Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-02-03
Roosevelt Pulling Every
Wire to Stop Further
Activities.
CALLS SENATORS IN
Writes to Author of Objection.
able BilI-.-Nevada House
Votes.

Washington, Feb. 3-President
Roosevelt today sent for Senator's
Newlands and Nixon of Neveda, and
talked over the Japanese situation
with them. Despite the fact that the
senators would not talk, it is under
stood they took away with them re
quests to get into touch at once with
members of the Nevada senate and
stop further progress of the resolution
now before that body. The president
assured the senators his only desire
in the Japanese matter was to promote
the general welfare and urged the
necessity of avoiding all complications
possible
Gets Letter From President.
Sacramento, Feb 3.-Assemblyman
Drew, author of the anti-alien land bill
that caused President Roosevelt to ask
the legislature not to pass anti-Japan-
ese measures at this time, received to-
day a letter from the president. Drew
declined to make the missive public,
but stated the president was not op-
posed to his bill prohibiting all aliens
owning lands.
Administration Disturbed.
Washington, Feb. 3-No single ques-
tion, nor indeed any group of ques-
tions, is absorbing the interest and
concern of the administration at this
moment to the same extent as certain
phases of the anti-Japanese agitation
in California. The president has been
in communication with many reputa-
BILE persons who should be thoroughly
informed as to conditions on the Pa
cific coast. 1t is admitted a system
attic agitation was in progress on the
coast, but the significant feature of it's
lack of strength was the fact that la
Dor leaders had taken no part in it.
Indeed it has been stated to the ad-
ministration that the real mainspring e
of the agitation was to be found in
some of the great corporations that
had found their profitable business of
coolie transportation threatened with
destruction by the success attending
the efforts of the administration to
stop this class of immigration.
Negotiations JeOpardized.
The fact Is that in the opinion of the
administration negotiations with Japan
for a practically complete closure of
American ports to the entry of Japan
ese laborers are certainly jeopardiZed
by the extreme utterances of certain
persons in California and by the mere
consideration of such resolutions as
were entertained this week by the Ne
vada legislature.
Even Agreements Endangered,
Even the agreements already reach
ed,which are being carried out in per
feet good faith on the part of the Jap
anese government are endangered, in
the sense that the present agitation
might very naturally tend to abate the
interest of Japanese officials in the ex
ecution of their obligations in view Of
the unfriendly attitude assumed by
some elements on the Pacific coast Ii
is these considerations that have influ
enced the president in reaching the con
clusion that everything possible should
be done to prevent the enactment O
legislation by any state that would dis
criminate against the Japanese as i.
class apart from other foreign ele
ments entering America.
Similar Law I'm Japan.
There is no objection whatever b.
the administration to laws prohibitin
all aliens from holding land in Amer
ca. For this is now, under revised
statutes, the law in the District c