Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-15
STATE CAN'T BAR JAPs.
President Politely Tells California
Governor to Quit.

SACRAMENTO. Cal. March 15.-Shortly
before the adjournment of the legislature
Tuesday Gov. Gillette submitted the fol-
| lowing telegraphic correspondence on the
! Japanese question between himself and
President Roosevelt:
1.-THE Assembly of the State Of California:
II have the honor to advise your honor
| able body that yesterday forwarded to the
President of the United States telegram,
| Of which the following is a copy:
| "'Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, President of
the United States, Washington. D. c.:
"a bill is now pending in our leglsla-
| ture to submit to the voters two years from
| now the question as to whether Japanese
labor shall be excluded from this country.
| Will the passage of this bill interfere with
any of your plans or make it more difficult
| for you to accomplish that which you have
| undertaken to do In the way Of Japanese
exclusion? Please answer at once, as our
| legislature is DESTROYS of knowing concern
! ing it.
'In reply to this telegram I received
| from the President the following:
Il thank you for your kind and prompt
attention to my request. Passage of a bill
| for submission to voters of California
| whether Japanese laborers shall be ex-
cluded would interfere with my plans and
| make it more difficult for me to accomplish,
| through the national government, what 1
am trying to do in the way Of Japanese la
Dor exclusion
1.-The assumption of power by the voters
! of California to settle this question, if as
scented to by the national government, will
| Immediately end all my negotiations with
Japan for friendly adjustment, because to
| negotiate a settlement we must have power
| to settle, while, on the other hand, Call
| fornia cannot negotiate a treaty under the
Constitution.
"It is, however, perfectly clear that I'M
| der the Constitution only the national gov
| Seffle "a Of In,
| sion. and such vote of California as Is
proposed would have to be treated as en-
tirely nugatory, while 1t would probably be
regarded by those opposed to exclusion as
an attempt to ignore the constitutional
power of the United States and exclude
| Japanese in defiance of their treaty rights
to come in.
81 earnestly deprecate the passage of
any legislation affecting the Japanese. The
national government now has the matter
| in hand, and can In all human probability,
secure the results that California desires,
| while at tho same time preserving unbroken
| the friendly relations between the United
| States and Japan.
deeply at heart. I shall strive to accom-
plish for California as for other states or
| sections of this country, everything that
| can conserve its honor and its interests.
Any such action as that you mention would
| merely hamper the national government in
| the effort to secure for California what
only the national government can secure.
| THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
| The San Francisco board Of education,
keeping its word WITH President Roosevelt,
yesterday unanimously rescinded the reso-
| tuition last October by which Japanese
| were segregated In the San Francisco pub
lie schools, and adopted an alternative reso-
luton In accordance with the understand
/ Ing reached at the Washington conference
| attended by the President. Secretary Root.
| by the school board and Mayor Schmitz.
| The eboard then sent the following tele-
| gram:
SAN FRANCISCO, March IA
Theodore Roosevelt, President of the
United States. and Elihu Root, Secre-
| tary of State:
| At a regular meeting Of the board of
| education held this afternoon resolution
| as agreed upon with you was adopted
unanimously. Certified copy was given to
United States District Attorney Devlin.
1 LAWRENCE F. WALSH,
President OF Board of Education.