デジタル版『渋沢栄一伝記資料』

大正11年4月10日（1922年）

アメリカ合衆国カリフォルニア州ノサクラメント・ビー主筆ヴィー・エス・マクラチ、栄一ガサンフランシスコ日本人学童ノ能力審査ニ援助ヲ与ヘタルヲ誤聞シ、是日、栄一ニ書翰ヲ送リテ日米両国人ノ同化スベカラザルヲ論ズ。七月十五日、栄一返書ヲ送ル。

（ヴィー・エス・マクラチ）　書翰控　　渋沢栄一宛　一九二二年四月一〇日
 - 第40巻 p.361 -ページ画像 
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（ヴィー・エス・マクラチ氏所蔵）
　　　　　　　　　　　　　(COPY)
　　　　　　　　　　THE SACRAMENTO BEE
　　　　　　　　　　　　SACRAMENTO, CAL.
　　　　　　　　　　OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　San Francisco, Calif.,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　April 10th, 1922
Viscount Ei-ichi Shibusawa,
　　Kabuto-Cho 2, Nihonbashi,
　　Tokyo, Japan.
My dear Viscount Shibusawa :
　　While I was in Washington, there was published in the Japanese "New World" of San Francisco, a statement to the effect that in conjunction with the Japanese Association of Southern California, you had offered to create a fund of $10,000 to meet the expenses of demonstrating, along lines which you thought sufficient, that the Japanese in California are assimilable as American citizens.
　　As explained in the newspaper, the investigation outlined by you is to determine by tests the intellectual and moral development attained by Japanese children in American schools, and the "scope and degree of influence by special social traits and by the ideals of Americans" and also "sanitary conditions, bodily changes and special traits."
　　In my Brief, prepared for the Department of State, (copy of which you have), in Sections 125 to 140, I attempted to clearly set forth why Japanese and Americans are not assimilable, and why that fact does not necessarily involve criticism as to inferiority of either race.
　　Permit me to point out, from the standpoint of a Californian, as outlined in my various articles, the investigation and test proposed by you will not demonstrate in any way the assimilability of Japanese for American citizenship. For instance, it may be conceded, if you like, that under investigation the Japanese children will not only show on the average equal, but even superior, intellectual and other development. That will not afford proof, even in the slightest degree, that they can, or will, assimilate with the white population.
　　We have endeavored to make clear that the question of assimilation does not involve a comparison as to mental or social equality. There has been no suggestion that Japanese and Americans cannot assimilate because of inferiority on either one side or the other. The contention is that they do not and cannot assimilate because there is such a vital racial difference, and a difference in religion, ideals and heredity and other matters
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 which precludes the possibility of assimilation.
　　There can be no perfect assimilation where intermarriage is not contemplated : and for various reasons, even where such marriages are permitted, they are not desired either by your people or by ours, and usually, where attempted, have been failures.
　　You will find in the statements of your own people who have examined closely into this question, corroboration of my point of view. Permit me to add to those quoted in the Brief, in the Sections covering Assimilation, (125 to 140) Kichisaburo Endo, of the Imperial University of Tokyo, who is thus quoted in Millard's recent publication "Japan and the 'Irrepressible Expansion' Doctrine",-
　　"It is impossible for our people, who from elementary school days have been bred with teachings of loyalty and patriotism, to lose their characters and adopt those of the country to which they emigrated. The suggestion that they can, completely ignores the history of our country. There are some Japanese who try to refute the contention of the American people that the Japanese are utterly unassimilable. It is undisputed, when weighed very carefully, that we may prove to be most refractory for assimilation by another race. As a Japanese of manly spirit never will be swallowed up by the national characteristics of another peoples, the refutal is impossible."
　　If people like yourself and myself, who are seriously and honestly striving to adjust this present difference, with fairness to the people of both nations, will carefully confine themselves to the vital issues and the real differences, we can hope to accomplish something. It is with regret, therefore, that I note that you have so clearly misunderstood the issue in the matter of assimilation. The mere fact that the Japanese children here may be proven to be either equal or superior, intellectually and physically, to American children of the same age, offers absolutely no proof of their ability or willingness to merge themselves into the American melting pot, or the willingness of their nation to permit them to do so.
　　The difficulty is that the Japanese here do not consider, and do not discuss even, the merging of their identity into the American race. They talk, always, of preserving a distinctive Yamato race in this country, and if this means anything, it means absolute refusal to assimilate, since assimilation is simply merging.
　　This statement is not in the way of criticism. I have no
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 fault to find with Japanese because they refuse to be merged into any other race; that is to their credit. They have a pride of race which has so far maintained them, and which they believe will maintain them for ages to come, but the mere fact that they have this pride of race, and decline to be merged into other races is one of the proofs of my statement that they are not assimilable for purposes of American citizenship, or even for purposes of permanent residence in this country.
　　We come back to the clearly stated judgment of President Roosevelt, who has always been regarded, very properly, by the Japanese as their warm friend. He said very decidedly that because of conditions herein described and as more fully set forth in my Brief, it is not possible for the two races to assimilate, and that any attempt to force assimilation, or any effort to maintain the two races in the same environment, would certainly result in friction or disaster. It was for this reason he maintained that Japan and the United States should agree amicably that the nationals of one country should not be permitted to settle permanently in the territory of the other.
　　It was for this reason he carefully outlined the "Gentlemen's Agreement" the full intent of which he explained in his telegram to the California Legislature, and in his letter to Honorable William Kent, in 1909, and in that chapter of his autobiography published in 1913, which is devoted to an explanation of his differences with California on the Japanese qeustion.
　　The real solution of this difficulty lies in acceptance by both nations of the judgment of Theodore Roosevelt, and the taking of measures, without delay and before friction has caused misunderstanding, which will stop absolutely any further entrance into this country of Japanese intending to settle permanently, and any further entrance into Japan of Americans intending to settle permanently, no matter what may be the business of the proposed residents.
　　I will be glad to learn from you whether I have made this point sufficiently clear, and whether your judgment will endorse it.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　Very sincerely yours,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(V. S. McClatchy)
VS-K
　　○マクラチニ就イテハ本資料第三十三巻所収「第四回米国行」大正十年十一月七日ノ条並ニ「日米関係委員会」大正九年十二月二十二日ノ条参照。

渋沢栄一書翰　　ヴィー・エス・マクラチ宛　一九二二年七月一五日
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（ヴィー・エス・マクラチ氏所蔵）
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　　　　　　　　　　　(COPY)
　　　　　　　　VISCOUNT SHIBUSAWA
　　　　　　　　　2 Kabutocho Nihonbashi
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Tokyo,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　July 15, 1922
Mr. V. S. McClatchy,
　　Sacramento, Calif.
　　U.S.A.
Dear Mr. McClatchy:
　　It remains in me as one of my pleasant recollections of my last trip to your country that I could discuss with you in Washington, Sacramento and San Francisco Japanese-American questions, especially those of California.
　　The "Brief" a few copies of which you gave me at Fairmont Hotel was translated into Japanese and I hurriedly read it through. Your kind letter of April 10th was also submitted to me in translation. In this letter, you called my attention to the fact that the "New World" published a statement to the effect that I contributed ten thousand dollars to the Japanese Association of Southern California for the purpose of carrying out a scientific investigation among Japanese children of California in order to ascertain whether or not they are assimilable. If such a statement appeared in the paper, it is entirely a misrepresentation.
　　Of course this is true that I was approached by a friend who intended to plan a psychological investigation of California Japanese children, and that I consented to do my bit in that enterprise.
　　Perhaps this was a cause of error in the paper. Even in this enterprise I was not a prime mover. I was never involved in the project of demonstrating the possibility of California Japanese youths for assimilation, if even such a project were set on foot, and it embarrasses me not a little for mentioning my name in such a wrong connection.
　　You know very well my views about the assimilability of Japanese in your state. What I told you then still holds true in my belief. In other words, I firmly believe that people of different races can be assimilated to one another if they mutually mind to assimilate and to be assimilated, no matter how much their customs, manners and religions may differ. Confucius says:
　　"Let his words be sincere and truthful, and his actions honorable and careful; - such conduct may be practiced among the rude tribes of the South or the North. If his words be not sincere and truthful, and his actions not honorable and careful,
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 will he, with such conduct, be appreciated, even in his neigh-borhood?"
　　If one race approaches with courtesy and sympathy to another, there can come mutual understanding from which the processes of reciprocity and assimilation will naturally grow. I am quite confident of the processes. In this conviction, I am sorry to say that I differ from you fundamentally.
　　Begging your pardon for a long delay of my reply to your letter, I beg to remain,
　　　　　　　　　　　Yours very truly,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(Signed) E. Shibusawa

Japanese American Relation　　　　　　（渋沢子爵家所蔵）
　　　　　　　　Causes Which Produce Friction
　　　　　　　　　and the Obvious Remedies
　　　　　　　　　　―――――――――
　　　　　　　　　A Frank Statement From California Published in Japan
　　　　　　　　　　―――――――――
　　‥‥‥‥‥‥
　　　　　　　　TWO Non-Assimilable Races
　　In this matter, from our stand-point there is involved no question of racial superiority; we frankly concede that in certain excellent qualities―not in all―the Japanese are our superiors. It is a question, not of inferiority, but of radical difference―a difference in race, heredity, religion, ideals, standards of living, social customs, etc., so great as to make it impracticable, if not impossible, for the two races to assimilate, whether the attempt be made here or in Japan.
　　Assimilation between Japanese and whites through intermarriage is out of the question. There is on each side a natural and proper pride of race which proves a great obstacle; there is next the biological law that intermarriage between races so different induces degeneration; and there is finally the social ostracism which is visited upon Eurasian progeny of such intermarriages.
　　Assimilation without intermarriage is not possible. There would grow up in our midst an alien race entirely independent, with its own communities, maintaining the language, the ideals, the religion, the customs and the loyalty of Japan―a government within a government, certain to produce friction and at all times a menace to our own citizenship.
　　It has been conceded generally by leading Japanese with whom this phase has been discussed that it is most unwise to
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 permit, in this country or in Japan, the development of an unassimilable alien element, with certain advantages in economic competition, or numerical increase, which would lead inevitably in time to racial conflict. That is the situation which confronts us to-day in California and which has already commenced to appear in other States; and it is manifestly in the interests of both countries to put a stop to conditions whose continuance threatens to disrupt the existing friendly relations.
　　‥‥‥‥‥‥
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　V. S. McCLATCHY
　　　　　　　　　Sacramento, California, February 28, 1921
　　○右ハマクラチガ大正十年五月二十五日読売新聞日米問題号ノタメニ寄稿セルモノヲパンフレツトトナセルモノナリ。