No Admission !

Samuel Morgan Shortridge is said to be the tallest man in the Senate. In size, at least, he rises well above his colleague, Hiram W. Johnson. Just at present he seems about to stir up as much trouble for the Administration as the other Californian --but in quite a different way. Senator Shortridge is going to introduce into Congress an amendment to the immigration law which would bar all persons not eligible for citizenship from entering this country, meaning to bar Asiatics, and intended to bar Japanese.

This move, coming at a time when the Supreme Court has just upheld the Washington and California laws (TIME, Nov. 19) prohibiting persons not eligible for citizenship from owning or leasing land, is bound to be irritating to the Japanese Government. It is understood that the Japanese Government is about to make overtures for a treaty that would nullify these laws. To add a complete bar to Japanese desiring to enter the country is bound to produce vigorous protest from Japan.

Already Asiatics are barred by law from immigration to this country. But there is a " gentlemen's agreement" between the two Governments for the issuance of passports to merchants, students, travelers, etc. It is asserted by Senator Shortridge and others that the Japanese Government has been too liberal in interpreting the agreement, that coolies are issued passports, enter this country and on account of their low standards of living compete disastrously with American labor. Senator Shortridge objects to the "gentlemen's agreement" because it was made without the consent of the Senate, not being a formal treaty. " It is time," said he, "to get back to Constitutional provisions."

He called on President Coolidge and Secretary Hughes to inform them that he will introduce a bill to exclude rigidly all Asiatics. He pointed out that if Japan were included under the present quota law in the same fashion as European countries, her annual quota of immigrants would be 2,032. But in the last fiscal year 8,055 Japanese entered the U. S. under the " gentlemen's agreement," aside from those smuggled in.

There are now 100,000 to 150,000 Japanese in California alone. James D. Phelan, former Senator from California (who was defeated by Senator Shortridge in 1920, and is as short as Shortridge is tall), estimated that they hold about 500,000 of 3,500,000 acres of farm land in the state.