Proceedings of the Asiatic Exclusion League , January, 1909

As is usual, I'll just deal with the most interesting bits of the proceedings.

Under the “Credentials and Communications” section, they have a list of people but they also include other information which helps determine what kind of people were involved with the League. In this case, it included groups representing Upholsters, Photo Engravers, Sailors, Gas Workers, and Laundry Wagon Drivers.

Another interesting section is Petitions to Congress for Exclusion of Asiatics. This is a day-by-day listing, starting on December 9 of 1908. From December 9th through December 18, there is only one day when a petition was not presented to Congress for excluding Asiatics. The petitions started up again on January 4th, 1909, and include that date plus January 5, 7 and 8.

The next quite interesting part comes under the heading Immigration and Naturalization.

This refers to the “little brown men” from Japan, and again attacks “Hindoos”, and throws in Koreans, Manchurians, Mongolians and Malays.

This is getting rather strong, noting that the white men had been “placed as sentinels and guardians of the Caucasian civilization,” and compares the Asiatics to “a swarm of maggots.” This is awfully harsh.

This is one of the few times that the Japanese in Hawaii are talked about. Anyhow, being equal-opportunity haters, the group talks about people not desiring to see the Pacific Coast “more yellow and brown that the South is now black...”

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