncing mistreatment of Japanese students, urging the naturalization of all races and urging pastors to warn their congregations against encouraging race hatred, was presented by the Rev. W.R. Sawhill.

County Assessor Frank W. Hull testified that the Japanese colonization practice depreciated adjoining property fully 33 per cent.

M.T. Stevens, who for 12 years has been a sanitary engineer in the city's employ, said he had trouble frequently in compelling Japanese to clean up their dairies and sometimes had to close them temporarily; that the Japanese held 250 Seattle marketing permits while 415 were issued to white produce raisers and that the Japanese or to work their farms as profitably. In many respects he was declared the presence of Japanese was objectionable. Stevens said the Orientals had a tendency to group themselves in colonies.

U.S. Attorney Testifies.

United States District Attorney R.C. Saunders testified that during the past year 32 Japanese had been convicted in the Federal Court for operating illicit stills.

The congressional committee suspended its Seattle hearings shortly before noon today and then left for Tacoma, where the House members were guests of the Tacoma Commercial Club at luncheon. The party will go to Mount Rainier National Park this afternoon, spend the night at Paradise Inn and return in time to resume the inquiry in Tacoma at 1:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon. It is planned to hear the secretary of a Hood River, Ore., fruit growers' association Wednesday afternoon and listen to testimony indicating that Japanese have been crowding out American fruit raisers along the Columbia River. Testimony also has been offered in Tacoma by a land agent who urges the importation of Japanese labor to clear logged-off land, and the committee also is anxious, if possible, to hear C.H. Younger, state labor commissioner.

Seattle hearings will be resumed at 10 o'clock Thursday morning. Samuel Hill, globe trotter, railroad man and intimate friend of several Japanese statesmen, was to have been called as a witness this morning if the committee could have found time. He probably will be a witness Thursday. Representative John F. Miller of the First Congressional District of this state also is a witness to be called when the committee returns.

It is probable that after the Thursday hearing, when the most important testimony will have been obtained, Representative Isaac Siegel, who is due in New York by June 1, will leave the Coast. Representative William N. Vaile must be in Denver by Monday morning and he will leave Seattle after sitting with the committee on Thursday and delivering a lecture on radicalism in the Masonic Club rooms, Arcade Annex, Thursday evening. Chairman Albert Johnson, Representatives John E. Raker and John C. Box will remain here to hold hearings in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Yakima and other parts of the state.

Illicit Distilleries.

Mr. Saunders, United States attorney, testified this morning that between May 15, 1918, when he took office, and May 1, 1920, 32 Japanese had been convicted of illicit distilling, three being convicted of attempting to bribe custom officers as well.

He said the figures had been compiled at the request of the Japanese Association of North America, which asked the names of offenders against American laws to publish them in newspapers in the offenders' native villages in Japan. The federal prosecutor said that in the last two months crimes by Japanese had shown a marked decrease.

Mr. Saunders added that the Japanese Association had helped him in other ways to suppress crime, offering interpreters and in other ways helping the government to get the truth it sought.

He remarked that the Japanese, when prohibition between effective, took to distilling of rice "with great enthusiasm," but on finding the race sales were watched turned to raisins, which began coming by carloads. Of late, however, illicit distilling has been taken up by an altogether different class.

He recommended a consolidating border patrol which would merge the work of the immigration, customs, prohibition and medical officers at the Canadian border, in the interests of efficiency.

Terrace Starts Argument.

The testimony of Terrace, pioneer White River farmer, was the feature of the morning session not only on account of the startling views he expressed and the vehemence with which he aired his opinions, but also because of the sharp tilts he had with members of the committee. Terrace is widely known, not only as a farmer but also as a good roads advocate. He maintains his home on his farm at Orillia, but devotes most of his time to public affairs, and primarily to the advocacy of improved highway construction.

"I have had Japanese working for me for 15 years," he told the committee. "They want just as much money as a white man and will not do any more work than a white, though they are more reliable. I have known white men who worked for Japanese farmers and I'll say that the Japanese usually paid a white employe more than they could obtain from a white farmer."

Subsequently it developed that Terrace had leased a part of his farm to Japanese but cultivated the rest, engaging in dairying and truck gardening.

Japanese Feeding Seattle.

"If you took the Japanese out of the White River Valley now this town would go hungry by tomorrow night," asserted Terrace. "Seventy five per cent of the milk and vegetables that come into Seattle from the White River is provided by Japanese. Stop the auto trucks on the highways leading into Seattle at midnight any day and you will find they are being driven by Japanese, Swiss, Italians and other foreigners; there are no Americans -- they won't stay on the farms any more.

"Why, out of our little town 17 boys went to the war but only one would consent to remain on the farm when he came back. My boy was one of those who entered the army. Instead of putting up the bars against the Japanese it is my opinion that the best interests of Oregon and Washington would be served if you threw down the bars and let in 1,000,000 Japanese to clear the logged-off lands of our two states which are an eyesore but which the people will not clear. Our country was covered with timber once and was cleared up by pioneers, most of them foreigners. I was one of them. But the sons of those pioneers have grown up, sought an education and now you find them in town practicing a profession; lawyers, doctors, anything to keep away from the farms."

Then Mr. Terrace took time off to denounce his neighbor -- presumably Robert Bridges -- whom he accused of leasing two farms to Japanese, allowing his sons to come to Seattle to operate jitney busses and who is campaigning for governor on an anti-Japanese issue. At this point, Representative Sox broke in.

"Don't you know," he asked, "that in the early settlement of our country the proud men of the South insisted they had to have slaves to clear up and operate their lands, that Washington and other statesmen stood out against them, but that slavery was permitted and that this resulted in the conditions which we face today? Don't you know that the same argument you are using now is the one that brought trouble to the South?"

Terrace insisted southern conditions were different and said he first went to Texas when he migrated from England, afterward coming to this state by way of Wyoming. But Representatives Box and Vaile insisted that the same line of argument coming to this state by way of Wyoming. But Representatives Box and Vaile insisted that the same line of argument was used to support slavery that Terrace was urging for Japanese help.

"I would suggest caution in arguing that laborers in unlimited numbers who might later become a menace be brought into this country just because there happens at present to be something they could do," interjected Representative Box. Later when Terrace persisted that cheap labor was required to clear logged-off lands. Representative Box asked:

"Doesn't that involve the argument that society will permit us to withdraw from the soil and introduce a new element that will till it? Would not that create two stratas of society by segregating your people into two distinct classes, one the producers and the other the consumers?"

Peonage System.

Terrace argued that the Japanese could be brought over under agreement to return when the land-clearing was completed and the country made more inviting to American farmers. Chairman Johnson insisted that Terrace was advocating a peonage system and Representative Raker took the same position. Later Raker asked Terrace whether he could show land cleared by Japanese and Terrace cited 30 acres on his own ranch, 70 on the land of a neighbor and 160 acres elsewhere in the White River Valley.

Following the testimony closer, Mr. Raker and Mr. Siegel drew from Terrace a denunciation of the class that swarmed into the cities to patronize theatres and have a gay time, meanwhile denouncing the producers for not providing cheaper foodstuffs. Raker wanted to know whether Terrace would not make the Japanese laborers part and parcel of the country.

"Not part and parcel," protested Terrace. "I would not have them vote on anything or have anything to say about our public affairs. I'm not in favor of letting them have that privilege."

Representative Raker turned aside for a moment to consult Maj. Bert C. Ross of the ex-serve men's committee and endeavored to ask a further question, but Terrace resorted he would answer anything the committee asked but would not reply to questions of outsiders. He left the stand in a huff.

L.E. Beebe, salesman for a meat packing firm, testified that in the last 15 years he had sold $1,000,000 worth of goods to Japanese and Chinese and that his firm never had lost 5 cents. He said he had found the Oriental a man of his word, able to pay at once for everything he bought.