Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-06
THE LEGISLATURE
MAY RECONSIDER
GOV. GILLETT ASKS ASSEMBLY
TO TAKE BROAD VIEW OF Is.
SUE INVOLVED, KEEPING IN
MIND THE NATIONS INTEREST.

Governor Gillett today sent mes
sage to the legislature requesting
that body to reconsider the vote
by which the Japanese school
bill was passed yesterday. The
governor quotes President Roose-
velt's message of last night, say
ing the bill was most offensive
and asking for it's defeat or veto,
and says:
"A telegram SO forcible as this
coming from the president OF the
United States is entitled to full
consideration and demands that
no hasty or i'll considered action
be taken by this state which may
involve the whole country"
The governor counsels the legis-
lature to take broad, unpreju-
diced view of the important ques-
tion involved in the proposed leg
islation, keeping in mind the in
terest of the nation as well as
the state.
The house unanimously post
poned action on the school bill
until Wednesday.
Sacramento, Cal, Feb. 8. 5.---Governor
Gillett yesterday afternoon received
the following. telegram from President
Washington, D. c., Feb. Al. N.
Gillett, governor Of California: What
is the rumor that the California legis.
lature has passed q bill excluding the
Japanese children from the public
schools? This is the most offensive
bill of ALL and in my Judgment is clear
ly unconstitutional and we should at
Can it be stopped in the legislature OF
by veto?
Theodore Roosevelt.
Replies to President.
Governor Gillett Immediately wired
reply to the president and asked for
an answer at once. He refused to dis
cuss the nature Of the message to
Washington but will make all CORE.
spondence by wire public upon the re-
ceipt of the presidents next message.
Sacramento, Cal, Feb. 5.--Grove L..
Johnsons bill, compelling Japanese to
attend separate public schools, passed
the assembly yesterday by vote OF
48 to g. Mr. Johnson's other bills pro.
hibiting aliens from being members Of
boards Of directors and restricting
them in residence districts at the op.
tion of boards of supervisors, were de-
feated, the former by vote OF "a to
Is. The latter measure failed OF
passage because of a tie vote, the
friends of the bill being unable to mus
ter the required Al votes. The roll call
finally stood 81 to 81, after call OF
the house and several changes from
aye to no and vice versa.
Johnson changed his voted from aye
to no and moved to reconsider today
Walter Leeds Of Los Angeles changed
his vote from no to aye on the schoo
bill and moved to reconsider that also
There was little support for the
corporation measure, the votes for the
bill falling 13 short Of the number cast
for the Drew bill Shortly after the
disposal Of the Johnson bills Mr. Drew
moved that the vote by which his land
bill was defeated Wednesday be re
considered. He offered to amend the
measure by striking out section
which, 1t had been declared, violated
the treaty rights of several nations
The motion was lost, the vote beint
36 ayes and 3S noes. This showed |
gain of 10 votes for the opponents o
the bill
Unexpected was the passage of tn,
Japanese school segregation bill afte
the defeat Wednesday of Drew's anti
alien land bill which was generally be
lieved to foreshadow the rejection Q
all Of the measures aimed at the jar
anese The defeat yesterday of tw
more anti-Japanese bills AIDED to tn
surprise occasioned by the vote o.
the school segregation bill. Immediate
ly upon learning of the assembly's az
ton, Governor Gillett called into cor
4 ference Speaker Stanton and Repul
lican leaders OF both houses of tn
legislature. The latter expressed tn
hope of still being able to defeat tn
measure in the assembly upon recor
sideration and 1t was with this in vie,
that Assemblyman Walter Leeds c
Los Angeles, after a roll call, change
his vote from no to yes, and CAV
notice that today he would move t
reconsider the vote of 48 to- 26 b