Raymond Leslie Buell Quotes
There is nothing to be said in favor of the immigration of Japanese laborers into the United States. If unrestricted, it would wipe out American standards of living, eventually reduce us to the economic level of the Oriental, and implant an alien and half-breed race on our soil which might make the negro problem look white.
Raymond Leslie Buell, 1896 -1946, Political Scientist, President of the Foreign Policy Association of the United States, “Again the Yellow Peril”, Foreign Affairs, December 1923
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While the Western nations were doubtless guilty of blatant racism and anti-Asian discrimination, the Japanese protest was tainted with a substantial degree of hypocrisy. At the Versailles Peace Treaty negotiations the Japanese argued strenuously for equal treatment of Japanese by the West but did not favor extension of the equality principle to Koreans, Chinese, Thais, Chomoros, and other Asian peoples. Japan itself, led by its Emperor, considered other Asian people racially and culturally inferior. Thus they were the inherent leaders of Asia and all Asian people.
At the time, Australia would not allow Asians in the Country and the United States had severely curtailed Oriental immigration. Ironically, in the 21st century the United States and most of the “white” nations had opened their markets to Asian imports and China, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand all were dominating consumer manufacturing and were in free competition with white labor but there were still de facto restrictions on immigration and Asian guest workers in most white nations.
1st Viscount Shibusawa. Not only was there gross discrimination—mostly in the Western States—against the Japanese, but they were subjected to physical harassment and violence.
This report was submitted to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who accepted the recommendation and signed Executive Order 9066. The Japanese on the West Coast were then rounded up and interned by DeWitt in what was one of the lowest and disgraceful points in American history. A national apology was made 34 years later. See {635792}.
For another of his immigration quotes and that of another labor leader, see {639891} and {639896}.
This veiled endorsement of violence against immigrants is typical of Edwards whose show is funded by notorious hate groups. His knowledge of history leaves much to be desired. America was not accepted as a First World power for quite a while—especially by the First World nations of Europe. In 1900 Argentina was a richer country than the United States. The great growth in American wealth, culture and power took place in the 20th century with the help of large immigrations of the “dregs of Europe” and elsewhere. The Irish, Poles, Ukrainians, Russians, Chinese, Croations, Mexicans were all immigrants from other than the First World yet it was they who helped make America a First World nation.
One hundred years later, many in America would come to this same conclusion and American manufacturing, to outcompete China and other Oriental cultures, have turned to highly complex, constantly innovative, and technically advanced processes.
The danger of racial and ethnic interbreeding was a fabricated myth. We now know that the danger can come from pure breeding and not obtaining enough genetic diversity. One reason that man has been so successful is that the species is the product of very extensive genetic diversity. For example EVERY human being on the planet had some genetic relationship to a Black African woman.
This is a very important historical quotation. When the anti-Asian racists first organized into a League, their racism was offensive to most national politicians and Eastern business and political leaders. However, this changed quite rapidly. It illustrates the constant vigilance that has to be maintained to condemn racism whenever it erupts last that was anathema becomes fashionable. The extremes become the norm. These minutes were taken when the League was still operating under the name of the “Japanese and Korean Exclusion League”.
Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor. This usually progressive organization advocated the 8 hour work day and control of child labor but when it came to competitors for their members jobs, they became a leading racist and anti-Chinese immigration voice in America. The irony of this quotation was that most of the labor constituency that the Knights represented had been immigrants or were the children of immigrants who earlier had frightened American workers and whose ethnicity had been opposed—Irish and Italians.
This quotation illustrates how extensive and virulent anti-Asian racism had become. Gompers was a left wing liberal, but also a labor leader, and the prospect of millions of oriental immigrants competing for the existing American jobs was frightening. The irony of this quotation was that most of the labor constituency that Gompers represented had been immigrants or were the children of immigrants who earlier had frightened American workers and whose ethnicity had been opposed—Irish, Italians, Jews.
This quotation is a wonderful use of sarcasm to make an important point in just a few words.
