Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-10
California and Japan.

The attitude of a powerful faction in
California with reference to the enact
ment of legislation calculated to en-
broil the United States in difficulties
and raises a question which must
sooner or later demand the attention
Of the American people. Is it within
the power of single state to bring the
ration in difficulties with foreign
lands? If so, the country is certainly
facing dangers which it should take
measures to obviate at the earliest
possible moment. California is entire
ly mistaken when it undertakes to say
that the legislation now before her
lawmakers is distinctly an affair OF
that state and that it has a right to
solve questions directly affecting our
foreign relations in accordance with
its own ideas, and without reference
to the welfare of the republic. Such
an assumption is ridiculous on the face
of it, and we do not anticipate that ii
would he for one moment sustained by
the federal courts.
At the same time, much mischief
can be done by state in the enact
ment Of bigoted legislation tending to
stir up international differences M
No
moment that if the asinine legislation
now pending before its Legislature
should result in war with Japan that
his state would undertake to carry the
burden of it, She would promptly. call
UPON all the other states of the Union
laying aside her boosted state sover-
eighty with surprising alacrity. The
cry for help would be loud and siren
uous. Under those circumstances she
has no moral, and, we believe, no legal
right to involve her sister states In
troubles Of her own making, and it is
perhaps the misfortune of our federal
government that it is not able to lay
strong and restraining hand upon
her at the very start.
We do not believe that these meas
ures will ever ultimately be crystal
lized into law. We look to see them
defeated in the California Senate, or,
if they should pass that body, we lock
| to see them encounter the governor s
veto. Even if they should be passed
| in spite of all the opposition that they
must encounter, we have no question
whatever but that they would prompt
| ly be declared null and void by the
| fedora! courts to which they would be
| Immediately taken by the national
are causing irritation with friendly
power. The United States and Japan
are OH friendly terms. They have q
large ard growing trade with each
| other, u considerable portion of which
goes to the state of California. 1t Is
| the effort of our business men to in
crease this trade and to do so 1t Is
essential that the amicable relations
now existing between the two coun-
tries shall continue unbroken.
No Part of the country has beer
more active in soliciting trade witt,
The Orient than has the state of Cal
fornia, and she should be the last one
in the Union to stir up strife with the
people there. The Japanese people in
this country have rights guaranteed
to them by established treaties. which
it is not in the power of any state tC
deprive them of, and we believe that
| this fact will be impressed upon the
sensible citizens of California before
the acts now pending in their legisia-
ture shall result in serious differences
between the two countries.