The San Francisco call., 1909-01-30
CHANGE IN THE BILL
AGAINST JAPANESE
Measure Now Duplicates Okla
h0ma Act With Few Added
Restrictions
Wholesale Amendment Does Not
Change Scope, but Follows
Governors Suggestions
Especial Dispatch 70 The Call

CALL HEADQUARTERS, CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-
MENTO, Jan. 29.-Anti- Japanese legis-
lation caused another stir in the as
sembly this morning when Assembly
man A NJ Drew attempted to amend
his bill on the floor of the house. Drew
substituted the Oklahoma act, with a
few added restrictions, for his original
bill to regulate the right of aliens to
hold and lease real property.
The wholesale amendment hardly
changes the scope of the measure, but
it follows Governor Gillett's sugges-
ton and is more likely to become a
law. Drew fixes the term Of leases for
country property at one year and for
city property at two years, although
the governor suggested longer terms
CONFIsCATION CLAUSE
Drew has added to the Oklahoma act
a section providing that if any con-
veyance of the title to property shall
be made by an alien, either to another
alien or to citizen of the United
States in trust and for the purpose of
evading the law, such conveyance shall
be void and the lands so conveyed
shall be forfeited and escheated to the
state of California absolutely for the
benefit of the public school fund
When Drew proposed his amendment
w. w. Greer of Sacramento objected on
the ground that as practically a new
bill was being introduced it should go
to the Judiciary committee. Richard
Melrose took a similar view. Drew
expressed desire to get the bill in
readiness for consideration next
Wednesday, when it is to be special
order. 1t was finally agreed that the
bill should not lose it's place on the
third reading file, but should be re-
ferred back with the amendment to
the judiciary committee, which was
instructed to report the bill back to
the house Tuesday.
SOUTHERNERS OPPOSE
The southern part of the state is still
opposing anti-Japanese legislation on
the score that it would injure COM
merce. Assemblyman Harmon of Los
Angeles today presented the following
petition, which was indorsed by the
board of directors of the Los Angeles
chamber of commerce this week:
We of the commercial commission of the
chambers of commerce who recently visited Ja-
pan beg leave to protest against the passage of
certain anttJapanese legislation now pending
before your honorable bodies, and as forcbily as
possible TO direct your attention to President
RooseEelt's letter OF January 16 1909, to Gov
ernor Gillett regarding said proposed legislation.
During our visit to Japan we paid particular at
tention TO the question Of Japanese emigration
and from what we ascertained we are strongly
or the opinion that the emperor and the govern
ment officials In Japan acting in absolute
good faith regarding the restriction of Japanese
immigration TO the United States.
WILL HURT COMMERCE
We firmly believe that any action by the legis-
lature which is directed at Japanese residents of
this state will be taken as an affront by the en-
tire Japanese nation.
The oriental trade passing through the ports of
this state has assumed large proportions and is
likely to be seriously crippled by such proposed
action
We therefore respectfully request that action
on any Of these bills which affect the japanese
people be deferred indefinitely as being unwise
and injudicious. A. c. BILlCKE,
S. j. MERRILL,
J. J. BERGIN.
A. n