The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-05
WORST BILL OF
ALL PASSED BY
THE ASSEMBLY
Lower House of California
legislature FayOrS Separate
Schools for the Japanese.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
INTERFERES ONCE MORE
SUCCESS OF JOHNSON BILL EN-
TIRELY UNEXPECTED AND
SITUATION AGAIN ACUTE.

Sacramento. Cal, Feb. with the
defeat in the lower house today of two
Of the auti-Japanese measures, followed
bv the unexpected passage of a third
bill segregating japanese school chill
dren in separate schools along with
Chinese, Koreans and other Asiatics,
regarded as the most offensive measure
Of all, President Roosevelt has again
taken a hand in the anti-Japanese leg
fs,atiou IN the state legislature, which
for the last week has drawn interna-
tional attention to California. Hardly
had the bill been passed by the assem-
bly before Governor Giilett received the
following message from the president;
RooseVeIt's Inquiry.
:: Washington, Feb. 4, 1909 =
Z: j. n. Gillett, Governor of Cali =
:: fornia;-Your kind letter just re- -
:: ceived. What is the rumOT that =
= California legislature has passed =
!. a bill excluding the Japanese chill y
= dren from the public schools? This =
= is the most offensive bill of all, and, =
:! in my judgment is clearly uncon- =
= stitutiOnal. and we should at once =
1: have to test it in the courts Can =
:. it be stopped in the legislature or ::
= by veto? ::
- (Signed) ::
!. THEODORE ROOSEVELT" =
The governor at once sent reply, the
nature of which he declines at this
time to make public, and requested of
the president an immediate answer.
Pending the receipt of another telegram
from President Roosevelt, Governor
Gillett declined tonight to discuss the
action Of the assembly TODAY
One of Johnson's Bills.
The bill passed today. which was one
of three snti-Js2anese measures intro
duced BY Assemblyr1an Grove johnson.
places the japanese in the same CLASH
fioation with other Asiatics ana inserts
the word japanese" in the present
state statute providing for the segTega-
ton in separate schools of Monaghan
children. BY this action, the lower
house Of the California legislature has
taken the step which the board of edu-
cation of San Francisco intended to
take two years ago. but which was
abandoned after the board and former
Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz were called
to Washington, and had several confer
ences with President Roosevelt.
Japanese Not "Mongolians."
At that time it was contended by the
japanese that they were not Mon
golians." who resented the efforts TO
place them in the same class with the
Chinese. Koreans and other Asiatic
races and the question was also raised
whether under the state statute the seq
regatiOn Of japanese school children
could be enforced in the absence Of spe-
ciic mention Of the word japanese"
Upon the return from Washington, the
San Francisco school board at that time
CoGtented itself with the adoption of a
rule limiting the age of pupils that
would be permitted to. ATTEND the lower
grades Of the public schools, one of the
principal objections to the Japanese be-
ing that adults were attending the pri-
mary grades, and in daily association
with white children of tender years.
Passage Caused Surprise.
Unexpected and a surprise was the
passage Of the japanese school segre-
cation bill After the defeat yesterday
Of Drew's anti-alien land bill which
was generally believed to fOreshadOw
the rejection of all the measures aimed
al The japanese, followed by the defeat
To-Day Of two more anti-Japanese bills,
the result Of the vote on the school seq
iesauOn question was entirely unlocked
10Y Immediately upon learning of the
sSsembiy's action Governor Gillett
called into consultation Speaker Philip
stanton and the Republican leaders of
hoth houses OF the legislature. The lat
Ter expressed the hope of still being
aole 10 defeat the measure in the as
semoly upon reconsideration. and IL
vas with this in view that Assembly
tAan Waiter Leeds of Los Angeles, after
IoH cali, changed his vote from no to
yes and gave notice that tomorrow he
would give notice to reconsider the vote
Vl y 70 Is by which the bill was passed.
- VIII require forty-one votes to carry
Lsaos motion. In the event that il is
euopted It is freely predicted tonight
'at one Of the iercest battles ever
Continued on Page 8.