デジタル版『渋沢栄一伝記資料』

昭和2年3月8日（1927年）

是日、アメリカ合衆国監督教会日本監督ノフランク・エッチ・スミス、小畑久五郎ニ、昨年同国リヴァーサイドニ於テ催サレタル会議ニ於テ、排日派ノ人士ニヨリテ、栄一等ガ合衆国千九百二十四年移民法ニ対シ既ニ何等ノ不満ヲ抱カズトノ陳述書ノ発表セラレタル旨ヲ報ズ。栄一、小畑久五郎ヲシテ、スミスニ返答セシメ、栄一ハ同法制定後一日ト雖モ之ニ対スル不満ヲ忘レザルモノナルコトヲ明ラカニス。

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（小畑久五郎）書翰控　　フランク・エッチ・スミス宛　一九二七年五月二四日
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（渋沢子爵家所蔵）
Rev. Mr. Frank Herron Smith
　　2542 Dana ST., Berkeley, Cal.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　May 24, 1927
My dear Mr. Smith,
　　Your esteemed letter of March 3《(8)》 was duly to hand. Needless for me to tell you that I was very greatly pleased to hear from you. Yes, I heard that you were made the superintendent of the Pacific Japanese Mission, succeeding the late Dr. Johnson. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the work there. I know something about the nature of the work along the coast. It has been all along an uphill work. With the growing number of the second generation, who speak English and not Japanese, and with depletion of pioneer numbers, the future policy of the Mission work must naturally be changed. This with many other matters, will no doubt try you hard, but the power in, and behind, you will be always more than sufficient to make you adjust yourself to the circumstances, and I pray that your efforts may be crowned with an abundant success. Your letter was translated and submitted to Viscount Shibusawa.
　　You are perfectly right in assuming that Viscount Shibusawa and men of his type are never, never satisfied with the immigration law of 1924. He wants me to tell you that never a day has passed since the law went into effect until now, when he did not wish to hear it revised or amended.
　　If any American visitor to Viscount Shibusawa has obtained an impression that he is satisfied with the present situation created by the enactment of the immigration law, that visitor to him has entirely and deliberately misinterpreted the Viscount's attitude toward it. He is very deeply hurt and feels it more keenly than any other high-minded Japanese for the reason that he has been most earnestly working for many years to establish permanent friendship and cooperation between the two countries. As he does not understand your language, he has every time to depend upon an interpreter. During last seven years, this work of interpretation has fallen on me, and I know through my experience that he never uttered any equivocal word in regard to his sore disappointment and dissatisfaction because of the Congressional action.
　　A gentleman like Mr. Chester Rowell should never quote the Viscount as one who is forgetting the problem. It is almost
 - 第35巻 p.256 -ページ画像 
 a criminal insinuation to bring out the Viscount in such an unhappy connection. I am inclined to believe that your method of open fight based on justice and humanity is a right one in view of the fact that there exist in California born haters of Japanese. He who entertains any prejudice against a person or a race is an enemy to the great relgion of Christianity, and in the name of that religion he should be silenced.
　　Thanking you again for the letter and a report enclosed, I am
　　　　　　　　　　　　Yours very truly,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(Signed)　K. Obata