that for us and no more, despite his assertions to the contrary.  I would deny the right of emigration to this country of all Japanese, with certain exceptions necessary to friendly intercourse between the two countries; I would deny him the privilege of economic competition and marriage with our women.  When a member of the great Nordic race fuses with a member of a pigmented race, both parties to the union violate a natural law.  Pablo is a splendid example of mongrelization.”

“You are forgetting the shibboleths,” Kay ventured to remind him.

“No; I am merely explaining their detrimental effect upon our development.  The Japanese are an exceedingly clever and resourceful race.  Brilliant psychologists and astute diplomatists, they have taken advantage of our pet shibboleth, to the effect that all men are equal.  Unfortunately, we propounded this monstrous and half-baked ideal to the world, and a sense of national vanity discourages us from repudiating it, although we really ought to.  And as I remarked before, we possess an alert national conscience in international affairs, while the Jap possesses none except in certain instances where it is obvious that honesty is the best policy.  I think I am justified, however, in stating that, upon the whole, Japan has no national conscience in international affairs.  Her brutal exploitation of China and her merciless and bloody conquest of Korea impel that point of view from an Anglo-Saxon.  When, therefore, the Tokyo government says, in effect, to us:  ’For one hundred and forty-four years you have proclaimed to the world that all men are equal.  Very well.  Accept us.  We are a world-power.  We are on a basis of equality with you,’ and we lack the courage to repudiate this pernicious principle, we have tacitly admitted their equality.  That is, the country in general has, because it knows nothing of the Japanese race—­at least not enough for moderately practical understanding of the biological and economic issues involved.  Indeed, for a long time, we Californians dwelt in the same fool’s paradise as the remainder of the states.  Finally, members of the Japanese race became so numerous and aggressive here that we couldn’t help noticing them.  Then we began to study them, and now, what we have learned amazes and frightens us, and we want the sister states to know all that we have learned, in order that they may cooperate with us.  But, still, the Jap has us tiron in other ways.”

“Has us what?” Parker interrupted.

“Tiron.  Spanish slang.  I mean he has us where the hair is short; we’re hobbled.”

“How?” Kay demanded.

His bright smile was triumphant.