The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-02-13
Fight on Anti=Japanese Leg
islation in California.
BEGAN TWO YEARS AGO
Measures introduced at Previous SEES
sion Withdrawn at Mr.. Roosevelt's
Request, He Promising to Negotiate
Treaty With Japan to Restrict
Observation-Disclosures Of Bills
Brings Protest From Japan.

Sacramento, Cal, Feb. I,.-The
anti-Japanese measure just defeated
In the California legislature has been
the sensation Of two legislatures. 1t
was first introduced at the session
two years ago by Grove L. Johnson Of
Sacramento, ex-congressman from
this district and member of the state
lawmaking body for years. It was
framed at the request of the San
Francisco board Of education after the
latter had passed resolution barring
Japanese children from the schools
attended by white scholars and as
signing them to the institutions at
tended by Chinese. The law specified
that Mongolians and Indians should
be segregated and the boards action
was based on the contention that the
Japanese belonged to the Monaghan
race. This the Japanese denied as
strenuously. The mikado's govern
ment protested to President Roosevelt
and the members of the school board,
headed by the then mayor, Eugene r..
Schmitz, were summoned to confer
ence at Washington by the chief ex-
ecutive of the nation. The president
sent an urgent message to the gov
ernor and the legislature of this state
asking that the bill be withdrawn, at
least for the period Of two years, as
ruring them that in the meantime a
treaty would be negotiated with ia
pan to do all in its power to restrict
Japanese immigration and alleviate
the conditions protested against by
| the Japanese and Korean Exclusion
league of California, as well as nu-
merous labor troubles.
! Assemblyman Johnson, when he
presented it again on the first day of
The presentation of bills at this ses-
sion, stated that he had done so with
out prompting by the Asiatic Exclu-
sion league or any other organization.
Japanese Again Protest.
Sc soon as the Japanese heard the
news of the revival of the bill Japan
made representations to Washington
that it would, if passed, violate the
treaty rights Of that Lation and after
consultation with Secretary Of. State
Root the presidenk wired Governor
Gillett, urging that action be delayed
again. BUTT was not over the school
bill - that-- Is 9e>Iara1 al1thnriI;es
Seemed to be concerned: They did
not believe at that time that it would
be passed. The president specifically
mentioned as obnoxious a measure in
troduced by A. M. Drew of Fresno,
prohibiting the ownership of lands by
aliens. AS Japanese, are not permit
ted to become citizens they consid-
cred the bill as blow aimed espe-
cially at them. Governor Gillett sent
message to the legislature asking
that the land bill be killed and this
was done. But later when the school
bill, which had been quietly reported
out fayorably by the committee to
which it was referred, was called up
for final passage it was adopted by a
vote of 48 to 20.
The president was astounded by
the news and at once wired Governor
Gillett that this was "the most often
sive bill of all"
Walter Leeds Of Los Angeles had
given notice that he would move to
reconsider the vote by which the
measure passed and the governor sent
another message urging the assembly
| to reconsider and kill it.
This precipitated a battle that Gull
minated in a victory for the president,
Hopes Agitation ls Over.